How To Calculate Takt Time For Multiple Products

Posted on August 31, 2025August 31, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 7 min

How to Calculate Takt Time for Multiple Products in Construction

We talk a lot about Takt time, and I want to provide clear, practical advice based on the questions we’ve been receiving. While we’ve covered takt time in other blogs, this one is specifically tailored to those recent questions.

Two Types of Takt Planning:

There are two main types of takt planning in construction:

Takt Time-Based Takt Planning.
Resource-Based Takt Planning.

In manufacturing, the product flows from station to station with resources fixed in place. In construction, it’s the opposite, the product is fixed and the trades flow from zone to zone. That means the flow unit in construction is the train of trades, not the work in a single zone.

As Nicholas Modig points out, the building itself becomes the grow unit, while takt time is the rhythm at which trades move through zones.

Takt Time-Based Planning:

Imagine your production plan is set on a three-day takt. That means each trade spends three days in one zone before moving on.

If you have several one-day activities, you’d group them into a three-day takt wagon.
If an activity normally takes two days, you’d reduce crew size so it stretches to three days.

This creates consistent, balanced wagons where trades flow in rhythm. Crew composition is the lever you adjust to fit the takt time.

Resource-Based (Multi-Train) Planning:

In this approach, activities don’t need to fit into one fixed takt time:

A one-day activity can stay on a one-day Takt.
A two-day activity remains on a two-day Takt.
Three-day activities stay on a three-day Takt.

This results in multiple trains running in parallel, each with its own Takt rhythm. While more complex, it works well if activities vary significantly.

Key Questions Answered:

How do I calculate takt time when activities differ?

You can either:

Adjust crews to fit a single takt time, or
Break work into multiple trains with separate takt times.

The key is to optimize your slowest train first and then align others as closely as possible.

What if some activities take twice as long as others?

Split the crew into two smaller crews working in succession, or add additional resources. This creates shorter, repeatable wagons rather than one long bottleneck.

Can takt planning work in residential projects?

Yes. Even if every house is different, all homes share common elements: ceilings, walls, finishes, floors. By analyzing work density, you can define zones of equal effort and create flow.

How do I keep crews productive when areas vary?

Don’t size zones by square footage size them by work density. One zone might be 4,000 sq. ft. and another 12,000, but what matters is that each takes the same number of takt days.

Is there an easy way to show this to crews?

Yes. Use time-by-location format so each trade sees their color-coded flow across zones. Supplement with zone maps for clarity. Crews catch on quickly once they see the rhythm.

Swarming and Adjustments:

Sometimes, one trade will hit a particularly heavy zone. For example, electricians may face extra work in zone 7. When this happens, you can:

Add swing capacity,
Plan for it ahead of time, or
Temporarily increase labor.

As long as the need is visible in the production plan, crews adapt well.

Key Takeaway:

Takt planning in construction is about creating predictable flow by balancing crew sizes and work density across zones. You can either standardize takt time by adjusting resources or allow multiple takt rhythms to run in parallel. The key is to focus on work density, not square footage, and make bottlenecks visible so crews can adapt. With the right approach, even complex or varied projects can achieve stable, repeatable flow.

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Click here)
-Check out our Youtube channel for more info: (Click here)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Click here)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Click here)
-The Takt Book: (Click here)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction IST. As the company’s owner and principal consultant, he’s dedicated to taking construction to new heights. With a wealth of industry experience, he’s crafted the Field Engineer Boot Camp and Superintendent Boot Camp – intensive training programs engineered to cultivate top-tier leaders capable of steering their teams towards success. Jason’s vision? To expand his training initiatives across the nation, empowering construction firms to soar to unprecedented levels of excellence.

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How To Write A Construction Quality Control Plan

Posted on August 31, 2025August 31, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

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How to Write a Construction Quality Control Plan (That Actually Works)

Quality in construction isn’t about paperwork, it’s about building systems your team can actually follow. In this blog, I’ll walk you through how to create a construction quality control plan that’s simple, effective, and implementable on every project, no matter the size.

Why Quality Control Plans Fail

Too many quality control (QC) plans are written as thick, 50–60-page Word documents that no one reads. They check a box for the owner but fail the people who actually need to use them in the field.

