Who Is on the Elevate Construction Team and What Each Person Brings

Read 9 min

Here’s the deal. People ask me who is on the Elevate team and what each person brings. I love this question, because I could not be more proud of the people I get to work with.

Short answer: The Elevate Construction team is about a hundred people. Kate Schroeder leads it as CEO. I bring 30 years in the industry, from field worker to project director. Kevin Rice is a builder and a math genius, and Brandon Montero is a career surveyor and training expert. Our LeanTakt team includes top bilingual engineers in Mexico who plan some of the largest projects out there. We hire the best people we can find who are culturally aligned.

Who Leads the Elevate Construction Team?

Team member Background What they bring
Kate Schroeder Certified life coach and business expert Vision and leadership as CEO
Jason Schroeder About 30 years in construction, from the trades to project director Processes and training
Kevin Rice Builder, former wilderness survival guide, business graduate with a minor in finance Building know-how plus the science and math of Takt
Brandon Montero Career surveyor and field leader, certified life coach Training, field leadership, and survey operations

Jason Schroeder                                                                          

I am on the team. I would say I am a 30-year industry professional, and I did not go to college, but I have been learning all the way, through certifications, trainings, and some great companies like Hensel Phelps, DPR, and Oakland Construction. I really love the people in construction. My experience runs from the trades as a field worker all the way up to field director and project director. You can read more about me here.

Kate Schroeder

Kate Schroeder is a certified life coach and a business expert. She is remarkably great at leadership. She is a visionary, and she is the leader and CEO who makes all of this happen. Our company would not be anything like what it is without her. She primarily raised our 11 kids, has her own education and experience in her own right, and leads this company phenomenally.

Kevin Rice

Kevin Rice is one of those builder, builder, builder types. If you put me on a home, multifamily, or commercial project and asked why we use a quarter-inch or half-inch carrier bolt for the toilet carrier behind the tile, I would not remember what all these things are called. I am not a core builder. I am a process builder. I am a genius at processes and training. Kevin is a genius at the processes and training too, but also at the materials and how to build.

If you had a problem in your house, he could solve it. He could do an upgrade. He could build you a cabin. He used to be a wilderness survival guide for hunters, so if you want to go out in the wilderness and survive, he can do that too. Kevin is the real deal, boots on the ground.

What is interesting is that you would not usually associate a builder and wilderness survival expert with being great at the numbers. But Kevin is one of the greatest geniuses I have seen in the industry when it comes to science and math. He took Dr. Marco Binninger and Dr. Janosch Dlouhy’s Takt time formula and broke it out into 12 different formulas to analyze the Takt Production System. He is a business graduate with a minor in finance, and he knows so much about the programs and the science and math behind them. It blows my mind.

Brandon Montero

Brandon Montero is a career surveyor and a field leader for construction projects. He has been in the industry for 30 years. He is a certified life coach and a master graduate, like I am, of Rapport Leadership International, and he does other types of coaching and counseling as well.

He is a training expert. He goes with me, or I go with him, to Super PM Boot Camps, Field Engineer Boot Camps and foreman boot camps, and he elevates our game. Brandon is leading our efforts in Lean logistics and all of our survey operations, and he is mainly focused on training. We really have some of the right people in the right places.

Why Does Our LeanTakt Team Speak English and Spanish?

People sometimes wonder why so many people at LeanTakt speak with a Spanish accent. Let me tell you the story.

Through Felipe Engineer, I met Elisa Lopez, a Lean expert in her own right in Mexico and now she has her own consulting company. She invited me to speak there, and I had a great experience.

Around that time, we were trying to hire more people. Our clients told me, Jason, we want business and operations consulting, but mostly we want people boots on the ground to help us plan the job, help us execute, and help us with recovery, zone control, and everything else. We tried to hire in the United States, but it was not working. People in the market wanted very high salaries, and many did not know CPM or Takt and were not willing to put in the time. I am a hard grinder. I want delivery for our clients every time.

Kate, who is the genius about everything, said, why don’t you ask Elisa if she knows anybody? We were not looking to outsource. But we met Samuel and Nico, civil engineering graduates with bachelor’s degrees from Tec de Monterrey, one of the top schools in the world. They picked up on this fast. They are hardworking, they are great people, and they speak English and Spanish. I only speak English.

Clients fell in love with them and wanted more, so we kept scaling and training. Some of them have been with us five or six years. There are people in the industry who say they are the only Takt expert in the United States, and I think that is silly, because some of these young engineers are among the best in the world. They analyze massive data centers. When companies want to win a proposal for a massive data center, rebuild a schedule, or optimize it, they call us, and these young engineers, with me, Kevin, Kate, and Brandon, are doing it at a top-tier level. They know why CPM falls short and how to plan with Takt instead.

I grew up working with Mexican crews. I do not know what the construction industry would be like without Mexico. I am proud to work with great people across North America.

How Big Is the Elevate Team?

We have employed more than 75 of the top people we can find in Guadalajara, Mexico. We also have 16 people in Pakistan who handle our social media, plus people in Europe. All together, we have a team of around a hundred people.

Some of our team members travel to help me as team guides at the Super PM Boot Camp. People come for me, and then they fall in love with these people. They tell me, Jason, I do not know where you found these people, but they are great.

And when we work in the southern United States, having team members who speak English and Spanish means we can reach everybody on the jobsite, from the project team to the crews.

What Do We Look for in People?

We do not just go get bodies. We hire the best of the best, and they are culturally aligned. That is who works at Elevate, and I could not be more proud.

So here is the challenge. Look at your own team. Do you have the right people in the right places, and are they culturally aligned? If not, start there, before you look anywhere else.

Bottom line: We do not just go get bodies; we hire the best people we can find who are culturally aligned, and that is who works at Elevate.

If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

On we go.

FAQ

Who is on the Elevate Construction team?

Kate Schroeder leads the company as CEO, alongside me, Kevin Rice, Brandon Montero, and our LeanTakt team. In total, we are a team of around a hundred people.

What does Kevin Rice bring to Elevate?

Kevin is a hands-on builder and a math and science genius. He broke the Takt time formula into 12 formulas to analyze the Takt Production System.

Why does the LeanTakt team speak English and Spanish?

Many of our engineers are bilingual civil engineering graduates in Mexico. Clients love them, and it means we can reach everybody on jobsites where both languages are spoken.

