Uncategorized Archives - Page 18 of 107

The Phases of IDS

Posted on September 4, 2025September 4, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 6 min

In this blog, you are going to love what we cover because it’s all about the phases of IDS and how to start solving problems on your project. We’ll look at how this skill works backwards from step to step and why these fundamental habits matter so much if you want to become proficient at preventing problems.

I’m completely jacked about this topic. This was a realization I had the other day, and I could not be more excited to share it with you. It’s something new, and it changes the way I think about field implementation.

When we work with clients, the key question I ask is simple. Are they using the weekly work plans and the day plans that they helped create? Not the ones handed to them, but the ones built with their trade partners through the last planner system. If they are using them, flow is happening. If not, that’s where problems start showing up.

Here’s the sequence I’ve noticed. Skills build in reverse, one at a time. At the very minimum, a superintendent has to want to solve problems. If they don’t care, nothing else works. Once they care, they start seeing the problems. When they see problems, they can discuss them. When they discuss them, they can start marking them visually on a board. Once issues are written down and visible, the entire team can see them. From there, the superintendent and foremen can learn what the real constraints and roadblocks are.

This sets the stage for the next leap. When those issues are tracked on visual boards, the team can start using the look ahead plan and the weekly work plan to find potential problems before they happen. At that point, you are not just reacting, you are preventing. You’re visualizing the site, preparing steps in advance, and creating flow that saves an insane amount of money.

Here’s the warning. If you miss any of these steps, you will never reach prevention. You’ll be stuck with constant stops and restarts that destroy flow. Too many people want to reinvent the wheel, water things down, or cut corners. Stop doing that. We know what look ahead plans, weekly work plans, pull plans, and daily huddles are supposed to do. Trust the process. Implement it fully. Build the skills step by step, in reverse order, until prevention becomes second nature.

This isn’t a theory. This is the path to running smoother, more efficient, and more profitable projects.

Key Takeaway

Prevention only happens when skills are built in reverse order. Superintendents must care, see, discuss, track, and then anticipate or the team will stay stuck in costly stops and restarts.

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Click here)
-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Click here)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Click here)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Click here)
-The Takt Book: (Click here)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction IST. As the company’s owner and principal consultant, he’s dedicated to taking construction to new heights. With a wealth of industry experience, he’s crafted the Field Engineer Boot Camp and Superintendent Boot Camp – intensive training programs engineered to cultivate top-tier leaders capable of steering their teams towards success. Jason’s vision? To expand his training initiatives across the nation, empowering construction firms to soar to unprecedented levels of excellence.

On we go

Can You Go To Trade School For Construction Management?

Posted on September 3, 2025September 3, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 8 min

Breaking Into Construction Management Without a Degree

We started our own construction company, Lean Built, in Phoenix, Arizona, about two years ago. Projects have gone really well, but when it came time to hire for craft positions – carpenters, laborers, an equipment operator, I quickly ran into a challenge.

I began researching trade schools and technical institutes, only to find many had shut down their specialized programs like carpentry and welding. Even worse, I couldn’t find programs that directly focused on construction management. It was disappointing.

But here’s the good news: even without trade schools dedicated to construction management, there are resources out there – from books like those we provide at Elevate Construction to programs with NCCER for foremen, project managers, and superintendents.

Let’s break down the key questions I often get about entering construction management.

Do You Need a degree to Be a Superintendent or Project Manager?

The short answer: no. A degree might help you get your foot in the door, but success doesn’t depend on it.

Think of it like a Mission Impossible movie. Just as Ethan Hunt breaks into a secure building, you need that same tenacity to break into construction. Can you take an internship? Start as a laborer, carpenter, or admin and work your way up? Call on family, friends, or connections to get started?

That’s exactly how I got in. My dad was a ready-mix driver who introduced me to the sales lead of a massive prison project. I started as a cement mason, then worked my way up through field engineering. The lesson: your drive matters more than a degree.

Can You Move into Construction Management After Trade School or Apprenticeship?

Yes – if the opportunity is there and you make the most of it. To succeed, you must:

Work extremely hard in a responsible, intelligent way.
Ask more questions than you’ve ever asked before.
Volunteer for uncomfortable tasks and take initiative.

When I was early in my career, I even bootlegged AutoCAD, taught myself, and convinced my superintendent to let me manage lift drawings. Taking ownership like this will get you noticed and promoted.

