/ceos-ids

name: ceos-ids
description: Use when identifying, discussing, or solving issues using the EOS IDS process
file-access: [data/issues/, templates/issue.md]
tools-used: [Read, Write, Glob]

ceos-ids

Run the IDS (Identify, Discuss, Solve) process — the EOS method for resolving issues systematically. Every issue gets a root cause, a focused discussion, and at least one To-Do with an owner and due date.

When to Use

• "We have an issue" or "add to the issues list"
• "IDS this" or "let's identify discuss solve"
• "What are our open issues?" or "show the issues list"
• "Solve [issue]" or "discuss [issue]"
• "Close this issue" or "mark [issue] as solved"
• During L10 meetings when the IDS section begins
• Any time the team needs structured problem-solving

Context

Finding the CEOS Repository

Search upward from the current directory for the `.ceos` marker file. This file marks the root of the CEOS repository.

If `.ceos` is not found, stop and tell the user: "Not in a CEOS repository. Clone your CEOS repo and run setup.sh first."

**Sync before use:** Once you find the CEOS root, run `git -C <ceos_root> pull --ff-only --quiet 2>/dev/null` to get the latest data from teammates. If it fails (conflict or offline), continue silently with local data.

Key Files

| File | Purpose | |------|---------| | `data/issues/open/` | Open issues awaiting resolution | | `data/issues/solved/` | Resolved issues (archive) | | `templates/issue.md` | Template for new issue files |

Issue File Format

Each issue is a markdown file with YAML frontmatter:

id: issue-001
title: "Slow customer onboarding"
priority: 1            # 1 (highest) - 5 (lowest)
category: process      # people | process | data | vision | traction
ids_stage: identified  # identified | discussed | solved
created: "2026-02-06"

**Priority levels:**

• `1` — Critical, solve first
• `2` — High, solve soon
• `3` — Medium, solve when time allows
• `4` — Low, solve if capacity allows
• `5` — Nice-to-have, backlog

**Categories (the 5 EOS issue types):**

• `people` — right person, right seat issues
• `process` — systems, workflows, efficiency
• `data` — metrics, reporting, information gaps
• `vision` — alignment with V/TO, Core Focus
• `traction` — execution, accountability, follow-through

**IDS stages:**

• `identified` — root cause found, not yet discussed
• `discussed` — perspectives captured, not yet solved
• `solved` — To-Dos created, file moved to `data/issues/solved/`

**File naming:** `issue-NNN-slug.md` where NNN is a zero-padded ID and slug is the title slugified.

Process

Mode: List Issues

When the user asks to see the issues list.

1. Read all files in `data/issues/open/`. 2. Parse frontmatter for priority, category, and IDS stage. 3. Display sorted by priority (1 first):

Open Issues (6 total):
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
P1  issue-003  Slow customer onboarding     [process]  identified
P1  issue-007  Key account churning          [people]   discussed
P2  issue-001  Reporting gaps in dashboard   [data]     identified
P3  issue-005  Misaligned marketing spend    [vision]   identified
P4  issue-002  Office Wi-Fi unreliable       [process]  identified
P5  issue-008  Update team photo on website  [process]  identified

If no open issues exist: "No open issues. Nice work! Use 'ceos-ids' to create one when a new issue surfaces."

---

Mode: Create Issue (Identify)

Use when a new issue surfaces.

Step 1: Name the Issue

Ask: "What's the issue? Give it a short title."

Step 2: Dig for Root Cause (5 Whys)

Don't accept the first answer at face value. The stated problem is usually a symptom.

Walk through the 5 Whys: 1. "Why is this happening?" → [answer] 2. "And why is that?" → [answer] 3. "What's causing that?" → [answer] 4. Continue until you reach a root cause (usually 3-5 rounds)

Record both the stated problem and the root cause.

Step 3: Classify

1. **Priority** — How urgent? (1/2/3/4/5) 2. **Category** — Which EOS type? (people/process/data/vision/traction)

If the user isn't sure about category, help with examples:

• "Is this about having the right people?" → people
• "Is this about how work gets done?" → process
• "Is this about missing information?" → data
• "Is this about our direction?" → vision
• "Is this about executing the plan?" → traction

Step 4: Generate the ID

Read existing issue files in `data/issues/open/` and `data/issues/solved/`. Find the highest `issue-NNN` ID across both directories and increment. If no files exist, start at `issue-001`.

Step 5: Write the File

Use `templates/issue.md` as the template. Fill in:

• Frontmatter: id, title, priority, category, ids_stage=identified, created=today
• Identify section: stated problem and root cause from 5 Whys

Write to `data/issues/open/issue-NNN-slug.md`.

Show the file before writing. Ask: "Create this issue?"

---

Mode: Discuss

Use when an identified issue needs discussion (often during L10).

Step 1: Open the Issue

Read the issue file. Show the current Identify section.

Step 2: Capture Perspectives

For each participant:

• "What's your perspective on this?"
• Record each person's view in the Discuss section

Rules for discussion:

• Everyone speaks. No one dominates.
• Stay focused on this issue — no tangents.
• No solving yet — just understanding.

Step 3: Update the File

1. Update `ids_stage` to `discussed` in frontmatter 2. Fill in the Discuss section with perspectives 3. Show the diff, ask for approval, write

---

Mode: Solve

Use when a discussed issue is ready for resolution.

Step 1: Open the Issue

Read the issue file. Show the Identify and Discuss sections for context.

Step 2: Determine the Solution

Ask: "What's the solve? What specific actions will resolve this?"

For each action: 1. **Action** — what needs to be done (specific and verifiable) 2. **Owner** — one person (not "the team") 3. **Due date** — when will this be done

Step 3: Valida