Instead, a good plan should be visual, simple, and actionable. A one-page document that shows the buyout process, pre-mobilization meetings, preparatory meetings, inspections, and close-out steps is often far more effective than a binder collecting dust.

Common Misconceptions About QC Plans:

QC is Just Paperwork:

Not true. A QC plan should guide the team in real time. On past projects, we used a visual point-of-release chart in weekly meetings. Every trade was tracked through buyout, submittals, preparatory meetings, inspections, and final acceptance. It worked like a Kanban board—visual, disciplined, and reliable.

It’s the Quality Manager’s Job:

Wrong again. Quality is a team sport, just like safety. A quality manager can help accelerate the process, but if the team just “stands still” on the moving walkway, you’ll go slower than if you never had one. Everyone owns quality.

QC is Only for Big Federal Jobs:

Every project needs a QC plan whether it’s a large federal contract or a mid-sized commercial build.

QC is About Catching Mistakes:

The goal isn’t to find mistakes after the fact, it’s to prevent mistakes by embedding quality at the source.

Practical Advice and FAQs:

What’s the fastest way to build a QC plan without drowning in paperwork?

Download a single-page template and anchor it into your production plan. Trigger meetings (pre-mobilization, preparatory, and first-in-place) at specific times. Never start work without a visual that crews can reference.

How detailed should the plan be for small to mid-sized projects?

Keep it lean often a single page plus meeting agendas. For added structure, a short work package or wall graphic works well.

Who should approve the QC plan?

Get alignment with the owner and inspector, but also review it as a project team so everyone is bought in.

How do I balance speed and quality?

Quality and speed go hand-in-hand. With proper pre-construction planning and full-kitting activities, you’ll avoid rework and build faster. As the saying goes: If you don’t have time to build it right, you don’t have time to build it twice.

How do I get the field team to follow the plan?

Make it non-negotiable. Everyone attends pre-construction meetings, everyone completes first-in-place inspections, and every zone is punched before handoff. Quality is about clear expectations and disciplined follow-through.

Can I reuse old QC plans?

Yes, but don’t recycle garbage just to check a box. Every plan should be real, practical, and tailored to the job at hand.

Final Thoughts:

A strong quality control plan doesn’t need to be complex. It needs to be visual, simple, and enforceable. The best QC plans are the ones crews can actually use in the field not binders collecting dust.

If you want to learn more we have:

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Takt Steering & Control Book – Remaining Constraints

Posted on August 30, 2025August 30, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 7 min

How to Build Flow and Avoid Productivity Loss

In this blog, we’re finishing out the section on constraints so we can move forward into the next topic “roadblocks”.

Let’s start with one of the biggest productivity killers in construction, pushing, rushing, and panicking.

Many leaders believe pushing the team to go faster gets results but in reality, it’s like trying to put out a fire with gasoline. Rushing leads to delays, mistakes, burnout, and worse: a culture of fear. Panic never creates solutions it only multiplies stress, clouds judgment, and breaks down communication. When stress lingers, morale drops, trust erodes, and talented people start looking for the exit.

Flow vs Chaos

To move beyond this destructive cycle, we turn to the theory of constraints, developed by Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt and expanded by Dr. Efrat Goldratt Ochlag. At its core, this framework teaches that every organization has at least one constraint limiting its performance. The key is to identify and manage that constraint so the entire system improves.

Goldratt’s Five Focusing Steps outline this process:

Identify the constraint: Find what limits system performance.
Exploit the constraint: Maximize its capacity.
Subordinate everything else: Align all processes to support it.
Elevate the constraint: Increase capacity if necessary.
Repeat the process: Once resolved, move to the next constraint.

This is why it’s critical to distinguish constraints from roadblocks. Constraints can be managed using the five steps. Roadblocks, on the other hand, have no capacity to exploit or elevate they must simply be identified and removed. Mixing up these terms can derail your problem solving efforts.

Why Flow Matters

When flow is disrupted, productivity tanks. Batch processing slows things down compared to smooth, continuous one-piece flow. If a slow trade becomes your bottleneck, that trade should never be left waiting on materials, equipment, or information. Instead, it must become the focus, because your project will always move at the speed of its constraint.

Leaders must shift from firefighting on the critical path to focusing on constraints and designing with them in mind. That’s how you maintain flow, reduce delays, and keep projects moving forward.