What’s the Fastest Path from the Field to Leadership?

The quickest way up is to demonstrate leadership qualities in the field: stay clean, safe, organized, and professional. Use technology, take notes, and dress the part.

The best training ground? Field engineering. It’s not the most popular opinion, but a role that blends office and field skills will accelerate your growth. Pair this with some education, and you’ll create your own fast track.

How Do You Prove You’re Ready Without College?

Act like college already prepared you – by being professional, organized, and mature. Create a personal organization system, master technology, and surround yourself with positive influences.

If you show up late, unprepared, and resistant to technology, you’ll send the wrong message. But if you consistently step up, look the part, and act responsibly, you’ll prove you’re ready for construction management.

Do Trade Schools Teach Construction Management?

Right now, very few – if any trade schools focus on construction management, at least in places like Phoenix. Even if they did, you’d only learn the basics.

Think of it this way: a degree or trade program is like passing the physical test to enter military boot camp. The real training the actual skills come on the job.

That’s why I recommend focusing on industry resources like:

Elevating Construction Foreman.
Elevating Construction Field Engineers.
Elevating Construction Superintendents.
Industry programs like AGC and DBIA trainings.
Mentorship and real-world projects.

Final Advice

Degrees and trade schools are simply tickets to get in. The real growth happens on the job. In my experience, I’ve never seen someone directly apply what they learned in school to construction management.

Instead, focus on:

Working hard.
Asking questions.
Implementing fast.
Volunteering and stepping out of your comfort zone.

That’s how you’ll win in construction management.

Key Takeaway:

A degree might open doors, but your grit, initiative, and professionalism will define your success in construction management.

If you want to learn more we have:

-Takt Virtual Training: (Click here)
-Check out our Youtube channel for more info: (Click here)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Click here)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Click here)
-The Takt Book: (Click here)

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

On we go

Is Takt Time The Same As Cycle Time?

Posted on September 3, 2025September 3, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 8 min

Takt Time vs Cycle Time: What’s the Difference in Construction?

Is Takt time the same as cycle time? This is one of the most common questions I get, and while I’ve covered it visually before, today I want to break it down clearly in this blog. We’ll look at what each term means, why they’re often confused, and how you can apply them to construction projects.

What is Takt Time?

Takt is the rhythm of work in your plan. Specifically, it’s the rhythm at which a trade moves from zone to zone to zone in a “train” of trades.

A train is simply the sequence of trades grouped behind each other as they move through a project. Takt time is the speed at which this happens. At every takt interval, a handoff occurs, and trades move to the next zone.

Yes, trains within the same phase can operate with different takt times, depending on the work.

What is Cycle Time?

Cycle time is different. In manufacturing, it refers to how long it takes to produce one unit. In construction, it’s how long it takes to complete one scope of work within a zone.

That includes:

Gathering materials and preparation.
Mobilization.
Execution of work.
Punch list and demobilization.

I call this the in-zone cycle time. There’s also a broader customer cycle time, which measures how long it takes to deliver something from the moment it’s ordered to the moment it’s received.

Why the Confusion?

These terms are often misunderstood because they come from manufacturing. Many assume construction is different, but in reality, it isn’t.

In line manufacturing, the product flows.
In construction, the trades flow.

The difference lies in the flow unit: in one case it’s the product, in the other it’s the sequence of trades.

A Practical Example

Consider prefabricated pods, bathroom units, or wall assemblies.

If pods sit on rails or mobile platforms, the product flows down the line while workers stay put.
If that setup isn’t possible, the trades flow through stationary pods, working in batches.

Both approaches are valid, but the flow unit changes depending on the setup.

Why Both Matter

Some ask: “Can I just use one and ignore the other?”

The answer is no.

Cycle time measures how fast each crew can work in a zone.
Takt time measures how fast the whole train of trades can move together.

Think of a train with cars that have different speed limits: even if one car can go 240 mph, if another can only go 80 mph, the whole train is limited.

To improve takt time, you must improve individual cycle times. To support cycle times, you must maintain takt time.

How to Calculate Them

Cycle time = how long it takes a crew to start and finish in a zone (including prep and demobilization).
Takt time = the aggregate rhythm based on all cycle times working together.

If cycle time and takt time don’t match, you’ll face production problems. Ideally, takt time should allow each crew to finish slightly under the rhythm, with a buffer for flow.

