How to run a vendor follow-up squad

A vendor mission runs as a closed loop on the Operations Squad. You draw the path in the mission goals: which vendors, what they owe, and the date you will accept. The Mission Commander works inside that path and assigns the ledger and the drafts to Chase. Steering is the approval step. Chase does not send the follow-up.

The squad you import

The template is the Operations Squad, on /squads. Chase, Vendor Coordinator, keeps a ledger of commitments and overdue items, drafts a follow-up with the exact ask and date, and can flag vendor terms that need a look.

Gantt gets a card only if you want the chase tied to a checklist. Tally stays off unless the weekly report is in the goals. Contract redlines are a different squad: Clause, on the Legal & Compliance Squad. Chase flags terms. A lawyer, or that other mission, does the legal pass. This template has no required connection.

You do this in the xSquads desktop app, on a folder of your own files. Mac now, with Windows coming soon. The product page is xSquads for Work.

How the mission runs

Step 1. Import the Operations Squad

Open the squad templates and import the Operations Squad onto the mission. Keep Chase. Remove Tally if the report is not part of this mission. Keep Gantt only if owners and due dates need a checklist beside the ledger.

Step 2. Leave the connector list empty

This template has no required connection. Do not connect treg or Vapi. Put the commitment ledger, the open asks, and any terms you want flagged into the mission folder.

Step 3. Create the mission and set the goals

Create the mission and write the goals in plain language. Those goals are the path: which vendors, the ask, and the date. Point the mission at the local folder with the ledger. The commander does not get to widen that path. A goal you can start from, as written on the squad page: list every overdue vendor item and draft the follow-ups. Add a second goal only if you want it: review our vendor terms and flag what needs attention.

Step 4. Let the Mission Commander assign the work

Save the mission. The Mission Commander creates tasks on the task board and assigns them only inside the goals you wrote. Chase takes the overdue ledger and one draft per vendor, with the exact ask and the date. Tally should not compile the weekly report unless that goal is present. A terms flag is a note for you, not a redline.

Step 5. Add a task, steer, and approve before any vendor is emailed

Steering is the approval step. Add a task on the board, or correct the Mission Commander in the group chat, when the ask or the date is wrong. A useful task to add yourself: change the date on the hosting draft to the date in the ledger, and do not mention a penalty that is not in the file. Chase does not send. Start by approving every draft you intend to send, and hold the rest.

How much to review

Start by approving everything. Autonomy is a dial, not a switch you flip because a vendor is late.

Always sign off the ledger, the ask, and the date yourself. Raise the dial only when drafts stay inside those three. Tone can be firm. The commitment still has to be the one in the file. Escalations and terms are your call. xSquads does not email the vendor.

What the goals have to name

The vendors in scope, and anyone who is out.
The ask and the date, taken from the ledger. Chase should not invent a deadline.
Whether terms get a flag. A flag is not a legal opinion. The agents are not your counsel.
What is out: the weekly ops report, and contract redlines.
Sending stays with you.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who drafts the vendor follow-up?

Chase, on the Operations Squad. The draft names the exact ask and the date. The squad-page mission is the overdue list plus those drafts.

Is the email sent?

No. You approve it in Review, then you send it. The squad drafts and does not send.

What is the commitments ledger?

The file of what each vendor owes and what is overdue. Chase keeps that ledger from the folder you provide. If an item is not in the file, it is not overdue in the draft.

Can Chase redline the contract?

No. Chase can flag terms that need attention. Redlines are the Legal & Compliance Squad, and a lawyer confirms those. This mission stops at the flag.

What should I check before I send?

The vendor name, the ask, and the date, against the ledger. If the draft adds a penalty or a promise, send it back.