Fear of Court Cases

Another hidden constraint is fear of litigation. Some organizations cling to CPM scheduling to protect themselves legally but in doing so, they constrain their entire company with a broken system. The truth is, CPM doesn’t keep projects on track. Instead, it often creates more problems than it solves.

Seeing Constraints Clearly

At the end of the day, building flow is about visibility. Once you train yourself to see constraints whether resource issues, misaligned zones, overburden, or panic you’ll anticipate problems before they derail your project. Over time, even AI will play a role in identifying constraints faster than humans can. But for now, your ability to see and respond is the key to elevating performance.

Key Takeaway

Pushing, rushing, and panicking don’t speed up projects they destroy trust, morale, and productivity. True progress comes from identifying and managing constraints using Goldratt’s five steps, while removing roadblocks outright. When leaders focus on flow instead of firefighting, projects run at the pace of their strongest constraint and that’s how construction teams elevate performance.

If you want to learn more we have:

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Takt Steering & Control Book – Variation Constraints

Posted on August 30, 2025August 30, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 7 min

Identifying Constraints That Come From Variation

In today’s blog, we’re continuing our look at constraints that stem from variation on construction projects. These issues often hide in plain sight, quietly draining productivity and morale if they aren’t addressed properly. Let’s break them down.

Fatigue From Working Conditions

This is one of the most overlooked constraints. Poor site conditions such as unclean bathrooms, lack of lunchrooms, no cooling areas, or limited access to water hurt morale and directly impact productivity. Workers must be treated so well that they not only enjoy coming to work but also have the environment and resources to perform effectively.

First Planners should always account for worker care in their planning not just by budget, but by what “remarkable” looks like. Last Planners must hold the line, if basic amenities aren’t provided, no work should proceed.

Work That’s Too Complex

Complex tasks like new formwork systems, prefabricated panels, or structural shotcrete require experimentation, learning, and standardization before productivity can stabilize. Dispatching a crew without proper preparation creates major constraints.

Great planners identify these “biggest challenges” early and tackle them head on. Foremen and last planners can break complex work into manageable pieces, ensuring crews aren’t overburdened.

Lack of Breaks

The U.S. military found that soldiers can march up to 40% farther with 10-minute breaks every hour. Workers aren’t machines pushing them without rest leads to fatigue, accidents, and productivity loss.

Planners must build breaks, huddles, and buffers into schedules and contracts. Foremen should encourage and enforce rest to protect crews and sustain performance.

Lack of Buffers

Buffers are essential in every takt wagon. They allow crews to finish properly, clean up, train, and prepare for the next area. Without them, plans rely on perfect execution which never happens.

Planners must package buffers into task durations. Leaders shouldn’t sandbag, but they must include realistic time for reflection and recovery.

Too Many Areas to Work In

Spreading crews across multiple areas creates chaos, rework, and distraction. Flow is lost. Productivity tanks.

Planners should prioritize one-process flow with diagonal trade sequencing. Trade partners can protect themselves by submitting realistic flow based plans and refusing to be pushed into unsustainable setups.

Rushing and Pushing Crews

When leaders push workers to make up for poor planning, people get hurt. At minimum, productivity collapses; at worst, lives are lost.

Planners must create a culture where rushing is never tolerated. Foremen must protect crews, prioritize safety, and focus on maintaining flow.

Excessive Regulations and Paperwork

When foremen are buried in documentation, they’re pulled away from their most important work leading the crew and planning. This is a silent productivity killer.

Planners can remove unnecessary bureaucracy and protect foremen. When paperwork is unavoidable, support staff or trained leads can absorb the burden.

Key Takeaway

Sustainable productivity in construction depends on protecting workers from overburden. Poor conditions, lack of breaks, rushing, excessive complexity, too many work areas, and unnecessary regulations all drain morale and performance. By planning for worker care, providing buffers, simplifying complex tasks, and refusing to compromise people for profits, both first and last planners can remove constraints caused by variation and create projects where crews thrive and flow is maintained.

If you want to learn more we have:

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Takt Steering & Control Book – Variation Constraints

Posted on August 30, 2025August 30, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 7 min

Productivity Loss from Too Many Workers, Materials, and WIP

In construction, productivity is fragile. It doesn’t take much to push a project from flow into chaos. One of the biggest mistakes project leaders make is assuming that more workers, more materials, or more work-in-progress automatically equals faster progress. In reality, these factors often do the opposite they create spirals of inefficiency that constrain the system.

