Fake Quality Checks

Posted on August 15, 2025August 15, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 5 min

Stop Checking the Box: Why “Fake Quality” Hurts More Than It Helps

In this blog, I want to talk about something that’s becoming more and more common in construction and it’s driving me crazy:

Fake quality:

I’m talking about the kind of reviews, inspections, and audits that look like “quality control” on paper…but in reality, add zero value. In fact, many times they actually slow progress down.

Let me give you an example. When we publish books through Kindle Direct Publishing, the system makes us go through seven or eight “quality reviews.” That sounds good, right? Except none of the revisions are meaningful. They’re not correcting spelling or grammar. They’re not improving user experience or adding clarity. They’re just nit-picking meaningless formatting issues so the reviewer can feel like they “did something.”

It’s fake quality an activity that looks productive but isn’t.

And unfortunately, we see that same thing happening in construction all the time:

A “constructability review” that just redlines formatting
A “schedule review” that ignores strategy and only picks on fonts or layout
A field engineer “inspecting” the job but only focusing on paperwork and checkboxes instead of real installation details

None of that drives real improvement.

Quality isn’t about checking a box or catching people for tiny mistakes.
It’s about helping the team build it right.

That means:

Asking meaningful questions
Confirming critical dimensions
Walking the work with trades and actually improving what’s being built
Reviewing plans so the job is clearer, safer, more productive

There’s a big difference between reviewing to add value and reviewing to look busy.

So any time you’re doing a review, audit, or inspection, ask yourself:

Am I actually improving the outcome…or just going through the motions?

Let’s get rid of fake quality. Let’s replace it with meaningful, value-adding checks that make the work better.

Key Takeaway

Real quality comes from meaningful reviews that improve the work not from checking boxes or enforcing arbitrary rules. Don’t fall into the trap of looking busy. Focus on value-added quality checks that actually help your team build better.

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

Morning Foreman Huddles are just Team Huddles

Posted on August 15, 2025August 15, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 6 min

Why Morning Foreman Huddles Don’t Work (And What To Do Instead)

In this blog, I want to finally settle something that’s been debated in lean construction circles for years.

Should you do your foreman huddle in the morning or the afternoon?

Here’s the truth and some people won’t like this:

If you’re doing a “foreman huddle” in the morning, it’s not a foreman huddle at all. It’s a team daily stand-up… and you’re dragging your foremen into it to make up for a lack of planning the day before.

Let me explain.

Planning has to happen the day before.

Your foremen need to know the plan, the manpower, the tools, and the materials before they show up to work the next day. Otherwise, you essentially start the day by scrambling.

When you pull all the foremen together in the morning and ask “how many people do you have/what’s your biggest issue?”, that’s not planning that’s triage.

And yes… there is value in a team daily stand-up where the project team huddles for a few minutes each day to talk about problems and priorities. That absolutely should happen but that meeting should involve the PMs, engineers, and superintendent… not the foremen.

Here’s how an effective daily rhythm should actually flow:

Time	Purpose
Afternoon (prior day)	Foreman huddle to plan the next day and stage material
Morning	Worker huddle to communicate the plan to crews
Immediately after	Team daily stand-up (PM, PE, Supers) to remove larger roadblocks
Throughout the day	Zone control walks + field support

If you try to combine all of that into a single “foreman huddle” in the morning, you end up:

Changing the plan at the last minute
Taking foremen away from their crews when the crews need them most
Making decisions without proper preparation or materials
Wasting time solving problems that should have been prevented

So no a morning foreman huddle doesn’t work.

What you’re really looking for is an afternoon foreman huddle + morning worker huddle + team daily stand up.

Call things what they really are. And do them at the right time so they actually add value.

Key Takeaway:

A true foreman huddle belongs in the afternoon when you still have time to plan the next day, stage materials, and solve problems before work begins. A “foreman huddle” in the morning isn’t planning at all it’s a reactive team stand up. Plan the day before, communicate to the crew in the morning, and let the project team remove roadblocks during a short team stand up.

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

Superintendent Commandments: 10 Rules You Can’t Break

Posted on August 15, 2025August 15, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 7 min

The 10 Commandments for Superintendents: Rules You Can’t Break

This blog was inspired by a request from one of our readers on our YouTube channel, LinkedIn, and podcast community. It’s also a topic I get asked about all the time.