What does Elevate look for when hiring?

We do not just go get bodies. We hire the best of the best, and they are culturally aligned.

People Also Read:
Where is Elevate Going?
Where has Elevate Been?
Celebrating 4 Amazing Years at Elevate Constructionist

 

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Takt Virtual Training)
-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Elevate Construction on YouTube)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Elevate Construction Podcast)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Training Programs and Certifications)
-The Takt Book: (The Takt Book on Amazon)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction. As the company’s Founder and COO, 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.

Posted in All

Why Elevate Exists: Construction Coaching for the People Who Build the World

Read 5 min

Here’s the deal. People ask me, why does Elevate do this? What is the mission of the training? I love that question, and I love the chance to answer it. Elevate is here to build the people and the systems that build the world.

Short answer: Elevate Construction exists to build the people and the systems that build the world. We collect everything that elevates people in construction, from books and training to videos, and give it away free wherever we can. We only charge for products and time. Superintendents and project managers deserve the same construction coaching that athletes and CEOs get, so that workers, foremen, and project teams all get home to their families safely and on time.

What Does It Mean to Build People?

Building people does not mean people are broken or need fixing. I am talking about providing the books, the training, the videos, and whatever else elevates humanity.

I believe it is all about prompting. You can prompt a human’s brain and elevate them. You can prompt AI and have AI help you. You can prompt the system or the process that human beings are a part of. So there are four kinds of intelligence:

  • HI, human intelligence.
  • AI, artificial intelligence.
  • SI, system intelligence.
  • PI, process intelligence.

It is all about prompting. That is why we build systems as well as people.

What Does Elevate Construction Do?

Elevate is here to collect everything from around the world that elevates humanity, make it easy for people, and make it free wherever possible. We only charge when we have to, for the products we make or for the time we spend. Here is what that looks like:

  • Business consulting and operations consulting.
  • Project support, where we are on site, boots on the ground, helping a project team plan and execute their project the Lean way.
  • Manufactured products like pull plan kits, Takt simulations, signs, and other things.
  • A construction company that is going to start in February.

All of it is designed to support superintendents, project managers, and industry professionals of every type and level in construction, so they can be their best. And wherever we can, we give it away, like our free templates.

Why Do Superintendents Need a Coach?

Have you ever seen a professional athlete or a CEO who does not have coaching, a coach, or a consultant? No. You would never see that.

So why do superintendents, project managers, and people in other positions, the most important folks in this industry along with the trades, not get that same level of care? For a superintendent, that might mean someone walking the job with them on a monthly field walk, not just a one-time training class.

Who Do they usually have a coach?
Professional athletes Yes
CEOs Yes, a coach or a consultant
Superintendents and project managers Not usually, and that is what we want to change

Elevating the Experience of Everyone on the Job

What we are attempting to do is guide general contractors so they can make money and have a remarkable experience, while the trades, the workers, and the foremen are supported remarkably as well. That is key.

Our motto is that we want to elevate the experience of workers and foremen, and elevate the experience of project delivery team members, so they can all get home to their families safely and on time. That is literally what we are doing.

We give everything we can away for free, and we only charge what we have to in order to stay in business for everything else. We are passionate about it. It is about people. That is why Elevate does what we do.

So here is the challenge. Think about the superintendents and project managers on your team. Ask whether they have the same coaching and support you would expect for a professional athlete or a CEO, and if not, what one step you could take to give it to them.

Bottom line: Elevate exists to build the people and the systems that build the world, so everyone on the job gets home to their families safely and on time.

If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

On we go.

FAQ

What is Elevate Construction’s mission?

Elevate is here to build the people and the systems that build the world. Our motto is to elevate the experience of workers, foremen, and project delivery team members so they all get home to their families safely and on time.

What does Elevate Construction do?

We do business and operations consulting, on-site project support, and manufacturing of products like pull plan kits, Takt simulations, and signs. All of it supports superintendents, project managers, and other construction professionals.

Why do superintendents and project managers need construction coaching?

Professional athletes and CEOs always have coaches or consultants. Superintendents and project managers are some of the most important people in the industry, and they deserve that same level of care.

Does Elevate charge for everything?

No. We give away everything we can for free and only charge what we have to, for the products we make and the time we spend, in order to stay in business.

People Also Read:
Respect for People in Lean Construction: What It Actually Looks Like
What does Elevate Construction do?
Celebrating 4 Amazing Years at Elevate Constructionist
Where has Elevate Been?

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Takt Virtual Training)
-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Elevate Construction on YouTube)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Elevate Construction Podcast)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Training Programs and Certifications)
-The Takt Book: (The Takt Book on Amazon)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction. As the company’s Founder and COO, 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.

Posted in All

Two Construction Project Failures That Shaped How I Lead

Read 8 min

Here’s the deal. People ask me about a project failure early in my career that shaped how I teach now. I will give you two answers. I do not like that they happened, but I really like what they taught me. One is about quality, and the other is about people.

Short answer: Two construction project failures shaped how I teach. On a cancer center project, I caught a utility conflict in coordination but never verified the fix made it into the installation drawings, and it cost a $350,000 lift station. On a federal prison project, I blamed a trade partner instead of supporting them, and they went out of business. Now I follow through on quality, and I believe our job is to support trade partners, not hurt them.

Failure One: The Duct Bank and the Sewer Line

This one happened at the cancer center in downtown Phoenix, the project I have written about before. I was super excited. I had a lot of training in BIM. I was Revit certified and AutoCAD certified, I knew Navisworks Manage and Tekla and coordination processes, and I believe I was CM-BIM certified through the AGC at that time, or within a couple of months of it. I was leading all of the coordination efforts on that design-build project, and I was jamming.

One of the things I was most proud of was the model of the civil underground for the utilities. We caught a really cool conflict. Arizona Public Service (APS) was going to run their duct bank, and it was going to conflict with the inverts on the sewer line, the sewer connection to the building. I said, we have to dip this down. I was so proud of that catch. We showcased it everywhere.

I was the area superintendent over that work. One of the first things we did was the APS underground duct banks and upgrades, and enabling the switches and transformers to get the site ready for power. We had a great engineer with APS. We installed it, the building went up, and we were jamming on a beautiful project.

