Are You Scaling to Small Jobs or Making Excuses?

You say: I can’t implement these techniques on smaller projects. I’m only one person. I don’t have coverage. I don’t have budget. I don’t have team. Can’t do reflection walks. Can’t do Takt planning. Can’t do quality systems. Can’t do roadblock removal. Too small. Not enough resources. Doesn’t apply. That’s making excuses. That’s victim mentality. Stop it. You’re being victim. Stop giving me these excuses that they don’t apply to small jobs. I know for fact that they do. Put me on small job. There’s no way in hell I’m going to be stuck there for 60, 70, 80 hours, locking up gate every day, burning life out, never at home with family, working from 4 AM to 8 PM. There’s no way in hell I’m doing that. If PM was like, well, you don’t have it in budget. I’m like, well, then you can work 18 hours day because I ain’t doing it. Problem really isn’t that they’re small jobs. It’s that you’re not getting creative enough. Everything can be scaled to smaller project. Seen it over and over and over again. If one person can do it, you can, or those people are smarter than you. And if I said, is that person smarter than you? You’d be like, hell no. So what’s the difference? You’re just not being creative enough. If one person can do it, you can. Get logistics foreman. Get help from PM. Schedule with safety director. Think of every person in hall. Get home office administrator. Get front office desk phone call answer guy. Can you come watch my project for Friday afternoon? Get creative. You deserve coverage. So stop excuses. Let’s get this done.

Here’s what most superintendents miss. They think small jobs mean can’t implement good systems. Can’t do Takt planning. Can’t do quality systems. Can’t do roadblock removal. Can’t do coverage. Budget too small. Team too small. Resources too limited. So they accept chaos. Accept 70-hour weeks. Accept burning out. Accept family suffering. Accept project suffering. Because convinced small job means can’t do it right. That’s excuse. That’s victim mentality. Different from superintendent who gets creative. Says: I deserve coverage for things I need. Gets logistics foreman. Gets PM help. Schedules with safety director. Thinks of every person who could help. Gets creative solving coverage problem. Implements Takt planning scaled to small team. Implements quality systems with PM help. Implements roadblock removal with group texts. Works reasonable hours. Protects family. Runs good project. Because decided: this is how you build good jobs. Either you’re going to build good job or you’re not going to build good job. You’re not going to not do these things and build good job. Make decision. Tell company: I love you, I’m loyal, but we’re going to make change. I’m in on pre-con. I’m planning job. Because if you don’t plan job in pre-construction with builders, it’s going to suck. One plus one equals two. One plus one does not equal three. No pre-con effort with builders does not equal finishing on time. That’s stupid.

The challenge is most superintendents never learned that ideal team size is four. Gets harder once team sizes get above nine or 12 unless you break project into separate project teams. So small teams actually easier, not harder. But superintendents think: I’m only one person, how do I do coverage system? Well, freaking duh. I don’t expect you to do that, but I do expect you to have coverage for things you need because you deserve it. Get creative. Stop being victim. Stop giving excuses. Everything scales to smaller projects: Takt planning (scaled back, totally possible), last planner (100% scales), reflection walks (yeah, you can do that on small job), project planning (I would for sure do that on smaller job), pre-construction meetings (the smaller the better, honestly), make ready scheduling (yep), quality process (you can have wonderful quality program, just need little help from PM), zero tolerance (yeah, you can do that on small job), grading contractors (yep), foreman standard work, continuous improvement, whole nine. Went through whole list. There’s nothing you can’t do. Only thing that changes is coverage systems little bit harder and you need to be in pre-construction stages so you have time.

Technology: Active vs Passive Information

Technology should not do things humans should do, and technology should do the things that humans should not be doing. If it’s communication, collaboration, visualizing, technology should allow humans to do that. Technology shouldn’t substitute things like that. Zoom, data dashboards, visualizations, BIM models all help humans collaborate, but should never take functions of actual communication or collaboration that humans should do themselves.

But things like calculations, artificial intelligence, creating historical patterns and projections, complex math, doing repetitive tasks that humans shouldn’t be doing, that’s purpose of technology.