The idea for these commandments comes from years of research and a survey of 50–100 superintendents. The goal? To uncover the most crucial habits and rules every superintendent must follow to succeed not just for their projects, but for their careers and teams.

While there are more than ten in the full list, this blog distills them down to the Top 10 Superintendent Commandments – the essential practices you must embrace to excel in this role.

Always Have a Plan:

A superintendent never starts the day like an accident. Begin with a strategic plan for the next six weeks, the upcoming week, and the day ahead. Be prepared with time-blocked schedules, resources ready, and a clear end goal in mind. Don’t start anything until you’re ready to finish it with a full kit for yourself, your crew, and the job.

Study Like a Builder:

Spend 15–30 minutes daily studying the drawings. This deep familiarity lets you proactively address needs whether it’s adding items to the procurement log, checking trade partner readiness, or confirming orders. Your skill lies in turning plans into reality, and daily study is the foundation.

Walk the Job with Purpose:

A purposeful site walk helps you connect your plans to reality. You’ll spot upcoming needs, identify issues early, and trigger actions for the team. Whether it’s arranging safety steps, prepping for meetings, or capturing progress photos, your walk turns the theoretical into the practical.

Maintain Production Plans & Vision:

Keep the strategic plan visible and understood by everyone from the 120-day outlook to the weekly work plan. Use visuals, sketches, and logistics maps to ensure the entire team sees, knows, and acts as one. Clear vision fuels coordinated action.

Always Be Prepared:

Your role is more about preparation than execution. Equip yourself and the site with the right tools, PPE, resources, and information. Align labor, materials, and expectations before work begins. A well-prepared site runs smoothly.

Protect Flow & Safety:

Safety is a core value, not just a priority. Keep the site clean, organized, and stable so work can flow without bottlenecks. Proactively remove roadblocks, optimize material flow, and ensure everyone goes home safe each day.

Stay Connected:

Every stakeholder is your customer from owners and designers to trade partners and neighbors. Maintain strong communication, share updates, and nurture relationships. A connected superintendent can see the future of the project and anticipate needs before they become problems.

Ask Great Questions:

Don’t lead with assumptions or commands. Ask insightful, constructive questions to tap into the wisdom of your team and partners. Collaboration leads to better plans, stronger relationships, and smarter decisions.

Commit to Continuous Learning:

Read, attend trainings, tour other job sites, and explore new methods like Last Planner, Scrum, or Kanban. Learning fuels leadership, and leadership fuels project improvement. The cycle is simple: learn → share → improve.

Lead a Sustainable Life:

Reject the toxic hustle culture. Take PTO, protect your health, and maintain balance in your life. A burned-out superintendent can’t lead effectively. Model a healthy work-life balance so your team sees that success doesn’t require sacrificing well-being.

Final Thoughts:

These 10 superintendent commandments aren’t just rules they’re a mindset for sustained success. By applying them daily, you’ll protect your team, advance your career, and keep your projects running like clockwork.

If you want to learn more we have:

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

On we go

Choice or Addiction?

Posted on August 14, 2025August 15, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 7 min

Work Fewer Hours, Build Better Teams

I recently received feedback from a reader who said my focus on lean principles really resonated with them, especially in smaller projects under $100 million. They pointed out the lack of strong, well trained teams in the industry and I couldn’t agree more.

I owe a lot of my process driven mindset to my time at Hensel Phelps. They taught me how to build anything because I understood the process behind it. That background still shapes everything I do today.

Right now, some exciting projects are in motion updates to the Field Engineering Methods Manual, progress on the anti-CPM book, and the upcoming Elevating Construction Field Engineers book. But today’s blog is about something critical, working fewer hours without sacrificing results.

Why We Limit Hours at LeanTakt

At LeanTakt, our team in Guadalajara works under Mexican labor law, which caps hours at 48 per week, including for salaried employees. I like this approach because it forces efficiency.

If you constrain your hours saying, “I’m done for the day” you naturally start to:

Delegate more effectively
Become more proficient
Eliminate waste
Operate in a leaner way

When you don’t set those boundaries, you tend to hide inefficiencies under a blanket of extra hours and effort.