Teaching Crews

Start with cycle time. Train crews to identify value-add vs. non-value-add activities, eliminate waste, and narrow their cycle time. Once every crew operates at a similar pace, takt time naturally stabilizes.

Final Thoughts

Understanding takt time and cycle time is essential for achieving flow in construction.

Takt time creates rhythm across trades.
Cycle time ensures each trade can fit within that rhythm.

Together, they unlock smoother projects, fewer delays, and more predictable outcomes.

Key Takeaway

Takt time and cycle time must work hand in hand to create reliable project flow. Takt time sets the rhythm of how trades move from zone to zone, while cycle time measures how long it takes a crew to finish work within a zone. To improve takt time, cycle times must be reduced, and without balancing the two, projects will struggle to stay on track.

If you want to learn more we have:

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

On we go

Takt Planning Book – Chapter 11

Posted on September 3, 2025September 3, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 7 min

The Path of Critical Flow in Construction Scheduling

One of the most powerful concepts in Takt planning is the Path of Critical Flow (PCF). Understanding this path is essential to maintaining project control, verifying schedules, and properly addressing delays.

The PCF is essentially the longest path in a Takt plan, running through phases and phase connections. It links milestones, sequences, buffers, and interdependencies all the way from project start to completion. Getting this right ensures your project stays on track and that you can properly justify extensions of time when necessary.

Breaking Down the Path of Critical Flow

Here’s how to verify and build a solid PCF:

Start Milestone

The earliest milestone kicks off the first activity sequence. This sequence can be validated through pull planning, ensuring durations and order are accurate.

Sequence

Created by first or last planners, each sequence should be checked using production rates and supported by pull plans.

Line of Balance

The Line of Balance ensures flow through phases:

Macro-level plans: Realized Flow Potential (RFP) should be 35–50%.
Norm-level plans: RFP should be 50–100%.

This verifies that trade crews are moving at a reasonable speed.

Buffers

Each phase must include a buffer to absorb risk. Buffers can also be consolidated at the end of the overall project schedule but must remain represented in the plan.

Interdependence Ties

These ties connect phases and activities into a network. They represent dependencies and must be intentional and accurate.

End Milestone

The final milestone signals project completion, marking the last link in the PCF.

Why It Matters

Piecing the PCF together correctly enables you to:

Maintain realistic project durations.
Verify project schedules.
Properly submit and justify time extensions.

When a delay occurs, the PCF allows you to assess whether it can be absorbed or if it legitimately impacts the end date. If it does, follow this process:

Confirm your Takt plan is current.
Identify the delay’s impact.
Explore recovery options.
If recovery is exhausted, submit a time impact analysis.
Justify the findings in discussions with the owner.

CPM vs. Takt Planning

While CPM (Critical Path Method) may still be required, it should be used at a very high level only (Level 1 or 2). Takt planning is far superior for managing actual work in the field, guiding superintendents and foremen with clear deliverables. CPM, in this context, becomes a summary tool for owners.

Procurement and Buffers

A strong procurement system is critical to align materials, equipment, and approvals with the PCF. This requires:

Submittal and fabrication timelines.
Buffers at both the inventory and supply chain level.
Conditional formatting to flag late or at-risk items.
Zone based and work-package-based breakdowns.

When delays happen, strategies like swarming reviews, negotiating with vendors, or supplementing contractors can help mitigate risks. Ultimately, supply chain buffers must match the buffers within your project phases to keep everything aligned.

Key Takeaway

The Path of Critical Flow is the backbone of reliable construction scheduling. By defining milestones, validating sequences, maintaining buffers, and aligning procurement, you gain the ability to manage projects proactively and defend against unreasonable delay claims. Takt planning keeps the field moving with flow, while CPM remains a summary tool for owners. Together, they ensure your project stays aligned and resilient.

If you want to learn more we have:

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

On we go

Takt Planning Book – Fresh Eyes Meetings

Posted on September 3, 2025September 3, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 6 min

Catch Problems Before They Catch You

On construction projects, one principle is critical; think slow, act fast. Before breaking ground, the team must ensure that the path of critical flow is sound, risks are identified, and problems are discovered on paper not in the field. That’s where Fresh Eyes Meetings come in.

Why Pre-Construction Planning Matters

Every project has problems. You can either:

Discover them in the field, where they cause delays and overruns, or
Catch them in preconstruction, where the only cost is erasing a whiteboard.

