CPM is a Poison That Ruins Everything

I want to talk today about something that I believe is deeply damaging to our industry: advocating for systems that hurt people. Specifically, I am talking about CPM scheduling. At first glance, it may look like an effective tool, but when you peel back the layers, it becomes clear that it exploits workers, creates waste, and fuels many of the problems that plague construction today.

I did not come to this conclusion lightly. I started out as a worker and a field engineer. I even played a role in hurting my father-in-law’s company by unfairly treating trade partners, and that realization hit me hard. I saw firsthand how systems can crush people, and that is when I made the commitment to change course. The truth is, CPM has been normalized in construction, but normalization does not equal right. Just because it is common practice does not mean it is acceptable.

Some argue that the system is fine and it is people who misuse it. I fundamentally disagree. Saying the system is perfect, but people are the problem, is an excuse. People are not inherently broken. People adapt to the systems they are placed in, and when the system is destructive, destructive outcomes follow. You cannot blame workers for failing inside of a broken process.

Let me compare this to a broader point. There are those who believe human beings are inherently evil, pointing to children bullying each other in preschool as proof. But what really happens in preschool? Kids are placed in a confined environment with limited resources, away from their parents, and expected to navigate complex social hierarchies. They learn behaviors from adults who model taking, controlling, or forcing their way through situations. The problem is not the child’s nature, it is the environment. The same principle applies in construction: if you create scarcity, pressure, and unrealistic expectations, people will react in ways that look negative, but really they are just trying to survive.

This is why I say CPM is not a neutral tool. It is destructive by design. It locks teams into baselines that ignore real-world dynamics. It forces recovery plans that mean trade partners must work unsafe hours, stack crews, or burn out their people. It creates environments where rework, material waste, and inefficiencies multiply. And when you zoom out, you realize it fuels the very mental health crises our industry struggles with, including high rates of depression and suicide.

If you think that is dramatic, let me draw a stronger comparison. I once looked at how cartels operate, and while the severity is different, the conceptual similarities are alarming. Cartels thrive on addiction, exploitation, corruption, intimidation, and violence. CPM, in its own way, feeds similar cycles. It becomes addictive to rely on schedules that look precise on paper but fail in practice. It exploits workers through unrealistic demands. It fuels corruption when owners and lawyers weaponize schedules to withhold payment or shift blame. It creates intimidation in OAC meetings where trade partners are grilled against an impossible baseline. And it leaves destruction in its wake when projects pile up waste, burnout, and mistrust.

The point is not that CPM is equal to organized crime, it is that advocating for CPM while knowing its consequences is perpetuating harm. Leaders in construction have a responsibility to stop supporting systems that damage people. Saying you will change it from within is not good enough if the foundation is already broken.

If you are a leader, it is your job to examine the systems you run. Look at the process, the culture, and the behaviors they drive. Do not fall into the trap of blaming people. When workers, foremen, and trade partners are exhausted, unsafe, and demoralized, the root cause is the system, not their character.

I know I am being direct here, maybe even blunt. But I believe this matters too much to water it down. You can have a blog, a career, or even an entire consulting business built on CPM. That does not make it right. That does not make it harmless. It is wrong, and we need to stop normalizing it.

As an industry, we can and must build systems that respect people, elevate human nature, and enable better outcomes. We must hold ourselves accountable to choose approaches that heal rather than harm. I am calling on you, as a builder and as a leader, to refuse to advocate for systems that are destructive, no matter how common they are. We owe it to our people, our industry, and our future.

Key Takeaway

Systems, not people, are the problem. Leaders must stop advocating harmful methods like CPM and instead build processes that protect workers and elevate the industry.