Airport Thinking—When Do We Leave?

I want to share with you a concept that David Umstott taught me, which I call airport thinking. It is simple, practical, and incredibly powerful when applied to construction planning.

Before I dive into that, I want to pause and thank you all for your feedback. Every message you send encourages me and reminds me why we do this. I received notes recently about how lean practices scale down to smaller projects, even those under $1 million. The question was whether tools like pull planning, logistics maps, or look-ahead boards can really work when there is no large trailer or budget for extensive systems. The answer is yes. Lean tools are scalable. You can still do pull planning, daily huddles, procurement tracking, preconstruction meetings, and logistics planning even on the smallest jobs. The key is scaling them to fit your environment and being intentional about respect for people and flow.

I also received a great question from someone just starting out in construction who wanted to know what to learn first. My advice was simple: spend as much time as possible in the field with foremen and workers. Volunteer, learn, ask questions, and observe. Respect for people and understanding how things flow in the field is the foundation of becoming a remarkable builder. Read books like How to Win Friends and Influence People and Field Engineering Methods Manual, and learn the basics of planning from Takt Planning and Elevating Construction Superintendents. With those tools, you will be ready to grow into your role.

Now let’s get into the heart of today’s concept. Airport thinking. Imagine you have a flight leaving at two o’clock. You work backwards. If boarding starts at 1:30, you need to be at the gate by then. Before that, you need to clear security, maybe grab food or water, and allow time for walking to the gate. To clear security, you have to arrive at the airport with enough buffer. To arrive at the airport, you need to factor in traffic and parking. Before leaving, you need to pack your bag and get ready.

When you think in this sequence, with buffers between steps, you can calculate exactly when you need to leave your house to make your flight. That is airport thinking.

Construction is no different. If you want switchgear installed and permanent power on by August, you work backwards. Commissioning comes first. Before that, lockout tag-out. Before that, utility hookups. Before that, panels were installed. Before that, rooms were fitted out. Before that, feeders pulled. Before that, equipment was delivered. Each step triggers the one before it, and the sequence shows you exactly when to start.

Too often, projects fail because leaders only look forward instead of working backwards. They assume they can catch up later, but buffers shrink, problems pile up, and deadlines get missed. Airport thinking prevents this. It trains you to ask the question: If the flight leaves at two, when do I leave the house? If permanent power must be live in August, when do I start procurement and coordination?

This simple mindset shift transforms planning. It keeps teams from being reactive and instead makes them proactive. It replaces stress with clarity and prepares everyone for success.

So here is my challenge to you: practice airport thinking. On your next project milestone, don’t just set the deadline. Work backwards. List every step, add buffers, and identify when you really need to start. When you lead with this clarity, your teams will thank you, and your projects will flow smoother than ever before.

On we go.

Key Takeaway

Airport thinking means working backwards from a milestone with buffers built in. Just like catching a flight, it ensures you start on time, stay prepared, and avoid stressful last-minute scrambling.