CPM as a Cult

Why CPM Fails and Why Takt is the Future

Welcome everyone. I hope you are doing well and not too tired of me constantly bringing up CPM. I recently had a conversation with a scheduling professional who shared some honest truths about how damaging CPM really is. He asked me not to post our discussion publicly in case it affected his career, which shows just how deeply rooted and protected this system is in our industry. That alone tells you everything about the problem.

I want to share with you the concepts and analogies we discussed because I believe everyone deserves to understand why CPM creates so much waste and frustration. Right now, I am at SuperPM Bootcamp having the time of my life, and part of what makes it so fulfilling is that these important conversations are happening in real time with passionate builders.

CPM vs Takt: Clear Analogies

To explain the difference, I asked ChatGPT for analogies, and the comparisons made it crystal clear. Imagine planning a cross-country road trip. If you use a map, GPS, and adjust for real-time conditions, you get to your destination efficiently. That is takt. Now imagine counting how many cups of coffee you drink during the drive and believing that number gets you there faster. That is CPM. It is tracking the wrong thing while ignoring what truly matters.

Or think about gardening. A good gardener monitors soil quality, water levels, and sunlight to grow healthy crops. That is takt. A bad gardener counts how many times they water without noticing whether the plants need it. That is CPM. It looks busy but completely misses the real factors that drive success.

Even cooking works as an analogy. Hosting a dinner party with recipes, timers, and careful preparation is takt. Standing in the kitchen repeating the word delicious while ignoring the oven is CPM. It looks like effort but adds no value.

The Cult of CPM

The deeper issue is that CPM has grown into what feels like a cult. It thrives on the illusion of control, hiding behind charts and spreadsheets that do not reflect the chaos of the jobsite. It shifts accountability, allowing project managers and schedulers to blame others instead of taking responsibility. It even demands faith in predictions made without complete designs, creating schedules based on assumptions rather than reality.

I recently reviewed the characteristics of cults and was stunned at how perfectly they matched the culture surrounding CPM. From unquestioned dogma and manipulation to secretive practices and silencing dissent, it is all there. People cling to it not because it works but because it allows them to avoid responsibility and shift blame. The result is wasted time, wasted resources, delayed projects, and teams stuck in endless cycles of inefficiency.

Why Takt is the Answer

Unlike CPM, takt focuses on flow, zones, and optimizing the entire system rather than obsessing over a single critical path that changes constantly. By zoning projects properly, work moves faster without overloading trade partners. By aligning teams with predictable rhythms, productivity improves without the panic and chaos. And by focusing on reality instead of abstract charts, projects finish on time while building stronger collaboration.

I am passionate about this because I see the damage CPM causes every day. It is not just an ineffective tool, it is harmful. And the truth is, no one is actually forced to use it. We have better methods. If it is your reputation on the line, do the right thing. Choose takt.

Key Takeaway

CPM is built on distraction and blame while takt creates flow and accountability. If we want to build projects faster, healthier, and smarter, the answer is takt, not CPM.