Then the plumber went to hook up to the city sewer line, and they called me. As soon as I walked up, I knew what had happened. The pipe was going right through the duct bank, and they had it all exposed. They asked, what do we do?

I am not proud of this, but my brain said, just ask them to run it through the duct bank and bury it. And I said, we are not going to do that. So I walked into Brad Nelson’s office, and his face and his heart just sank. I said, Brad, I messed this up.

We had to install a $350,000 lift station, at our own expense, to make it work. We routed the line down, underneath, and back up high enough to connect to the city. That was a nightmare in and of itself, with the shoring and everything else. If I walk downtown to this day, I can still see that lift station.

What Did the Lift Station Teach Me About Quality?

That failure taught me about quality, quality, quality, and follow-up. It turns out we did the coordination, but I never verified that the new APS installation drawings had the dip in the line I had asked for. They did not. That was the problem.

Was I ahead of it? Yes. Did I follow through? No. Catching a problem is only half the job. You also have to verify it and follow up until the fix is actually in the field. And when it goes wrong, walk in and own it, the way I had to walk into Brad’s office.

Failure Two: The Trade Partner I Hurt

The other failure has to do with people, and it is a real story. When I was first in construction, I was dating Kate. I thought she was the most beautiful woman on the face of the planet. I used the women’s bathroom key as an excuse to go talk to her, and one day I finally got up the courage to ask her out.

Her father was the Division 17 contractor on our federal prison project, and I was assigned to oversee them. Because of the pace of the job, some of their conduits were being filled with concrete. On a federal prison, the security devices all have to have a home run. You cannot daisy-chain them. The panic devices, the alarm keys, and the door keys all have to run back to the security electronics room on their own lines.

I did not know any better at the time, and I blamed everything on the Division 17 contractor. There was probably more to it. Defects happen. But the bottom line is that I was responsible for running her dad’s business off the job. They were supplemented because of my reports, and they went out of business. It was a horrible thing.

And then I married his daughter. Because I became part of the family, I saw firsthand the effect my behavior had on them: their debt, their morale, everything.

How Should a General Contractor Treat Trade Partners?

That is when my mind switched. It is my job, working for a general contractor, to help trade partners, not hurt them. We have to stop bullying trades, stop immediately sending cure notices, and stop blaming everything on them. We have to support them, help them, and make sure they have full kit.

If their conduits are getting filled with concrete, why is that? Has the glue on the conduit even had time to dry, with how much time we have given them? Those are the questions a trade-supporting general contractor asks.

Before After
Quality I caught the problem but did not follow through I verify the fix all the way to the field
People I blamed the trade and sent them toward failure I support trade partners and make sure they have full kit

A Quality-Focused, Trade-Supporting, People-Loving Supervisor

My paradigm switched, both with quality and with people. Now I am a quality-focused, trade-supporting, people-loving supervisor. Those two failures are the most impactful things that have ever happened to me, and they are why I teach respect for people and stable, reliable systems the way I do.

So here is the challenge. Look at your current project for one coordination fix you asked for but never verified, and one trade partner you have been blaming. Verify the first one in the field. Then go ask the second one what they need to have full kit.

Bottom line: Follow through on quality, and remember that it is our job as general contractors to support trade partners, not hurt them.

If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

On we go.

FAQ

What project failures shaped how Jason teaches?

A $350,000 lift station on a cancer center project, caused by a coordination fix I never verified, and a trade partner I blamed instead of supporting, who went out of business. One taught me about quality, and the other about people.

What caused the $350,000 lift station?

We caught a conflict between the APS duct bank and the sewer line in coordination, but I never verified that the new APS installation drawings had the dip I asked for. They did not, and the sewer line ran right into the duct bank.

What is the lesson about quality?

Catching a problem is only half the job. You have to follow up and verify until the fix is actually in the field.

How should general contractors treat trade partners?

Support them, help them, and make sure they have full kit. Stop bullying trades, sending cure notices right away, and blaming everything on them.

People Also Read:
The 12 Causes of Project Failure
Field Quality Checklists
Respect for People in Lean Construction: What It Actually Looks Like

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Takt Virtual Training)
-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Elevate Construction on YouTube)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Elevate Construction Podcast)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Training Programs and Certifications)
-The Takt Book: (The Takt Book on Amazon)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction. As the company’s Founder and COO, 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.

Posted in All

Why I Care About Lean Construction

Read 8 min

Here’s the deal. People ask me what made me care about Lean construction in the first place. It is an interesting question, and the answer is one of my favorite stories. It starts with a frustrated area superintendent, a jobsite that was not clean or safe, and a bathroom.

Short answer: I care about Lean construction because I watched it change a jobsite overnight. On a cancer center project in downtown Phoenix, the trades were not keeping the site clean or safe. Instead of cracking down, we started in the bathroom. We built great restrooms and a lunch area and made a deal with everyone: we take care of you, and you keep the job clean, safe, and organized. It worked, and I got hooked.

Where Did My Lean Construction Story Start?

I was working at Hensel Phelps as an area superintendent on the cancer center in downtown Phoenix. It was an absolutely amazing project. The economy at that time was a little slow, so we were very happy to have it, and it was one of the top projects in the area.

Brad Nelson, who I cannot shout out enough, was the project superintendent. He was an amazing mentor and leader. Blake Christian was the project manager. They both taught me so much, and we had a beautiful team. In fact, a lot of the folks on that project are in very high-level positions now, because the project was a game changer. I am so grateful to have been on it.

I was in charge of the interiors, the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing, and all of the site utilities. Another area superintendent had the exterior and the roof. Around that time, I was introduced to the book 2 Second Lean by Paul Akers, and we were beginning to introduce morning huddles, weekly work planning, and some of the other parts of the Last Planner® System. That was a game changer. We were like, whoa, this is so cool.

The Problem I Could Not Fix by Asking

At the beginning, the trades were not showing up and keeping things clean. I am not being a victim about this, and I am not blaming them either. But I was getting frustrated with saying, hey, please put your safety glasses back on, and hey, there is trash over here. I was really tired of it.

I got home one night, and this was all happening in my head, and I am not very proud of it. I was thinking, we should go to half-size bathrooms. We should have a security guard checking so they do not graffiti the bathrooms. I was getting into a really toxic place.

Then my brain remembered Paul Akers starting in the bathroom.

