A universal system for how work gets done
Operator 11:
Prepare Tools
Prepare Tools represents the act of setting up, configuring, or verifying the instruments, systems, or environments used to perform a step. Tools enable work to happen, but they are not consumed or transformed by the process itself. Prepare Tools ensures that capabilities, equipment, and operational systems are ready before execution begins. Without clearly defining Prepare Tools, work can be delayed, unsafe, inefficient, or compromised due to unavailable, misconfigured, or unreliable enabling resources.
Plain-English Definition
Prepare Tools represents the act of making the instruments, resources, or capabilities ready to perform work. It isolates tool readiness from execution.
What Prepare Tools Does
Prepare Tools makes capability readiness explicit. It ensures that execution steps are not burdened with hidden setup of instruments or enablers.
What Prepare Tools Is Not
Prepare Tools is not execution (Action). It is not preparation of materials or data (Prepare Inputs). It is not readiness without setup (Standby).
Core Characteristics
-
Tools, systems, or capabilities are configured or staged
-
Preparation is complete before execution begins
-
Execution depends on tool readiness
Examples Across Contexts
-
Directed (designed process): Configuring software before analysis begins
-
Observed (descriptive): Equipment is calibrated before work starts
-
Natural phenomena: Environmental structures enable interaction once conditions are set
How Prepare Tools Works with Other Operators
Prepare Tools typically precedes Action or Process. If readiness is maintained without immediate execution, Standby may follow.
Common Mistakes
-
Combining tool setup with execution
-
Confusing tools with inputs
-
Omitting capability readiness entirely
Key Questions to Identify Prepare Tools
-
Must tools or capabilities be made ready first?
-
Would execution fail without this setup?
-
Is this about capability rather than material?
Things to Remember
If capability must be made ready, that preparation is its own step.
Canonical Definition
Prepare Tools isolates capability readiness from execution.