The longer your project is active, the more it will cost. Proper planning narrows that dangerous “window of doom” and keeps costs and risks under control.

Laying the Groundwork

Successful projects start by answering; what does a remarkable outcome look like for the owner? From there:

Establish Conditions of Satisfaction: Define what success means.
Identify the Owner’s Top 10: Pinpoint the most important features or priorities.
Create a Macro Level Takt Plan Early: Confirm general conditions and budget.
Develop Logistics Plans and Zone Maps: Enable accurate procurement and sequencing.
Identify Bottlenecks and Prefabrication Needs: Solve problems before they appear in the field.
Design Human Systems and Involve VDC: Support quality design and coordination.
Engage Builders and Align Contracts with Lean Inclusions: Strengthen collaboration.
Prepare a Risk and Opportunity Register: Get ready for the Fresh Eyes Meeting.

How Fresh Eyes Meetings Work

The Fresh Eyes Meeting is designed to test the plan under real scrutiny. Here’s the process:

Prepare Visuals: Takt plans, logistics drawings, procurement logs, org charts, and risk registers must be ready and visible.
Project Overview: The team presents the plan in a usable not perfect format.
Poop Glasses Review: The team picks apart the plan to find risks. No positive fluff, no personal attacks just rigorous critique.
Brainstorm Solutions: Every risk is addressed with concrete ideas.
Decide and Assign: Create a plan of attack, assign responsibilities, and set deadlines.
Publish and Share: Keep everything visible and review progress weekly.

The goal isn’t to be right the first time it’s to make the plan visual so the team can make it right together.

Macro vs Norm Level Plans

Macro-Level Plans provide the overall duration and milestones early, enabling procurement, risk reviews, and preparation.
Norm-Level Plans drill into detailed schedules, pull planning with trades, and day to day production. They’re typically vetted at least six weeks out.

Together, these layers allow teams to target with a macro and manage production with the norm.

Why This Matters

Projects don’t usually go wrong they start wrong. Fresh Eyes Meetings give the team the chance to identify risks, adjust strategies, and align the supply chain before construction begins.

Done once, they add value. Done three times, they create resilience. Done nine times as Pixar does with its films they create excellence.

Key Takeaway

Fresh Eyes Meetings ensure projects start right. By tearing apart the plan early, making it visual, and solving problems collaboratively, teams prevent costly mistakes, shorten the window of doom, and set the project up for flow.

If you want to learn more we have:

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

On we go

The Role of the PX, Feat. Hal Macomber

Posted on September 3, 2025September 3, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 9 min

We are diving into the role of a project executive and why that role changes completely when we move from push based CPM projects to flow based takt construction.

I asked Hal how he was doing and he laughed about getting ready for vacation. That little moment reminded me of pre kit conversations at home and at work. Am I listening? Am I helping solve a problem? Do I need to stay out of the pool and regulate emotions? That habit alone keeps me grounded and it connects directly to today’s topic.

Here is the backdrop. In traditional jobs the project executive is hands on and the project team runs semi independently while everyone shields the client and the home office and drowns in paperwork. In a flow environment that socio-technical setup must change. Takt is a technical system that only works when the social system makes it work. People with tools. People moving materials. Trade partners planning and executing in rhythm. Engagement is not nice to have. It is the engine.

Hal said it plainly. We do a little rah rah at kickoff or when we hit a milestone then we return to the old mode of pushing work from a CPM. In takt we need a different leader. Not a professional firefighter. A project executive who creates the conditions for people to act on the system at any moment. When a tool breaks. When material must be scrapped. When a detail fails and a change is needed. The PX is the person everyone listens to because they influence today’s job and tomorrow’s backlog.

Hal’s first flow project was in Fort Collins many years ago. They ran a daily takt and a few half day streams. The PX was out in the field continually, smoothing friction and watching bottlenecks. That lesson stuck. Find the bottleneck and eliminate it so the pace holds. Since then he has seen the same truth on many projects. When the PX is engaged the system holds.

This role shift is bigger than it sounds. We are moving people from covering your tail behavior to disclosure and learning. That is not natural in most companies. Hal shared a quote from An Everyone Culture by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey. In ordinary organizations people work a second unpaid job managing impressions and hiding weaknesses. In that mindset learning is unsafe. Gloria Flores adds that our self assessments often block learning because we cling to being efficient, independent, prepared and never wrong. Takt construction requires the opposite. It is a learning organization. Even teams with multiple runs must learn again on a new design with a new social mix.