Productivity Loss from Too Many Workers

Bringing too many workers onto a project or into a crew may seem like a quick fix, but it usually triggers a productivity spiral:

Overstaffing leads to batching and multitasking: Crews are spread thin across multiple locations, constantly switching contexts and losing time.
Communication becomes complex: Larger crews create more communication channels, which leads to more breakdowns and wasted time.
Crew cohesion suffers: New workers may not share the same leader, culture, or work habits. Without consistency, productivity drops.
Onboarding takes time: New workers don’t reach full productivity for at least a week, dragging down output during critical moments.
Overtime follows: Crews try to compensate with longer hours, leading to fatigue, burnout, and eventual collapse in performance.
Quality declines: Distracted crews make mistakes, leading to rework that costs 2–12 times more than getting it right the first time.
Planning falls apart: With attention consumed by rework, teams lose focus on planning and roadblock removal, accelerating the decline into chaos.

This is why Brooks’s Law applies; adding more people to a late project makes it later. Unless additional crews are planned, trained, and on boarded in preconstruction, simply adding labor creates more problems than it solves.

The key is to respect crew capacity lines. If one crew can only handle a certain workload, asking them to do the work of two will inevitably trigger a spiral. But if two crews are planned and prepared early, their combined capacity can handle the increased workload without collapse.

Productivity Loss from Too Many Materials

The same principle applies to materials. Bringing too much material to the site or bringing it too early creates a downward spiral of waste:

Excess inventory piles up and clogs the workspace.
Transportation and motion increase as materials are moved and re-moved.
Defects occur from damage, distraction, or improper handling.
Overprocessing and waiting follow, as crews spend more time fixing problems or searching for what they need.

Instead of helping, surplus materials slow down all trades, disrupt the flow of work, and can even become the most limiting factor on a project.

Productivity Loss from Too Much Work in Progress (WIP)

Too much WIP is another silent killer of productivity. Traditional scheduling methods like CPM often push teams to increase work in progress beyond capacity, but the results are predictable:

Individual tasks take longer.
Throughput slows down.
The system clogs like an overcrowded freeway.

The right approach is balancing WIP with capacity. Not too much, not zero—just enough to keep crews moving steadily, with a buffer to absorb variability. Pushing workers through constraints only worsens delays.

This is why traditional systems like CPM, EVM, and push driven scheduling fail to deliver flow. They ignore the principle that exceeding system capacity makes everything slower, not faster.

Key Takeaway

More workers, more materials, and more WIP do not equal more productivity. In fact, unmanaged increases in any of these areas create spirals that slow projects down, burn out crews, and damage quality. The solution is balance aligning labor, materials, and work in progress with the actual capacity of the system. Planned, trained, and properly on boarded resources create flow; random, reactive additions create chaos.

If you want to learn more we have:

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Takt Steering & Control Book – Rules to Follow

Posted on August 30, 2025August 30, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 6 min

The Rules of Takt Steering and Control

The Takt Production System is designed to align work in progress (WIP) with capacity and maintain trade flow by protecting the line of balance from stacking or overburdening. Stacking occurs when too many trades are crammed into one zone, while overburdening happens when a single trade is spread across too many zones. Both scenarios break flow and reduce efficiency.

To prevent this, Takt requires discipline through a clear set of rules. These rules ensure that trades move in one continuous flow zone to zone, phase to phase without disrupting productivity.

Core Rules of Takt Steering and Control

Always maintain diagonal trade flow: Keep trades moving in a logical, predictable sequence.
Do not dissolve logic: Maintain the integrity of your scheduling relationships.
Do not shorten durations: Unless confirmed by trade partners, avoid rushing work.
Do not trade stack or burden: Prevent crowding trades into zones or stretching them too thin.
Always work in one process flow: Flow beats multitasking every time.
Always use buffers: Protect against delays with built in flexibility.
Always have workable backlog: Keep crews productive with ready to go tasks.
Always pre-kit: Prepare materials and information before work begins.

These rules don’t just apply to Takt they represent lean principles that can strengthen any scheduling system.