Start in the Bathroom

The next morning, I came in and said, Brad, I have a really cool idea. None of this is exaggerated. What if we had an all-hands huddle, built custom bathrooms in the building, and had a really nice lunch area? What if we really upped our game, with extra toilet paper and extra cleaning on the restrooms, above and beyond normal industry levels of care? And then we make a deal with everyone. We do all of this, and in exchange, we want the job beautifully safe and beautifully clean. We want to change the whole environment.

Brad said, all right, let’s go.

The Deal at the All-Hands Huddle

I bought a bunch of donuts. I think Brad bought the donuts too, and I do not want to take credit for him. We held the all-hands huddle, and I said, let’s make a deal. Here was the plan:

  1. We build bathrooms on floors two and four. Brad already approved it.
  2. We build out floors one and three.
  3. Once one and three are done, we move all the workers and foremen to the permanent bathrooms, and yes, I trust them to do that.
  4. Then we build out two and four.

We were going to have a beautiful lunch area and really up our game for human care. This is what the deal looked like:

What we gave What we asked for in exchange
Custom bathrooms in the building, then the permanent bathrooms A clean building
Extra toilet paper and extra cleaning, beyond normal industry levels A safe building, with safety glasses on
A beautiful lunch area and real care for every person on site An organized building

I asked, is everybody willing to make that deal? I was expecting a lot more pushback, but everybody said, I will make the deal. So immediately, we set to work.

What Happened When We Took Care of People?

It changed overnight:

  • The cleanliness problem went away.
  • The graffiti went away.
  • The pee bottles went away.
  • People being negligent with safety went away.

It did not change through toxic behavior. It changed through start in the bathroom, take care of people kind of behavior.

There was an insurance carrier representative who would come to the job to check on how well we were doing. We had claimed that everybody on site knew the most important things on the jobsite at the time, and he said, I will find out. He was used to going to jobs where nobody knew. He interviewed about 10 random workers. Eight out of 10 could list all five, and the other two got three. Eight out of 10 is remarkable, and the fact that the other two got three out of five was crazy.

I was walking to the building as Brad was coming back with the representative, and I asked how it was going. He said it was the best job, the cleanest, most safe job he had ever walked on. In fact, because of the team, not me, that project won an ENR Southwest Safety Award, and it finished on time and on budget, the Hensel Phelps way.

Why I Never Stopped

That opened my eyes. There is something to this. Then I got hired to build the Bioscience Research Laboratory in Tucson, and I went all out. I studied and the AGC’s CM-Lean program, read the books, and implemented all of it. It became the cleanest, safest, most remarkable project in Arizona at the time, and I got hooked.

Lean is humanity’s best chance to get where we need to be, from either a religious or non-religious perspective. It has changed every aspect of my life. I cannot get enough, and I will never stop.

So here is the challenge. Look at the restrooms and the lunch area on your project. Raise them above normal industry levels of care, hold an all-hands huddle, and make the deal: we take care of you, and you keep this job clean, safe, and organized.

Bottom line: Start in the bathroom, take care of people, and ask for a clean, safe, and organized job in return.

If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

On we go.

FAQ

What made Jason care about Lean construction?

On a cancer center project in downtown Phoenix, I watched a jobsite change overnight after we started in the bathroom and took care of people. That opened my eyes, and after my next project in Tucson, I got hooked.

What does “start in the bathroom” mean on a jobsite?

It means showing care for people first, by giving them clean, well-stocked restrooms and a good lunch area. It comes from Paul Akers and his book 2 Second Lean.

What was the deal at the all-hands huddle?

We built custom bathrooms, a beautiful lunch area, and above-normal cleaning and supplies. In exchange, we asked everyone to keep the building clean, safe, and organized.

What results did the project see?

The cleanliness problems, graffiti, and safety negligence went away. An insurance representative called it the cleanest, safest job he had ever walked, and the team won a safety award.

People Also Read:
Lean Heaven feat. Paul Akers
Is Lean Construction Worth It or Is It Just Another Buzzword?
What Is Lean Construction? A Field Builder’s Guide to The Lean Way

 

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Takt Virtual Training)
-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Elevate Construction on YouTube)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Elevate Construction Podcast)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Training Programs and Certifications)
-The Takt Book: (The Takt Book on Amazon)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction. As the company’s Founder and COO, 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.

Posted in All

Crew Planning: How to Break Work Into Steps So Crews Win Every Day

Read 8 min

I want to talk about the details of crew planning and how to do it in a very effective way, so that every day the crew has what is called full kit. When I got to the outline for this, I fell in love with it. I made the outline, but my brain got a new perspective on it, and I think you are going to love it too. In fact, I am going to turn this outline into a crew planning form and put it into packets.

Short answer: Crew planning gets every crew full kit in its zone within its Takt time. Break the work into zones, start with a single visual of what good looks like, plan backward from the handoff, break out the crew and tasks needed to finish, and give every crew member a templated task list with time markers and buffers for quality checks. Big milestones move managers. Small bite-sized chunks move crews.

What Is the Ultimate Goal of Crew Planning?

The ultimate end of everything in construction, everything that all the project delivery team members do, all of the design, and everything a construction company does, is to get the crew full kit in their zone, in their Takt time. That means they have everything they need to build and finish without stops or restarts:

  • The materials.
  • The tools.
  • The permissions.
  • The layout.
  • The people.
  • The equipment.

That is the ultimate end of everything. If we have been doing the trade partner preparation process properly, all of this should be ready. But we still need to do the best kind of planning at the crew level.

What the Best Foremen Do

As a career general contractor, I have always noticed that the foremen I am most impressed with have detailed lists for their people. I never understood how it all worked together, but now I do. I have finally been able to observe long enough. I have been a worker for a long time, a lead person, and a foreman for a six-month stint, probably not as long as you have been. So I do have experience with this. It is just finally coming together as I get older. Here is the pattern.

Step 1: Break Everything Into Zones

The first thing is the zone size. Depending on your world, it might be the station, the segment in civil, the work package in advanced work packaging, the spool in prefabrication, the segment in your flow diagrams, or the construction work area. Whatever it is, give the crew the right size.

Todd Zabelle says everything should be down to a day. I do not agree. Sometimes Takt times can be one day, two days, three days, or a portion of a day. It is whatever your Takt time is, inside whatever zone size works with it. So the first thing is to break everything out in zones, so we know exactly what we are building in one-piece flow. Plan, build, finish.