So what does a project executive actually do to produce learning. First, set the mood. If the general condition is a learning condition we cannot be defensive. We must be curious, in a good mood while we make mistakes, and quick to share what we are learning. Second, tell better stories. What is the story of this project? Why does it matter? What capabilities will it create for the client and for our people? People in construction are often disengaged. A clear story invites engagement.

Third, hold attention to the lever that matters now. Systems thinking tells us there are levers like mindset, goals, structure, rules and information flows. The PX keeps the team focused on the one that unlocks momentum today. Do not let well meaning changes stabilize the wrong thing.

Fourth, use takt to see and adapt. Takt time and zone boundaries let us learn in real time. On a mixed unit building the three bedroom stack will need added swing capacity and the studios will shed labor back to workable backlog. The PX helps maintain pace by moving capacity, not by pushing faster. That is how we protect flow and dignity at the same time.

Finally, screen for readiness to learn. If the team is not ready, the PX makes them ready. Short feedback loops. Frequent reflection. Visible conditions for success. Brave conversations about behavior and mood. The PX builds the environment where it is safe to say I do not know, and fast to say here is what we will try next.

I left this conversation with a simple picture. Takt is the platform. The project executive tunes the social system on top of it. With the right mood, clear stories, attention to bottlenecks and capacity moves, the team learns in public and the pace holds.

Key Takeaway
Takt demands a new kind of leadership. The project executive stops firefighting and starts engineering the mood, stories and learning habits that let people act on the system in real time, which is how flow, trust and pace are actually kept.

If you want to learn more we have:

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

On we go

The Last Planner®️ System – Part 1

Posted on September 3, 2025September 3, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 10 min

I am going to dive into the Last Planner System, but I will probably do it in a couple of sittings. The reason is simple: I want to take the transcript and turn it into a detailed, visual Last Planner manual that explains the system the right way.

We just published a manual about Takt and CPM, and how they coexist, and that resource is already growing with revisions. My goal is to do the same for the Last Planner System because most of the industry references are still based on documents from 5, 10, 15, even 25 years ago. That is far too long without real updates. If Last Planner is a lean system, then like all lean systems, it should evolve and stay current.

So, let’s talk through the Last Planner System. At its core, it runs on three things: key meetings, key deliverables, and key behaviors. It is designed to respect people, enhance collaboration, and empower trade partners, the “last planners,” to make reliable commitments on a short cycle using a visual, collaborative environment.

The Core Cycle of the Last Planner System

You know you have the Last Planner System implemented when you see this structure in place:

A cadence of meetings that include master schedule review, pull planning, look ahead planning, weekly work planning, and daily huddles
Deliverables that flow including the master schedule, pull plans that identify collaborative sequences, six week look ahead plans, weekly work plans, and daily work plans
Continuous feedback where commitments are tracked through Percent Plan Complete, handoffs are monitored, and reasons for variance are analyzed to drive improvement

The master schedule defines milestones. From those milestones, teams pull plan. Pull planning creates a realistic sequence of work, confirming both what the project needs and what trades need to succeed. That pull plan then becomes the production plan.

From there, the team filters out a six week look ahead to surface roadblocks, followed by a weekly work plan where trade partners make promises to one another. Those commitments form handoffs that can be tracked. Done correctly, PPC should rise above the 15 to 40 percent typical of CPM driven projects and reach over 80 percent, even approaching 100 percent with Takt.

Each day, foremen meet for a daily huddle to create the day plan. If a promise is missed, a short root cause analysis identifies whether the reason was a temporary roadblock or a permanent constraint. Those insights drive improvement.

Why CPM Cannot Anchor Last Planner

One of the biggest issues today is pairing Last Planner with CPM. Based on thousands of schedules analyzed, CPM does not account for trade flow, zones, or buffers. Milestones are inaccurate, durations are unrealistic, and batch planning is the default.

Here is what happens when you base Last Planner on CPM:

Pull plans are built around massive areas instead of manageable zones
Six week look aheads fail to reflect actual trade flow
Weekly work plans are built from scratch by foremen, wasting time and breaking alignment with milestones
Reasons for variance are misunderstood because the underlying schedule is flawed

In practice, projects rarely act on their variance analysis because CPM does not measure real flow. The result is frustration, missed promises, and wasted meetings.