Why Takt Has More Logic than CPM

Unlike CPM (Critical Path Method), where activities typically have a single predecessor and successor, Takt assumes at least two predecessors and two successors for every activity. This builds more logic into the plan and strengthens the overall flow of work.

In complex projects, multi train Takt plans allow multiple sequences (or “trains”) to flow through zones simultaneously. The key is carefully managing the starting and finishing logic of each train and protecting the intersecting lines of balance.

The Bottom Line

Takt’s rules are not suggestions they are the protective guardrails that preserve flow, prevent overloading, and keep work packages aligned. Following them ensures that crews have what they need, when they need it, while protecting trade flow from zone to zone. Whether you’re running a single train or multi train Takt plan, these rules create predictability and stability for the entire project.

Key Takeaway

Takt steering and control works because it is protected by clear, non-negotiable rules. By preventing stacking, overburden, and broken logic, and by ensuring flow through buffers, backlog, and preparation, leaders can keep projects stable and productive. Takt doesn’t just schedule work it creates a rhythm that sustains efficiency across every zone and trade.

If you want to learn more we have:

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What Size Paper Are Construction Plans Printed On?

Posted on August 30, 2025August 30, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 7 min

What Size Paper Are Construction Plans Printed On?

This might seem like a basic question, but it’s an important one. If you’ve been wondering about it and found this blog, I’m glad you’re here because paper size in construction is more than just dimensions; it’s about usability and meeting the needs of the people in the field.

I first learned this lesson through feedback on my own book, Elevating Construction Superintendents. The first edition was printed in a small font, and many readers asked for larger text. That feedback hit home, especially considering that construction professionals often face vision issues due to stress, long hours, and field conditions. Poor eyesight isn’t just common; it’s tied to the high stress levels of our industry. That’s why we reformatted our books with much larger fonts. The takeaway? Always work backward from the needs of the people in the field.

So, when it comes to construction plans, the real question isn’t just “what size paper should I print on?” The real question is: what does the end user need?

Think of it like Apple’s approach, simplicity, usability, and serving the customer. Plans should be printed in a size that is functional for whoever is going to use them.

Different Scenarios for Paper Sizes:

Virtual Work with Designers: If you’re collaborating online, using tools like Bluebeam, any screen size works. But if you’re working heavily in design reviews, a larger screen helps.
Plan Reviews and Permits: Print according to the requirements of the city or building department.
Project Planning: For planning a project, I prefer at least a half-size set, if not full size. I like being able to markup pages, highlight details, and sketch ideas without restriction.
Bid Packages or Scope Identification: A half-size set often works well. Sometimes even 11×17 can get the job done.
Field Use by Foremen: The minimum should be 11×17. Most commonly, half-size sets (24×36 or Arc D) are the standard because they’re large enough to read but still portable.

The Most Common Size:

The most common paper size for construction drawings is half-size (24×36 or Arc D). Full-size drawings can be difficult to flip through, carry, or even open on a desk. That’s why half-size tends to be the most practical.

Ensuring Correct Scale:

As long as your software (AutoCAD, Revit, Bluebeam, etc.) has the correct scale set for the sheet size, and you print to scale, the drawings will be accurate. In today’s industry, we should rely on precise dimensions, not field scaling.

Standards and Submissions:

When submitting plans, always follow the requirements of the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). Their website will usually provide the exact specifications you need.

How Many Sets to Print and Where to Place Them:

At least one set for inspectors (often half or full size).
Sets for superintendents or builders for research and planning.
A posted set on the job site if required (though electronic posting is often easier).

Even if a set isn’t fully up to date, having physical drawings helps builders get a sense of what’s coming up. Just make sure updates are managed properly.

The Best Size for Field Crews:

Ask them. Usually, a half-size set or at least 11×17 is enough, but it depends on what makes their job easier. The golden rule? Serve the needs of the foreman and crew.

Final Thoughts:

The key isn’t about enforcing a one-size-fits-all standard. It’s about asking, what does the end user need? That’s how you decide the best paper size for construction plans.

If you want to learn more we have:

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Takt Steering & Control Book – Roadblocks

Posted on August 30, 2025August 30, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 8 min

Keeping the Train of Trades on Track

In construction, one of the most overlooked yet critical success factors is roadblock removal. We’ve already discussed constraints the built in limits of the system design that first planners must monitor and adjust. Now, we turn to roadblocks, which are very different. Roadblocks are the obstacles that appear in the environment and interrupt the flow of work.