Step 2: Start With What Good Looks Like

In the pre-construction meeting, three weeks before the work ever starts, we should have a single visual that shows the ultimate outcome for this installation work package, for the work that goes into the zone inside the Takt time. It should be highly visual, with pictures, something the crew would actually want to use.

I remember somebody being snarky with me about this. They were using Procore, and I said we cannot have it in 35 different locations. They said, it is not in 35 different locations, it is in Procore. Yes, it is in Procore, in 35 different locations. You have to go here, here, here, and here. The plans are over here. The specs are over here. The contract is over here, the inclusions are over here, and the submittals are over here. I want a single page that shows the crew what this is supposed to look like, 100 percent.

Step 3: Don’t Start, Finish

Number three is don’t start, finish. You might be thinking, wait a minute, you have to start if you are going to finish. But work mentally from the end, meaning where the handoff is going to happen to the next contractor, and plan back. What is the handoff going to look like? Everything we do in construction should be from the end forward, planning back.

So start with that framework and ask, what does my scope of work need to look like by the end of my Takt time, before I hand it off?

Let me double down on that. The motto is that we do not end the afternoon foreman huddle until we are ready to build the next day in day-tight compartments, and we do not start anything until we are ready to finish. Don’t start until you are ready to finish. Period. That is the key to construction. Anybody can start. Finish.

Step 4: Break Out the Crew and Tasks to Finish

Once you understand what the finish looks like, break out the crew and the tasks needed to accomplish the finish and the handoff. When you think of it from the end to the front, you have broken it down so you can finish, not just start.

Step 5: Give Every Crew Member a Templated Task List

The next step is even cooler, and it is what I have seen with every great crew. Once you have the steps and all the information, break all the tasks down by crew member, and each crew member gets a list.

That list should be templated. On the first zone, you will make some adjustments. On the second zone, a few more. By the third zone, you should have it pretty locked in.

You can break the list down by person and by the hours of the day, or even minutes within the hour. You are not micromanaging people. You are giving them a guide with time markers for when things should be done. Never rush. Build in plenty of buffers to stop and get quality right. Every worker should leave knowing exactly how they fit, both by task and by time, and exactly where their buffers are to do their quality checks and inspections as part of that list. Never just rush, push, and panic.

Then, inside your crew, you have your visual crew board, with all of this information visible. Everybody has their list, and everybody knows what winning looks like.

What Does Leadership Look Like in Crew Planning?

You also need a great, supportive culture. Leadership is clarity, then training toward that clarity, and then shoulder-to-shoulder support. That is how you make sure your crew is ready to succeed.

If you want to go deeper on this, check out our book, Elevating Construction Crew Leaders.

So here is the challenge. Pick one crew and one zone. Before your next afternoon foreman huddle ends, make sure there is a single visual of what good looks like, plan back from the handoff, and give each crew member a list with time markers and buffers for quality checks.

Bottom line: Big milestones move managers, and small bite-sized chunks move crews.

If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

Want your team trained on this? See our Last Planner® System and Takt training.

On we go.

FAQ

What is crew planning in construction?

Crew planning is breaking the work into steps so the crew has full kit in its zone within its Takt time. It ends with every crew member holding a task list that shows how they fit by task and by time.

What is full kit for a crew?

Full kit means the crew has the materials, tools, permissions, layout, people, and equipment to build and finish without stops or restarts.

What does “don’t start, finish” mean?

It means planning from the handoff backward. I do not start anything until the crew is ready to finish, because anybody can start.

Should every crew task be broken down to one day?

No. Takt times can be one day, two days, three days, or a portion of a day. The zone size should fit whatever your Takt time is.

How detailed should a crew member’s task list be?

Break it down by person and by hours of the day, or even minutes within the hour, with time markers and buffers for quality checks. It is a guide, not micromanagement.

People Also Read:
What Is a Look Ahead Plan in Construction?
How to Manage a Construction Crew
How Buffers Work in Takt Planning

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Takt Virtual Training)
-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Elevate Construction on YouTube)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Elevate Construction Podcast)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Training Programs and Certifications)
-The Takt Book: (The Takt Book on Amazon)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction. As the company’s Founder and COO, 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.

Posted in All

Make the Standard Work Before You Make Standard Work

Read 6 min

I am starting to implement Lean at scale in a construction company and in an actual shop, and I am realizing how fun it is and how deep things can get. One concept keeps coming up: make the standard work before you make standard work.

Short answer: Make the standard work before you make standard work. There are two modes: invention and optimization. First, make something exist with good drive, experiment with it, and make sure it really works. Then create the standard work that shows how to do it. Only then start to optimize. If you optimize an invention too early, you may never get there, and if you standardize it too early, you may lock it into its early phases.

Why I Became a Huge Believer in Standard Work

We recently got a building, because we are assembling and providing Lean simulation kits, 3D planning models, pull planning kits, superintendent kits, and supplies for project sites like huddle boards, bathrooms, signage, and cooling stations. It is so easy to implement Lean when you have your own project and your own building.

I have become a huge believer in standard work. At the Super PM Boot Camp, every single thing about setting up the camp has been standardized. We have a Paul Akers-style visual, with a picture and text, picture and text, made in Canva, printed out, and laminated. Every time we set up the camp, we hand one of those standard work cards to a volunteer on the setup team, and everybody knows what to do without having to ask me all the time. That has opened up so much improvement.

Laminated Super PM Boot Camp standard work card showing visual step-by-step setup instructions for volunteers.

We do the same thing in our construction company, and we do the same thing at the shop. At the shop, I have standard work for almost everything:

  • How to make coffee.
  • How to clean the walls.
  • How to clean the kitchen and the bathroom.
  • How to use the laminator.
  • How to use the 3D printers.

What Is the Difference Between Invention Mode and Optimization Mode?

A couple of times, we created the standard work before the standard actually worked. This is really important to understand, because there are two different modes: invention mode and optimization mode. Sometimes you just have to get something to exist.