Why Takt and Last Planner Work Together

When paired with Takt, everything changes.

Milestones are correct because phases are designed for flow
Pull plans are accurate because they are done zone by zone
The production plan is reliable because it includes buffers
Look aheads are aligned vertically with milestones and horizontally with trade flow
Weekly work plans filter directly from the production plan, eliminating wasted time and improving commitment quality
PPC can reach 80 to 100 percent because promises are attainable and flow is maintained

Updates the Last Planner System Needs

From my perspective, here are the updates that must be made:

PPC targets should be 100 percent, not 80 percent. With Takt based plans, hitting 100 percent is realistic, not sandbagging.
Reasons for variance must be divided into constraints, which are permanent systemic issues, and roadblocks, which are temporary.
Daily huddles should be held the day before, not in the morning when crews are already mobilized.
Weekly work plans should be filtered from pull plans, not invented from scratch each week.
Pull plans should always be taught as zone based, not by large phases.

Moving Forward

This is just the start. In future blogs, I will walk through specific documents like the Lean Builder, the Last Planner System Workbook, facilitator’s guides, and benchmark articles, updating each with corrections and practical improvements.

Some people have said that making these updates only confuses the industry. I disagree. What truly confuses people is leaving outdated, incomplete guidance in circulation for decades. We need Last Planner to evolve, to scale, and to actually reflect the reality of trade flow and reliable production.

This series of blogs will aim to un confuse and clarify, so that teams have the tools they need to run Last Planner the right way.

On we go.

Key Takeaway
The Last Planner System must evolve. When paired with Takt and updated practices, it becomes a reliable flow based planning system that achieves 100 percent commitments and drives real continuous improvement.

If you want to learn more we have:

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

On we go

The Calm in the Storm, Feat. Chris Giaimo

Posted on September 3, 2025September 3, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 9 min

I just got back from a two day lean operational excellence training with the Manhattan Construction team. Forty to fifty people, high energy, lots of learning. I am catching up and I am excited to be with Chris.

Chris has been my comfort blanket on the book. He comments on nearly every chapter and always adds a story that sharpens the point. Through our WhatsApp threads and chapter loops, I have come to respect his steady approach and his heart for people.

Chris started young in construction. His dad worked in the elevator trades and pulled him onto sites at sixteen and seventeen. Chris moved to Las Vegas, jumped into residential construction management, and fell in love with delivering homes to first time buyers. He loves the industry, the relationships, and the camaraderie.

Our theme is calm under pressure. When Chris came up as a young construction manager, old school supers told him he was not mean enough. He rejected the idea that you have to be a jerk to get results. His method is simple and hard at the same time. Be hyper organized. Be prepared. Communicate early and often. Send the schedule. Follow up a week before, a day before, and at 9 a.m. if the crew is not there. Build relationships and a reputation so crews fight to come to your job because it is ready, clean, safe, and respectful. He wants to be known as the superintendent who treats people well and runs a job they are proud to work on.

We talked about why a kind, considerate approach can annoy some people. Chris does not understand it either. He has had success without screaming and he can count on one hand the times he has raised his voice. These are the people who help us put food on our tables. We will see them again on another site or at the grocery store. The reputation we build follows us.

I added a lesson I learned the hard way. When you blow up, you break trust. A single outburst can cost you months of credibility. The deeper issue is often planning. Yelling is usually a symptom of poor preparation and weak communication. We get reactive because we did not think ahead.

We went deeper on respect for people. Reading Frederick Taylor’s The Principles of Scientific Management, with its contempt for workers, only hardened my conviction that people are not the problem. In three decades I have rarely seen a lazy crew as the norm. Most crews are overexerting inside broken systems. When leadership is toxic, people push back in predictable human ways. If we want calm under pressure, we must create rhythm, clarity, and clean conditions that make good work possible.

So how do we stay calm in the storm? Chris shared his practical routine. Arrive early before the noise. Walk the job while the phone is quiet. Stay a little late to reset the board and your head. Keep a running to do list. Push look aheads and confirm commitments in advance. Send schedules and reminders so the day does not surprise anyone. Family support matters too and he honors that.

I reframed it like this. Plan your way out of anger. Pre-kit the conflict before it arrives. Identify where tension will likely appear and address it upstream with information, crew size, sequencing, and clear handoffs. You do not have to lead by throwing hard hats when you have already removed the reasons to throw them.