To better understand this, let’s use the analogy of a train of trades.

The train represents the trades. The tracks represent the zones. The supply depot is the laydown area, and the station is the work zone. The foreman’s role is to make sure the depot is stocked, the station is ready to receive, and the tracks are clear. They’re not riding along with the crew they’re out ahead, preparing the way.

Foremen prepare the train’s work in four main ways:

Ensuring the tracks are clear.
Confirming the laydown yard is stocked and organized.
Making sure the station (work zone) is ready to receive value.
Checking for anything that might stop the train.

This train analogy aligns closely with real railway roles. For example:

A division manager (like a general superintendent) oversees the system’s overall performance.
A train master or track master (like a senior superintendent) manages operations and keeps the train moving.
Signal supervisors and road masters (like assistant supers and field engineers) ensure smooth flow and signals.
And most importantly, foremen act like yard masters, track inspectors, and locomotive engineers responsible for checking tracks ahead, managing the yard, and driving the train forward.

In construction terms, this means foremen are clearing zones, organizing laydown yards, and ensuring the crew can move without interruption. Anything that blocks this flow is a roadblock.

Types of Roadblocks

Roadblocks come in three categories:

Needs: Things required to move forward (e.g., a ready work area, layout, or permissions).
Removals: Things in the way that must be cleared (e.g., failed inspections, defects, or obstacles in the zone).
Adaptations: Situations that can’t be removed but must be adjusted to (e.g., owner changes, weather events, or staging delays).

It’s important to recognize that roadblocks are not system constraints. They exist in the environment and must be dealt with proactively. First planners focus on designing and maintaining the train and tracks, while last planners look ahead from within the train to clear the path of roadblocks.

Without proper monitoring, design, and preparation, the project train will constantly stop, slow down, or even break down. But with visibility, foresight, and a clear system for identifying and removing roadblocks, the train of trades can flow smoothly and predictably.

Zone vs. Supply Roadblocks

Zone roadblocks include issues like weather, owner changes, lack of planning, unready work areas, missing permissions, failed inspections, or defects.
Supply roadblocks include missing information, resources, labor, equipment, or materials anything that impacts the supply chain and laydown yards.

Both types of roadblocks will either delay the start of work or delay the finish and both must be identified and resolved quickly to maintain flow.

Supporting the Trades

The integrated production control system is designed to give last planners what they need. Roadblock removal is not just about clearing the way it’s about creating a support system for the trades so they can focus on building.

As builders, our role is not only to avoid getting in the way, but to actively prepare the path, anticipate needs, and remove roadblocks before they stop the flow. That’s how we elevate the construction experience for everyone on site.

Key Takeaway

Roadblock removal is essential to maintaining flow in construction. By clearly separating system constraints from environmental roadblocks, foremen and planners can anticipate needs, remove obstacles, and adapt to challenges before they cause delays. A well prepared system doesn’t just prevent stoppages it empowers crews to work smoothly, efficiently, and predictably.

If you want to learn more we have:

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It’s Hard is an Excuse

Posted on August 28, 2025August 28, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 8 min

Hard is Just an Excuse

I hope you are doing well. I am always excited to share ideas that can help us grow in this industry. Today I want to talk about something that has been on my mind for a long time. It is the idea that saying something is “hard” is simply an excuse.

Recently I received some feedback from a superintendent that really encouraged me. He said that the book Elevating Construction Superintendents was right on time for him. It reminded him that the habits he had built over the years were not only effective but also best practices. It also pointed out a few things he had let slip away, and now he is bringing them back into his daily routine. He mentioned that he mentors interns and younger superintendents and teaches them about safety, organization, journaling, and reading the plans. These simple but powerful habits help projects succeed and shape the morale and direction of the team. He even said he is going to make sure every one of the 30 superintendents in his office has a copy of the book in their trailers.

I cannot tell you how much that means to me. That book was one of the first I wrote, and I actually dictated it into a microphone and had it transcribed before editing. It is amazing to see that, years later, it is still making a difference and now beginning to scale across the industry.