Invention mode Optimization mode
The goal Make something exist and make sure it really works Improve something that already works
What it looks like Go build it, experiment, get it in place Write the standard work, then improve it
The risk of skipping ahead Optimizing something that does not exist yet means you may never get there Standardizing too early can lock an invention into its early phases

Brandon Montero is a genius at invention mode. At the shop, if we say we need a carpentry station over here to really get things going, he will go build it. If we say we need to organize the 3D printing area, he will go get it done. Brandon makes sure something really, really works, and then he creates the standard work.

Other folks have a harder time getting started, and I am not trying to make fun of anybody. They want to optimize something that does not actually exist yet, so they go slow and have a hard time getting something in place. On a jobsite, it is the same with a new huddle board or a new layout process: get it in place and working first, then write the standard. Just don’t let a standard turn into bureaucracy.

What Did Taiichi Ohno Say About Getting Things Done?

Something that does not get mentioned a lot is Taiichi Ohno’s precepts. Three of his ten precepts say it well:

  • First say, “I can do it,” and try before everything.
  • Do it immediately. Starting something right now is the only way to win.
  • Once you start something, persevere. Do not give up until you finish it.

Taiichi Ohno was very much a person of let’s go get stuff done. If he had his own construction company, it would be called Get Stuff Done Construction.

The Right Order for Standard Work

So here is the order I follow:

  1. Make it first, with good drive. Invent it.
  2. Experiment with it a little bit, and make sure the standard really works.
  3. Create the standard work on it, meaning this is how you do it.
  4. Then start to optimize.

Here is my point. If you start trying to optimize an invention, you might never get there. If you start to standardize an invention, you may lock it into its early phases. And if you do not invent, you will never get to the standard. So please be careful when you are looking at that.

So here is the challenge. Look at the next new process you want to standardize, on the jobsite or in the office. Ask whether it actually works yet. If it does not, go invent it and get it working first, then write the standard work, and only then start optimizing.

Bottom line: Make the standard work before you make standard work, and only then start to optimize.

If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

On we go.

FAQ

What does “make the standard work before you make standard work” mean?

It means you first get a process to exist and actually work, and only then write the standard work for it. Standardizing something that does not work yet locks in a bad method.

What is the difference between invention mode and optimization mode?

Invention mode is getting something to exist and making sure it works. Optimization mode is improving something that already works, after the standard work is written.

What happens if you standardize or optimize too early?

If you optimize an invention too early, you might never get there. If you standardize it too early, you may lock it into its early phases.

How do you use standard work to set up a training event?

Every part of setting up the camp is on a laminated visual standard work card, with a picture and text. We hand a card to each setup volunteer, so everybody knows what to do without asking me.

People Also Read:
Lean Heaven feat. Paul Akers
What Is 5S and How It Applies to Construction
Out of Your Head, Off of Your Shoulders: The Afternoon Foreman Huddle

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Takt Virtual Training)
-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Elevate Construction on YouTube)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Elevate Construction Podcast)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Training Programs and Certifications)
-The Takt Book: (The Takt Book on Amazon)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction. As the company’s Founder and COO, 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.

Posted in All

Cover and Move: Building a Construction Team Before the Project Starts

Read 6 min

I praise the Jocko Willink and Leif Babin framework a lot, and I have been thinking about how it connects to building teams. As I have been looking at the team for one of our projects recently, I realized that one of their ideas, cover and move, has a method behind it. In this post, I want to share a few frameworks and the specific steps we are following.

Short answer: Building a construction team starts before the project does. Jocko Willink and Leif Babin call it cover and move. In practice, it means getting the right people in key seats, knowing how many people the project takes and who supervises which area, matching each person’s personality and aptitude to the role, and then building a team that knows each other, trusts each other, and holds each other accountable.

What Does Cover and Move Mean for a Construction Team?

In Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin of Echelon Front lay out the laws of combat:

  1. Cover and move.
  2. Simple.
  3. Prioritize and execute.
  4. Decentralized command.

These laws tie to every other team-building framework out there. Cover and move means building the team and finding out who is in charge of what, so people can support each other. But cover and move does not just happen. There are frameworks and steps to it.

Get the Right People in Key Seats

Jim Collins says the number one metric in your organization is the percentage of the right people in key seats. In Good to Great, he talks about first figuring out who is supposed to be on and off the bus, then who is in which seat, and then deciding where to drive the bus together. That is pretty brilliant.

When I look at whether a person is right for a key seat, one question I ask is about risk. Does this person being in this seat have a likelihood of being wildly successful, or wildly detrimental?

What Are the Five Behaviors of a Team?

The other framework I want to expand on when we are building teams is the five behaviors of a team, which come from Patrick Lencioni’s work in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. But there is something that comes before them. Is the team transparent enough to build trust, and do they know each other? Do they really know each other?

Step Question to ask
Before anything else Is the team transparent, and do they know each other?
1. Trust Can the team build trust?
2. Healthy conflict Can the team engage in healthy conflict?
3. Commitment Can they commit to clear goals and standards, and the direction of the project?
4. Accountability Will they hold each other accountable?
5. Results Can the team perform?

How Do You Build a Team for a New Project?

Here are the specific steps we are following on a recent project:

  1. How many people does this project typically take?
  2. What are the geographical responsibilities per person to supervise this work? I am very firm about this nowadays, and I am getting more firm about it as I get older.
  3. Who am I considering bringing on, and what is their personality profile and aptitude to really do well in this role?

The third step is probably the most important. For example, the person you put over the interiors of a building needs the right aptitude for that work, not just an open seat on the org chart. A few tools do a good job of showing personality and aptitude:

  • DISC does a really good job.
  • The Enneagram does a pretty good job.
  • Culture Index does a really good job.
  • The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni is really, really good.

None of these replace getting to know people. They help you respect the person by putting them where they can really do well. For more, see how to build a high-performing construction team.

Organize the Team Before the Project Starts

My point is simple. When Jocko says cover and move, there are frameworks and steps behind it, and we really cannot spend too much time on them early on, before we start a project. We have to organize that team. I have written about building the right crew before work begins.

So here is the challenge. Before your next project starts, answer the three questions: how many people the project takes, who owns which area, and who has the personality and aptitude for each seat. Then ask whether the team knows each other well enough to build trust.

Bottom line: You cannot spend too much time organizing your team before the project starts.

If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

On we go.

FAQ

What does cover and move mean for a construction team?

It is one of the laws of combat from Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. For a construction team, it means building the team and knowing who is in charge of what, so people can support each other.

