When people talk about elections, they usually focus on the results. But the real work happens in the small operational decisions that keep the process running. During one of my assignments with the Independent National Electoral Commission, our polling unit started the day severely understaffed. Instead of the standard three Assistant Presiding Officers, I had only one — and the only other person available to help was a student volunteer. The challenge wasn't just manpower. It was risk management. The accreditation process using BVAS is a critical control point in the election workflow, so I had to quickly assess how to distribute responsibilities. Here's how we handled it: • The documented Assistant Presiding Officer handled BVAS voter accreditation. • The volunteer supported lower-risk tasks such as verifying voter identity and register details. • I introduced periodic checks to ensure the number of accredited voters matched the number of ballot papers issued. With a redesigned workflow and clear role assignment, the polling unit ran smoothly despite the staffing challenge. Every voter was processed successfully, and the transparency of the process helped ensure that party agents and voters accepted the final results. Sometimes operations leadership isn't about having perfect resources. It's about designing a system that still works when conditions aren't perfect.