When we see digital platforms just transferring sticky notes from walls where it’s active information and putting it onto database, that’s something humans should be doing. Maybe online platform works better, but don’t just do something for sake of making it digital and online. Has to be filtered through: what should humans do? What should automation do?

Active information means it’s visual to human beings and we can use it in active way. Visual management is about it being active in front of people so they can see status of whether team is winning one look away and correct. Don’t take things from wall and put into computer just for sake of putting into computer. Your active information must be visual and accessible at all times.

If that means you print something out or use whiteboard on wall, so be it. Nobody should poo-poo those things. If it makes more sense because you’re working remotely or using large screen TVs or iPads and more people can access visual information, then by all means use technology. But don’t do it for sake of just doing it with technology.

Software Should Be Addictive, Useful, Fast

Anything we do should be addictive as Facebook, useful as YouTube, and quick as Wikipedia. When somebody gives me project management software takes me 37 steps to fill out safety report, answer isn’t no. It’s hell no. There’s no way I’m doing that. That’s absolute waste of time and it’s stupid.

If you are developer, you need to cater in every way to workers, foremen, superintendents, PMs, PEs, field engineers out there in field doing work. Here’s test: Are people addicted to this versus doing it by hand? Is it more useful to do it digitally than old way? Is it quicker to do it this way or was it quicker to do old way?

Don’t justify 37 steps to enter safety form so you can get corporate data that nobody’s going to do anything with. Want it addictive. Want it useful. Want it fast.

Software developers need to actually go to place where people are doing work and find out how people doing work want to do it. We are smart enough to figure this out.

All-in-One Often Becomes All-in-None

Most of time when everyone consolidates into all-in-one, it becomes all-in-none because now you don’t have functionality whereas human being could have learned couple different types of applications which were really killer.

Remember one time somebody saying: we switched from BIM 360 Field to quality app on our project management software. Oh, it’s great. It’s all-in-one. Then we asked question: well, what are numbers? Oh, yeah, we tracked it. When we were in BIM 360 Field, we were at like 850 observations week in company. Where are you at now? 25 and we’re plateauing and it used to be growing exponentially.

How does this make sense? You were 850 observations week. Now you’re down to 25 and you think this all-in-one solution has made this better? This is ridiculous.

Do not go get software for your company unless it’s thoroughly tested and proven and endorsed by people actually doing work.

Everything Scales to Smaller Projects

Takt planning: scaled back, totally possible on smaller job. Last planner system: 100% scales. Reflection walks: yeah, you can do that on small job. Project planning: I would for sure do that on smaller job. Pre-construction meetings: the smaller the better, honestly. Make ready scheduling: yep. Weekly work planning: yep. Day planning huddles: yep. Meeting system: it’ll be scaled back, totally possible on smaller job. Procurement deliveries: totally possible. Accountability: you can have wonderful quality program, just need little help from PM.

Daily issue correction system: I would 100% send out group texts to foreman every day. 100%. That’s how I make sure I’m not taking that whole burden on myself. Roadblock removal system: going to go fast now. Zero tolerance: yeah, you can do that on small job. Grading contractors: yep. Foreman standard work, foreman’s continuous improvement, whole nine.

Just went through whole list. There’s nothing you can’t do. Only thing that changes is coverage systems little bit harder and you need to make sure you’re in pre-construction stages so you have time to do some of these things we highly recommend.

This is way to build projects. If you’re like: I would do good pre-construction meetings or quality process or project planning if I get enough time. If, if, if, if, if. Stop the ifs. This is how you build good jobs. Either you’re going to build good job or you’re not going to build good job. You’re not going to not do these things and build good job.

Make decision and tell your company: hey, I love you. I went in on these jobs early and I want to be part of it. 100%. I’m not doing this anymore. I love you. I’m loyal, but we’re going to make change.

The System Failed You

Let’s be clear. When superintendents say can’t implement on smaller projects, it’s not entirely their fault. The system failed by teaching that small jobs mean limited resources mean can’t do it right. Nobody showed that ideal team size is four, so small teams actually easier. Nobody explained that everything scales: Takt planning, last planner, reflection walks, quality systems, roadblock removal, whole nine. The system taught accept chaos on small jobs when actually get creative and implement good systems.