Now let me share this mindset about the word “hard.” Too often I hear people say things like, “Our superintendents do not read books,” or, “We cannot do training, it is too hard.” I hear people say, “We cannot use computers, it is too difficult,” or, “We cannot implement takt planning or lean principles because our people are not ready.” These excuses are everywhere, and they usually come from the very people who should be leading the way.

But here is the reality. Every single day we ask our trade partners to do things that are hard and complex. I think about shoring systems in tight spaces, about high-rise lift stations built in impossible conditions, about massive formwork systems and advanced exterior assemblies. I think about electricians trying prefabrication for the first time or civil contractors implementing GPS and robotic total stations. These things are not easy. Yet they figure it out.

Imagine if a trade partner told you they could not submit shop drawings because it was too hard. Imagine if a contractor on an airport project said they would not follow security or cleanliness protocols because it was too difficult. We would never accept that excuse. And yet I constantly hear people in leadership positions say those very words about reading, planning, and adopting better systems.

The truth is that saying “it is hard” is simply an excuse. Our role in construction management is to do hard things. It is our job to adapt, to learn, and to lead. Nobody benefits from a fixed-minded, stuck-in-the-past leader. Not a project, not a team, not even something as simple as an equipment delivery.

If you want to be in this industry, you must be willing to grow. You must be willing to take on hard things and do them well. Our trade partners are already doing it every day. It is our turn to step up, lead with courage, and put excuses aside.

On we go.

Key Takeaway
Hard is just an excuse. If we expect our trade partners to take on difficult challenges, we as leaders must do the same.

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Click here)
-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Click here)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Click here)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Click here)
-The Takt Book: (Click here)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

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Response to a Question about Pre-staging

Posted on August 28, 2025August 28, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 8 min

I love it when listeners send me their thoughts, questions, and experiences because it always brings fresh perspectives into the conversation. Recently, I received two comments that really stood out, and I want to take some time to share them here along with my reflections.

The first comment came from someone who had listened to my episode on patterns. He said it was one of the most down to earth takes he had heard in a long time and that it resonated with his own experiences while working on the contractor side. He explained that during performance reviews, his team identified three enablers for execution. The first was data, which included all the necessary drawings, permits, and documentation that allow a project to move forward. The second was tools, which meant not only equipment and materials but also energy supplies and everything needed to get the work done. The third was area, meaning the physical space and staging required to execute construction safely and efficiently, including traffic routes, site access, and preparatory work.

What struck me was how similar these enablers are to what I have been teaching and learning myself. It is always affirming to hear that across industries and even across countries, people are recognizing the same foundational principles. Sometimes we need to hear an idea explained twice in different ways before it fully clicks, and I love how his perspective reinforced what I shared.

The second comment was more of a question, and it dealt with something very practical. A listener asked about the challenge of just in time deliveries when working on a high rise with a curtain wall system. The problem was that long materials like fire sprinkler pipes or large mechanical units could not fit inside the buck hoist, so they had to preload the building before the curtain wall went up. This created material movement issues, and he wondered if there was a better way to do it.

I think this question is excellent because it highlights a common challenge in construction. The truth is that yes, in many cases you must load long pipes, large equipment, and certain materials before the curtain wall is installed. The key, however, is to minimize the impact by planning staging areas in advance. On logistics plans and zone maps, I always designate comeback areas where materials can be stored until needed. For example, around elevators, I make sure to reserve space because elevator contractors typically need large staging zones. These comeback areas are chosen carefully so they do not interfere with commissioning or other critical activities.

When I think about just in time deliveries, I always remind teams that it does not mean every item goes directly from the vendor to the exact place of work at the exact time. It often means that materials go from a lay down area or staging space to the work zone when they are ready to be installed. A zone only becomes an active work area once the second pass of construction is underway. Until then, it can serve as temporary staging. This is why it is so important to identify these areas in the planning phase and make sure trade partners know about them ahead of time.

Hearing questions like this excites me because it shows how deeply people are thinking about flow, logistics, and efficiency. These are the kinds of conversations that push the industry forward. When we openly share our challenges and solutions, we grow together, and that is exactly what I want this space to be.

Key Takeaway

I was reminded how valuable it is to hear ideas explained in different ways and to use planning tools like comeback areas to solve tough logistics challenges. Real success comes when I combine these lessons with clear staging and just in time deliveries.

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