The Virtual PM Boot Camp

I hope you’re doing well. Danny, who leads our sales and marketing at Elevate, asked me to share some details about the upcoming virtual project manager bootcamp. She’s fantastic, and if you ever get the chance to meet her, you’ll see why. Rather than just write marketing material, I wanted to explain why this bootcamp matters and why it’s more than just another course.

Before diving in, I want to share a piece of feedback I received: “Thanks for the great content and structured information. It has helped me implement much of your teachings with my team. Phoenix could use a conference from you.” Notes like this mean a lot to me. Even though I live in Phoenix, most of my work is spread across the country, and I’d love to do more here locally.

Now, on to the updates. First, I’m thrilled to announce that Takt Book One, Version Two is finished. We’ve added all the feedback and updates you suggested, and it’s ready. The outline for the Takt During Control book is also complete, and the Last Planner System book is nearly done. Soon, you’ll have three books covering the entire system from start to finish: First Planner, Takt Planning, and Takt During Control. These books together will show you exactly how to run remarkable lean projects.

Now let’s talk about the Project Manager Virtual Bootcamp. It’s a four-day program, two and a half hours each afternoon, designed for busy professionals who can’t step away from their jobs full time.

Here’s the breakdown:

1. Day 1: Why projects fail and the key contributors to failure in our industry.
2. Day 2: The Integrated Production Control System, which combines First Planner, Takt, Takt During Control, and Last Planner working seamlessly together.
3. Day 3: Hands-on training with pull planning and creating a takt plan in time-by-location format.
4. Day 4: Last Planner in action, focusing on collaboration and connecting the plan to field execution.

It’s a compact, highly engaging course with exercises, interaction, and practical tools you can use immediately. Plus, the manual is free, packed with so much good content that it’s worth the price of admission alone.

I want to emphasize something. Takt planning is not a side tool. It is the foundation of all scheduling. You cannot coordinate trades, align procurement, or run flow effectively without it. This isn’t a trend or a random add-on, it is the way to schedule.

I realized this years ago when trying to link a CPM schedule to a 3D model for a 4D schedule. The CPM format simply didn’t work. The only way to make it coherent was to create a time-by-location format schedule, essentially a takt plan. Without it, the schedule didn’t align with how projects are actually built. From that moment, I knew: takt planning isn’t optional, it’s essential.

If you want to see how these fundamentals fit together and prepare yourself to lead remarkable projects, this bootcamp is for you. Danny, I hope this gives you what you need, and to everyone reading: I’d love to see you there.

On we go.

Key Takeaway

Takt planning is not optional. It’s the foundation of scheduling and the virtual project manager bootcamp will show you how to use it to lead remarkable projects.