"But a lot of that kind of work is done pre-flight, coordinating efforts with the flight directors and the ground teams, and figuring out how you're going to operate together"

This quote by Leroy Chiao is referring to the work that enters into getting ready for an area mission. Before an objective is introduced, there is a lot of work that needs to be done to ensure the mission achieves success. This includes coordinating efforts in between the flight directors and the ground groups. The flight directors are responsible for the general mission goals and the ground groups are accountable for the technical aspects of the objective. The two teams need to collaborate to find out how they will run during the mission. This consists of figuring out the functions and responsibilities of each group, the timeline for the objective, and the treatments that will be followed. This pre-flight work is necessary for an effective objective and is an important part of the objective preparation process.