We closed with scale. Chris loves the intimacy of our book group chat and wishes more builders could experience that kind of idea exchange and story sharing. He suggested more small, local one or two day events so people can study hard for a day and still get home to their families. I like it. Imagine a tight rhythm of sessions on personal organization, short and long term builder habits, planning, huddles, and superintendent tactics, all backed by a live chat community that continues the reps.

Chris’s final challenge was simple. Be grateful for the people around you. Be grateful for the families who support us. Be grateful for the crews who sweat so we can deliver. Treat them with respect. Be good. Do good. God bless.

Key Takeaway
Calm under pressure is not a personality trait. It is a system of early planning, clear communication, clean sites, and human respect that removes the need to yell. When we honor people and create rhythm, crews choose our jobs and pressure becomes fuel for disciplined execution.

If you want to learn more we have:

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

On we go

Developing Young Supers, Feat. Steven Shannon

Posted on September 3, 2025September 3, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 10 min

Today I had the chance to sit down with Steven Shannon, and I want to share this experience with you in story form because it really hit home for me.

Steven is someone I deeply respect. He’s one of the people who stayed back after boot camp to help us pack up. That small act of service spoke volumes about his character. He works for Sky Blue Builders in Colorado and started in construction just seven years ago as a laborer pushing brooms. Now he’s a superintendent, and hearing his journey reminded me why mentorship, training, and community matter so much.

Kate joined me in this conversation, and her first question was simple. Did boot camp help. Steven lit up when he answered. He told us that before boot camp he believed construction was just inherently stressful. Jobs were always late, rework was normal, and that was simply “how it was.” But at boot camp he saw a different way. He saw systems that could make projects flow better and felt inspired to bring those ideas back.

What stood out to him most wasn’t just technical tools but the self care piece. He admitted that he used to overwork himself, take on things that weren’t his responsibility, and even rescue others instead of holding them accountable. Boot camp helped him realize it all starts with taking care of himself first. He built routines around box breathing, morning resets, and evening practices that allowed him to be present not only at work but also when he got home. His family noticed the difference, and he even started encouraging friends and loved ones to try similar practices. Hearing that made me pause. Leadership always starts within.

As the conversation went on, Steven shared how takt planning, meeting cadences, pull planning, and lean systems changed the way he works. He and Michael Chavez pulled their design team together for a live pull plan with sticky notes, and for the first time everyone shared a schedule they actually believed in. He reorganized his meeting cadence so internal meetings landed on Monday, OACs on Tuesday, and trade partner meetings midweek. Suddenly, information was flowing to foremen and field crews at the right time.

That was such a great moment for me because I know how difficult it is to stand up in a meeting system. It feels like pushing uphill at first, but once it clicks, trades begin to see the value. Steven proved that the effort is worth it.

We also talked about mentorship. Steven didn’t climb into leadership alone. People at his company coached him, stood with him through mistakes, and shared their experience. He told us it wasn’t an official program but rather something organic. I could hear the gratitude in his voice. His growth wasn’t handed to him, but he was never alone.

Then came the vulnerable part. Kate asked him about mistakes, and I shared a couple of my own big ones first to set the stage. I wanted him to feel safe telling his story. He described a tenant improvement job at the Denver Federal Center where he allowed fire suppression and fire alarm work to start without official approvals. The Fire Marshal made a surprise visit, saw the gaps, and shut the job down for nearly two months. That was painful, but Steven said it changed him. Now he never begins work without approvals, drawings, and clear precon alignment.

Listening to him reminded me of something I strongly believe: people are not lazy, and they don’t wake up wanting to screw up. In my thirty years in construction, I’ve never seen a lazy trade crew as the norm. If anything, people overwork, exhaust themselves, and push through broken systems. What we need isn’t punishment but rhythm. We need systems that give trades a sustainable pace and align their effort. Mistakes should be treated as learning opportunities, not career enders. Steven’s company understood that and gave him the space to grow.

As we wrapped up, I asked Steven if he had one big suggestion for how we could reach more people. Without hesitation he said we should travel more and bring training to companies directly. Not everyone can come to boot camp, and bringing sessions to them could open more doors.

Kate closed by asking Steven about his biggest day to day struggle. His answer was powerful. Getting bought in. He said too many people still question meetings and systems. They complain about “wasted time” instead of seeing the long term value. It’s hard for one person to carry that fight alone. He asked for resources that help teams get on board together, not just individuals.