The system also failed by not teaching to get creative with coverage. If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow. You deserve coverage for things you need. Get logistics foreman. Get PM help. Schedule with safety director. Think of every person in hall. Get home office administrator. Front office desk phone call answer guy. Can you come watch my project for Friday afternoon? The system taught you’re stuck alone when actually get creative solving coverage.

The system fails by not teaching that if you don’t plan job in pre-construction with builders, it’s going to suck. One plus one equals two. No pre-con effort does not equal finishing on time. Make decision. Tell company: I love you, I’m loyal, but I’m in on pre-con. I’m planning job. Because that’s how jobs finish on time. The system taught accept whatever when actually demand to be part of planning.

The Challenge

Here’s your assignment. Stop making excuses about small jobs. Start getting creative.

Recognize everything scales to smaller projects. Takt planning, last planner, reflection walks, project planning, pre-construction meetings, make ready scheduling, quality systems, zero tolerance, grading contractors, foreman standard work. Went through whole list. Nothing you can’t do. Only thing that changes is coverage systems little bit harder.

Get creative with coverage. You deserve coverage for things you need. Don’t accept: I’m only one person so I’m stuck here 70 hours week. Get logistics foreman. Get PM help. Schedule with safety director. Think of every person who could help. Home office administrator. Front office desk phone call answer guy. Freaking get creative. Stop being victim.

Demand to be part of pre-construction. Tell company: I love you, I’m loyal, but if I’m going to be on job, I’m in on pre-con. I’m planning job. Because if you don’t plan job in pre-construction with builders, it’s going to suck. One plus one does not equal three. No pre-con effort does not equal finishing on time.

Remember ideal team size is four. Gets harder once team sizes get above nine or 12. So small teams actually easier, not harder. Stop thinking small job means can’t do it right. Start thinking small team means more nimble, easier to implement.

Use active information. Must be visual and accessible at all times. If that means print something out or use whiteboard on wall, so be it. Don’t do digital for sake of digital. Do what makes information most visual and accessible.

Demand software that’s addictive as Facebook, useful as YouTube, quick as Wikipedia. If it takes 37 steps to fill out safety report, answer is hell no. Not doing it. Don’t accept software that makes work harder.

Problem isn’t that they’re small jobs. Problem is you’re not getting creative enough. If one person can do it, you can. If I said is that person smarter than you, you’d be like hell no. So what’s difference? You’re just not being creative enough. If one person can do it, you can.

On we go.

FAQ

Can you implement Takt planning on small jobs?

Scaled back, totally possible on smaller job. Last planner system 100% scales. Everything scales to smaller projects. Only thing that changes is coverage systems little bit harder and you need to be in pre-construction stages so you have time. Either you’re going to build good job or you’re not. You’re not going to not do these things and build good job.

How do you solve coverage on small jobs?

Get creative. You deserve coverage for things you need. Get logistics foreman. Get PM help. Schedule with safety director. Think of every person in hall. Home office administrator. Front office desk phone call answer guy. Can you come watch my project for Friday afternoon? Freaking get creative. Stop being victim. Stop giving excuses.

What’s the difference between active and passive information?

Active information means it’s visual to human beings and we can use it in active way. Visual management is about it being active in front of people so they can see status of whether team is winning one look away. Don’t take things from wall and put into computer just for sake of putting into computer. Active information must be visual and accessible at all times.

What makes good software?

Addictive as Facebook, useful as YouTube, and quick as Wikipedia. Are people addicted to this versus doing it by hand? Is it more useful to do it digitally than old way? Is it quicker to do it this way or was it quicker to do old way? Don’t justify 37 steps to enter safety form for corporate data nobody uses.

Why do small jobs actually have advantage?

Ideal team size is four. Gets harder once team sizes get above nine or 12 unless you break project into separate project teams. So small teams actually easier, not harder. More nimble, easier to implement. Problem isn’t that they’re small jobs. Problem is you’re not getting creative enough. If one person can do it, you can