🔥 Flame Division Academy · Dojo Syllabus

Kubernetes Workflow Operator (KWO)

KWO is a cloud operator lane designed to turn Kubernetes work into repeatable, safe deployment workflows. You’ll learn to operate clusters with discipline: define a runbook, apply changes in controlled steps, validate health, and log decisions so another operator can reproduce your results.

Lane: Cloud Operator (Kubernetes) Format: Runbooks + incident drills Certification: Instructor-reviewed Focus: Safe deploys + troubleshooting discipline

Purpose & Operator Role

The Kubernetes Workflow Operator turns “kubectl moves” into operational workflows: planned changes, health checks, rollback paths, and an audit-ready record of what happened. This is not theory — it’s production discipline.

Operator standard: If you can’t verify the cluster state before and after the change, you are not operating — you’re gambling.

Prerequisites

  • Recommended: AI Workflow Operator (AWO) — workflow reasoning + decision logs
  • Comfort with CLI basics (files, folders, environment variables)
  • Willingness to follow runbooks exactly (no freestyle edits)

Core Skills You’ll Build

  • Runbook Execution: step-by-step procedures that another operator can follow
  • Safe Deployments: rollout discipline, health validation, and rollback readiness
  • Cluster State Awareness: observe nodes, pods, services, and events with intent
  • Manifest Control: read and apply YAML changes without breaking working systems
  • Troubleshooting Discipline: logs, describe, events, and root-cause isolation
  • Change Logging: record what changed, why it changed, and what risk was reduced

Training Format

KWO is built around realistic operator drills. You’ll practice deploying, validating, and recovering from failures with controlled methods — not guesswork.

  • Runbook drills: deploy → verify → observe → document
  • Failure drills: crashloop, image pull issues, misconfig, service routing errors
  • Rollback drills: revert safely and confirm stability
  • Instructor checkpoints: safety, clarity, proof-of-execution

Syllabus Modules

  • Module 01 — Kubernetes Operator Basics: cluster components, namespaces, contexts
  • Module 02 — Workflow & Runbooks: change plans, stop rules, verification gates
  • Module 03 — Manifests & Configuration: deployments, services, configmaps, secrets (safe handling)
  • Module 04 — Safe Deployment Cycle: apply → rollout → health checks → rollback readiness
  • Module 05 — Observability Discipline: logs, describe, events, resource metrics
  • Module 06 — Failure Modes & Recovery: common breakpoints + controlled fixes
  • Module 07 — Final Drill: run a full deploy + validation + incident recovery with logs

Certification Gate (No Instant Pass)

KWO certification is awarded only after instructor verification of your runbooks, decision logs, and proof that you can operate safely under pressure.

  • No auto-certification.
  • Runbooks must be clear, repeatable, and risk-aware
  • Deployments must include verification + rollback plan
  • Incidents must be handled with discipline (observe → isolate → fix → verify)

Who This Is For

  • Operators moving from AI workflows into cloud execution
  • Students seeking real-world Kubernetes operating discipline
  • Teams who need repeatable deployments and clean handoffs
  • Builders who want runbooks, not random “fixes”

What This Unlocks Next

After KWO, you can progress into AWS Workflow Operator for cloud-native workflows across AWS services, or pursue the Dual Operator Certification lane if you’re combining AI decision discipline + cloud execution.

Flame Law: “If it can’t be rolled back, it can’t be trusted.”