That request stuck with me. If we want systems like takt, pull planning, and structured meetings to truly last, we need teamwide buy-in. Otherwise, the champion burns out.

This conversation with Steven reminded me that leadership is personal, mistakes are part of growth, and culture is built by total participation.

Key Takeaway
I learned that when people take care of themselves first, lean into mentorship, and implement simple rhythms like meeting cadences, they can transform their projects. But lasting change only comes when entire teams buy in, not just one champion carrying the load.

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Takt & CPM

Posted on September 3, 2025September 3, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 9 min

I’m in Texas about to do a quick two-day boot camp for the Manhattan team. I think we’ll have 30 to 40 people there, and I just had some of the best barbecue of my life. I love coming to Texas for that!

Let’s begin with the builder’s code. Great builders know there’s no such thing as a win-lose. All win-lose situations quickly become lose-lose. Success comes when the owner and stakeholders, the general contractor, and the trade partners all win together.

I also want to share some feedback I received: “After your class, I got hired onto Baker Construction as a superintendent on a multi-billion-dollar project for a nuclear plant. Your class gave me the confidence and missing pieces to chase that dream.” That’s inspiring, and I’m grateful to hear it.

Now let’s get into how takt and CPM connect.

How takt and CPM tie together

CPM should only serve as an as-built schedule, not as your production plan. Takt, on the other hand, is both your strategic and production plan. At the macro level, takt is your high-level strategy. At the norm level, takt becomes the detailed production plan, usually built from pull planning. From there, you can filter into your six-week look ahead, your weekly work plan, and your daily plan.

Once the takt plan is built, you can export into CPM to create a high-level as-built schedule. CPM should remain at level two or three details, never more. Takt is the plan you build from, work from, and trust. CPM is simply the record.

What comes first

Always the takt plan. Your macro takt plan sets the overall structure and informs the CPM work breakdown structure. Start with takt, then align CPM to follow as an export.

The deliverable cycle

When using takt and Last Planner, the flow looks like this:

Build the macro takt plan.
Pull plan milestones.
Develop the norm takt plan for each phase.
Filter into look aheads to remove roadblocks.
Filter into weekly work plans to confirm commitments and handoffs.
Filter into daily plans for execution.

Once updates come back from the field, refresh the takt production plan weekly, then export that to CPM as the as-built record.

The update cycle

The wrong way is to lead with CPM, build pull plans from CPM milestones, filter look aheads from CPM, and create trade weekly work plans separately. That creates chaos.

The right way is to let the macro takt plan lead. Pull plan milestones feed into the norm takt plan, which automatically drives look aheads, weekly work plans, and daily plans. Superintendents then update the production plan daily with zone control walks. At the end of the week, update takt and export to CPM.

Who sees what

Owners who only want CPM can view the CPM schedule and narrative. Owners who understand flow may also see the macro takt plan. Superintendents and trade partners should see the entire takt system from top to bottom. In the field, trades mainly interact with pull plans, look aheads, weekly plans, and daily plans.

How updates work

Each day, superintendents or field engineers perform zone control walks with foremen. They check progress, prepare ahead, and finish behind to capture real status. These updates roll back into the weekly work plan, which updates the takt plan. If there are delays, the team uses the takt problem-solving matrix to recover.

Delays and impacts

In the takt production system, delays are not handled with crashing, adding labor, working weekends, or pushing more materials into the site. Instead, you follow takt’s recovery methods and show impacts through the path of critical flow, not a critical path. If a time extension is required, takt provides a process for that.

Legal coverage

Exports from takt into CPM meet the 14-point DCMA checklist and QC guidelines. That means you can use the CPM schedule as your as-built legal record while keeping takt as your actual production system.

I hope this breakdown shows how takt and CPM can work together, one as the living system that drives production, the other as the official record.

Key Takeaway:
Takt must always lead as the production and strategic plan while CPM stays in the background as the as-built record. With takt in charge, projects gain rhythm, clarity, and reliability without falling into the traps of CPM-driven chaos.

If you want to learn more we have:

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

On we go

Key Takeaway

The Core Cycle of the Last Planner System

Why CPM Cannot Anchor Last Planner

Why Takt and Last Planner Work Together

Updates the Last Planner System Needs

Moving Forward

How takt and CPM tie together

What comes first

The deliverable cycle

The update cycle

Who sees what

How updates work

Delays and impacts

Legal coverage

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