The Elon Musk Question

Some people push back, saying, “But what about the Elon Musk culture working all out to get things done?” While I agree with his focus on productivity and avoiding bureaucracy, I reject the idea of overworking human beings as a standard practice.

Elon Musk’s extreme schedule may be fine for him, but it’s not sustainable for the rest of us. If you want to work more because you’re passionate, that’s different. If you have to work more because you can’t finish your role within reasonable hours, that’s a sign of poor organization, lack of delegation, and inefficiency not dedication.

Passion or Addiction?

Here’s the test:

Passion: You can work fewer hours but choose to do more because you enjoy it. You don’t impose it on your team.
Addiction: You can’t work fewer hours because you rely on overtime to mask waste or inefficiency.

For example, as a business owner, I often work 55+ hours. But I love it. For someone in a superintendent or PM role, if you can’t get your job done in 48–55 hours without chaos, something’s wrong.

The Toxic Leader Problem

This discussion also ties to leadership behavior. Recently, I offered a free training on takt planning to a large project team. The two project leaders were unnecessarily rude and dismissive. If they treat an outside guest like that, I can only imagine how they treat their own team.

Occasional stress and bad days happen. But constant toxicity, just like constant overtime, is not acceptable. Toxic environments destroy morale, efficiency, and project success especially on large, complex builds.

Closing Thoughts

Too many hours and toxic leadership share the same root problem: lack of control. If you can’t stop overworking or being toxic, it’s not just “how you are” it’s an addiction.

Working extra or getting frustrated occasionally is part of being human. But if it’s the norm, you need to make changes for your own health and for the good of your team.

Key Takeaway:

Sustainable success in construction comes from efficiency, delegation, and a healthy team culture not from endless hours or toxic leadership. If you can work fewer hours but choose to do more out of passion, that’s healthy; if you can’t without creating chaos, it’s a sign of inefficiency or poor leadership that must be addressed.

If you want to learn more we have:

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

On we go

Having vs. Performing

Posted on August 14, 2025August 15, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 6 min

The Danger of “Having” Over “Performing” in Construction

Lately, I’ve been thinking about a pattern I see far too often in construction and it’s hurting people more than they realize.

It reminds me of a line from the movie Lucy, where Morgan Freeman’s character says, “People have begun to focus on having more than becoming.” That stuck with me, and I’ve noticed the same dynamic in our industry, having versus performing.

When “Having” Takes Over

There was a talented individual I once worked with skilled, experienced, capable of great things. But over time, his focus shifted from doing to owning. He wanted the title, the salary, the perks, and the recognition but without the continued effort to perform and add value.

He began collecting things simply to have them whether it was a position, a resource, or a project without plans to develop or use them. It was about the accomplishment on paper, not the ongoing performance. And here’s the problem, when you hold on to something but stop improving it, it stagnates.

As my colleague Kate once said, everything we do at Elevate should be like water in our hands it should flow outward to benefit others, not be hoarded until it becomes stagnant.

Certifications: Tool or Trophy?

Another example is the obsession some people have with certifications. Don’t get me wrong training is valuable when you apply it. But I’ve seen people collect certifications like trophies, updating LinkedIn and hanging certificates on the wall, while their actual job performance declines.

One former team member spent more time chasing down where his OSHA card had been mailed than actually planning and managing work. In the end, all those credentials didn’t matter he wasn’t performing.

Personally, I’ve let certifications lapse if I wasn’t actively using them. I’ve never believed in keeping a title or credential for appearances’ sake. At Hensel Phelps, I was taught that if you pursue a certification, you must use it, implement it, and teach it otherwise, what’s the point?

The Root Problem

Chasing credentials, positions, or possessions for security is often fear driven. It’s an attempt to create the appearance of value rather than delivering real value.

Here’s a principle I believe in:

If you give more than you take, serve more than you’re served, and add real value to others, good things will come to you.

But when ownership, credentials, or appearances become more important than contribution, you’re heading down a dangerous slope. Things will stagnate, atrophy, and eventually be taken away because the universe rewards those who actively put value into the world.

Key Takeaway:

True growth and success in construction don’t come from titles, possessions, or certificates alone. They come from consistently performing, adding value, and sharing your skills. If “having” becomes more important than “doing,” you risk stagnation and the opportunities you’re holding onto may eventually slip away.