What is the number one metric for building a strong team?

Jim Collins says it is the percentage of the right people in key seats. I also ask whether a person in a seat is likely to be wildly successful or wildly detrimental.

What are the five behaviors of a team?

Trust, healthy conflict, commitment to clear goals and standards, holding each other accountable, and performing. Before those, the team has to be transparent and actually know each other.

How do you build a construction team for a new project?

I ask three questions. How many people does the project typically take, what are the geographical responsibilities per person, and who has the personality profile and aptitude to do well in each role?

What tools help match people to roles?

I have found DISC, the Enneagram, Culture Index, and The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni all helpful for understanding personality and aptitude.

People Also Read:
Build the Right Crew Before Work Begins
How To Build A High-Performing Construction Team
The Ladder of Accountability

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Takt Virtual Training)
-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Elevate Construction on YouTube)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Elevate Construction Podcast)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Training Programs and Certifications)
-The Takt Book: (The Takt Book on Amazon)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction. As the company’s Founder and COO, 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.

Posted in All

Get Rid of the Word Should in Pre-Construction Planning

Read 6 min

This one is a shout-out to my friends at Smithco, a really cool general contractor, trade partner, and civil infrastructure company. We are doing work with them, and if you ever get a chance to work with them, please do.Ruben, a top-notch general superintendent there, taught me a concept recently that blew me away. He has a list of ways to get rid of excuses, and one of them is simple: we are going to get rid of the word should.

Short answer: Get rid of the word should. Should is a powerless word, and it hides the gaps in a plan: the material should be on the way, the trade partner should know what they are doing, it should be fine. In pre-construction planning, dig deep enough that you can say I know, or it will, for certain. That is what before phase planning is all about.

Why Is Should a Powerless Word?

I had heard this before. At Rapport Leadership International, in Leadership Breakthrough I and II, they talk about powerless words like sorry, try, and should. I would hear the same thing at Tony Robbins events.

Your brain and your body receive command prompts. It is no different than prompting AI, or an intern, or the old command prompts on MS-DOS. You are always prompting something. Powerless words prompt nonsense. Try is one of the worst, and should is the other one. At Rapport Leadership International, they used to say, I am not going to should on anybody.

So I have quite a background in not wanting to use the word should. I do not use it that often, and I really attempt not to use the word try. But until Ruben said it, I did not really understand it.

The Moment It Clicked

Do you ever understand something so clearly at one moment that you realize it is never going to be the same? That happened to me.

We were on a monthly field walk, which is one of the best things you can do for your company. I asked one of the project managers a question, and he said, it should be. Then he caught himself, because he had just heard Ruben say, we are getting rid of the word should.

The project manager immediately noticed that the word should was the problem. He was not saying, I know for a fact that this material is on the way. He was saying should. And if you looked at Ruben’s face, he was like, huh? Don’t give me a should. It has to be an I know. It will. Everybody in the room got it immediately.

By the way, if your company has already had the planning training but you want to keep elevating your projects, we can do monthly field walks with you.

What Should Sounds Like on a Project

If you are in pre-construction planning, the word should does not belong there. Listen for it in your meetings:

  • That material should be on the way.
  • It should be fine.
  • We should not have a problem with it.
  • That trade partner should know what they are doing.

Every one of those sentences hides something you do not know yet. It might be a material delivery that nobody has confirmed, which is exactly the kind of thing a lookahead is built to catch. It might be a constraint nobody has looked at. Should is where the gap lives.

How Do You Replace Should With I Know?

Get that word gone, and dig deep enough. Dig deeper was the rally cry of one of my old coaches.

When you hear Dig until you can say
That material should be on the way. I know the material is on the way.
It should be fine. I know it will be fine.
That trade partner should know what they are doing. I know that trade partner is ready.

This is not about being harsh with people. It is about not letting an excuse into the plan before the work even starts. When the team stops saying should, it starts finding out, and the standard becomes knowing for certain. That is also why it is on Ruben’s list of ways to get rid of excuses, and it fits right alongside the ladder of accountability.

Why It Matters Before the Phase Starts

If you get rid of the word should from your vocabulary, you will understand what before phase planning is all about. Pre-planning, before the phase starts, is where you have the time to dig deep enough to know. Once the crews are in the field, a should turns into a surprise. It’s why I say hurry up and plan.

So here is the challenge. In your next pre-construction meeting or field walk, listen for the word should. Every time you hear it, stop and dig deeper until somebody can say, I know it will.

Bottom line: Get rid of the word should, and dig deep enough that you can say I know.

If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

On we go.

FAQ

Why get rid of the word should in construction planning?

Because should hides the gaps in a plan. It should be fine means nobody knows for certain yet, so I want the team to dig deep enough to say I know it will.

What are powerless words?

Words like sorry, try, and should. Your brain and body receive them like command prompts, and they prompt nonsense instead of action.

What do you say instead of should?

I know, or it will. If you cannot say that yet, dig deeper until you know for a fact.

Where does the idea of getting rid of the word should come from?

I first heard it at Rapport Leadership International and Tony Robbins events, but it really clicked when Ruben, a general superintendent at Smithco, said it during a monthly field walk.

People Also Read:
Hurry Up and Plan: Why I Drive Hard in Pre-Construction Planning
Monthly Field Walks
The Ladder of Accountability

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Takt Virtual Training)
-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Elevate Construction on YouTube)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Elevate Construction Podcast)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Training Programs and Certifications)
-The Takt Book: (The Takt Book on Amazon)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction. As the company’s Founder and COO, 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.

Posted in All

Out of Your Head, Off of Your Shoulders: The Afternoon Foreman Huddle

Read 9 min

I recently learned something at a boot camp while I was talking about stress, and I coined a phrase in the moment that I cannot stop thinking about: out of your head, off of your shoulders. This is a short one, but it is really impactful.

Short answer: Out of your head, off of your shoulders means getting the plan out of the superintendent’s head and in front of the team. Keep a to-do list, use visual planning, and hold an afternoon foreman huddle the day before to plan the next day and set up full kit. It respects people, it makes the work visible, and it unburdens you, because problems belong to the team, not to one person.

Why Get the Plan Out of the Superintendent’s Head?

I am constantly advocating for a few things:

  • Writing everything down and having it on a to-do list.
  • Holding an afternoon foreman huddle.
  • Using visual planning devices.
  • Getting everything out of the superintendent’s head.

I am going to be direct about this, because when I soft-pedal it, people do not do it, they do not benefit from it, and people get hurt. The only way to run your life is to keep a to-do list and get everything out of your head. The only way to run a project site, unless you have shift work, is to hold an afternoon foreman huddle the day before to plan the next day. That sets you up for full kit ahead of time, and then you live in day-tight compartments. And superintendents need to get all of the knowledge of the project and the plan out of their head.

Out of Your Head, Off of Your Shoulders

At boot camp, a lot of times I will ask Brandon Montero to role-play with me for a minute. He will stand next to me, and I will hang on his shoulders. He is a fit guy, so he can handle it, but you can see that it is a strain. And I say, this is what the life of a superintendent feels like. This is the burden.

That is when it hit me. If you keep the plan in your head, you keep it on your shoulders. If you get it out of your head, you get it off of your shoulders.

Problems Belong to the Team

I was also talking at boot camp about the idea that there is no such thing as an individual owning a problem. All problems belong to the team. Am I perfect with this? No. Do I struggle with it sometimes? Yes. Do I forget to copy people on emails? A hundred percent. But do I believe at my core that no problem belongs to an individual? A hundred percent.

Katie said to me one time, we have the best people in the world. Is there any problem we couldn’t solve as a team? The answer is no. You have to share the load. When I asked the room what movie that comes from, one person got extra points for Lord of the Rings, where Sam helps Frodo carry the load. No problem belongs to an individual. It belongs to the team. But the team cannot share a load it cannot see.

Why Should the Foreman Huddle Be the Afternoon Before?

The afternoon foreman huddle is the one that frustrates me the most, because many Lean practitioners and consultants teach it in the morning. That only works for certain types of companies. In construction, it has to be the afternoon before, because we have such interdependent systems.

Plan of the day (POD) Plan of the next day (POND)
When In the morning The afternoon before
Where it works Manufacturing, and sometimes elsewhere Construction, with its interdependent trades
What it sets up The work already underway Full kit for tomorrow, before the crews arrive

Sometimes a plan of the day meeting is good, and it works in manufacturing. For construction, it has to be a plan of the next day meeting. There are a lot of reasons to hold the afternoon foreman huddle the day before, and they all tie together. Getting the plan out of the superintendent’s head is one of the most important, because it puts the plan into the production system where the whole team can see it.

Is Keeping It All in Your Head a Good Sign?

No. One of the worst things in construction is somebody being proud of having it all in their head.

I travel quite a bit, so I go out to breakfast and dinner quite a bit, and I have been tracking something. Some servers try to remember every order, and some write it down. You would be surprised how many more mistakes happen with the servers who try to remember it than with the ones who write it down. Is it slower when they write it down? Sure. Do they get it right a higher percentage of the time? Absolutely. I do not care how good that server is, or if they are the most brilliant person on earth. If you do not write it down, you are actively disrespecting me.

The same goes for the superintendent who says, I am a good superintendent, I have it all in my head. That is not a sign of a good superintendent. It is a sign that the plan is not shared, and nobody in this industry should normalize it ever again.

When you get it out of your head, you are respecting people, and you are starting to be Lean, because all Lean systems are seeing systems. And you are unburdening yourself.

The Plan Leads When the Team Is Performing

There is another reason this matters. Think about the stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, and performing. When a team is in the performing stage, people follow the plan and the goal, or the purpose, more than they actually follow a leader.

Different leadership styles are needed at different times:

  • Forming and storming: a more controlling, directive leader.
  • Norming: a coaching, enabling, teaching, mentoring leader.
  • Performing: a hands-off leader who gives autonomy and suggestions and provides the why.

I am more of a controlling individual. I do not like to be, but I am. I am needed in the forming and storming stages, so you will mostly find me in the first five, ten, or fifteen percent of an effort, and that is fine. That is probably why it is good that I work mostly with 22- to 28-year-olds on our LeanTakt team. As Scott Berg used to say, I watered you every day and had to mow you three times a day, like a newly seeded lawn.

But a team cannot follow the plan in the performing stage if the plan only lives in one person’s head. Get it out, and the team can carry it.

Unburdening Yourself

We have a mental health epidemic in construction. Our suicide rate is far too high. If you or someone on your crew is struggling, call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. So do not tell me you have it all in your head. Get it out, write it down, share it with your foremen, and let the team carry it with you. Psychological safety starts with a superintendent who does not have to carry the whole project alone.

If you want to practice this with other project leaders, the Super PM Boot Camp is where I teach it. It is quite remarkable, and it is one of the best things you can do for your career.

So here is the challenge. Start a to-do list, hold an afternoon foreman huddle the day before to plan the next day, and put the plan where the whole team can see it. Then notice how much lighter your shoulders feel.

Bottom line: Once it is out of your head, it is off of your shoulders.

If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

Want your team trained on this? See our Last Planner® System and Takt training.

On we go.

FAQ

What does “out of your head, off of your shoulders” mean?

It means that when a superintendent gets the plan out of their head, through a to-do list, visual planning, and an afternoon foreman huddle, they also get the burden off their shoulders. The team can then share the load.

Why hold the afternoon foreman huddle instead of a morning huddle?

Because construction has such interdependent systems. A morning plan of the day works in manufacturing, but construction needs a plan of the next day, held the afternoon before, so full kit is ready before the crews arrive.

What is a plan of the next day (POND) meeting?

It is the afternoon foreman huddle held the day before, where the team plans the next day’s work. A plan of the day (POD) meeting is held the same morning.

Is it a good sign if a superintendent keeps the whole plan in their head?

No. It means the plan is not shared, mistakes are more likely, and the superintendent carries the whole load alone. All Lean systems are seeing systems.

Who owns a problem on a construction project?

The team. I believe at my core that no problem belongs to an individual, and that a good team can solve any problem when it shares the load.

People Also Read:
Afternoon Foreman Huddles
What Is a Look Ahead Plan in Construction?
The Huddle Board Should NOT Be in Your Head

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Takt Virtual Training)
-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Elevate Construction on YouTube)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Elevate Construction Podcast)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Training Programs and Certifications)
-The Takt Book: (The Takt Book on Amazon)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction. As the company’s Founder and COO, 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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