If you want to learn more we have:

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

On we go

Advancing vs. Pushing

Posted on August 14, 2025August 15, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 5 min

The Critical Difference in Construction Leadership

There’s a massive difference between advancing a project and simply pushing people and the distinction can make or break a job.

Advancing is about strategy, foresight, and intelligent planning. Pushing is about forcing people forward without preparation, often creating chaos and burnout.

What Advancing Looks Like

Think of Jim Collins’ analogy, Get the right people on the bus, in the right seats, and then figure out where to drive the bus. Advancing is about driving that bus effectively leading the team in a coordinated, thoughtful way.

On the Lean Belt project, for example, we looked ahead to spot potential delays in switch gear and roof trusses. Instead of waiting for the full design to bid and start procurement, we initiated early releases for these long-lead items.

We also rethought the typical grading process. Instead of grading the entire site before starting the structure, we modeled the water lines, cleared the first pad, and planned to start building weeks earlier than the standard schedule would allow.

That’s advancing using strategy to create opportunities and remove roadblocks before they happen.

What Pushing Looks Like

Pushers don’t strategize. They don’t plan ahead. Instead, they pressure people and trades without solving the underlying problems.

It’s like an airport security checkpoint. A pusher crams more bags and people onto the belt without thinking about the bottleneck on the other side, piling luggage on top of itself and slowing everything down.

An advancer, on the other hand, focuses on clearing the bottleneck adding tables for repacking, assigning more agents to inspections, and increasing space for passengers to gather their belongings. They create flow instead of chaos.

Why It Matters

Advancing leaders:

Identify long lead items early and act on them
Use visuals, models, and sequencing to plan the work
Focus on logistics, access, and preparation
Create even flow and prevent problems before they happen

Pushing leaders:

Demand speed without preparation
Use toxic pressure as a management tool
React to problems instead of preventing them
Burn out teams and create avoidable delays

If I had to choose, I’d pay an advancing superintendent whatever they asked they save time, money, and morale. Pushers? They need retraining before they set foot on a job again.

Key Takeaway:

Great construction leaders don’t push they advance. Strategic advancement means anticipating problems, planning with precision, and creating flow for the team. Pushing without preparation only creates chaos, delays, and burnout.

If you want to learn more we have:

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

On we go

The Process of Achievement

Posted on August 14, 2025August 15, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 5 min

The Seven Step Pattern That Works Every Time

Over the years, I’ve noticed something, despite being a deeply flawed human (and I mean really flawed), I’ve never truly failed at anything I’ve set my mind to. It’s not because I’m naturally talented or special it’s because I follow a consistent approach that works every single time.

I first learned this pattern while reading the Field Engineering Methods Manual early in my career, and I’ve refined it over the years. No matter what I take on whether starting a business, running a project, or writing a book this six step method delivers results.

The 7-Step Process for Guaranteed Success

Make a Plan
Don’t just wing it. Think through what you want to accomplish at a high level.
Create a Timeline
Put your plan into a sequence with deadlines. Even if you never look at it again, your brain will remember and work on it subconsciously.
Get a Mentor
Find someone who has already done what you’re trying to do. Learn from their experience.
Gather Resources
Identify and secure the tools, people, money, and opportunities you need.
Establish Processes
These are the repeatable steps that will help you execute consistently.
Make It Visual
Dashboards, boards, charts anything that makes your plan visible so it’s always in front of you.
Double-Check and Maintain
Keep reviewing to ensure you’re still on track and not drifting away from your best practices.

An Example: Starting a Business

Let’s say you want to launch a construction company.

Plan: Define the type of projects you’ll take on, your target clients, and your overall strategy.
Timeline: Determine when you’ll secure a license, line up funding, and begin operations.
Mentor: Connect with experienced business owners who can guide you through challenges.
Resources: Secure financing, licenses, insurance, and key relationships with developers.
Processes: Develop systems for bidding, project management, and client communication.
Visuals: Create dashboards to track leads, finances, and project performance.

Follow this process and you’ll dramatically increase your chances of success no matter the endeavor.

Key Takeaway:

Success isn’t about talent, luck, or personality it’s about breaking big goals into clear, repeatable steps. Make a plan, set a timeline, find a mentor, gather resources, establish processes, and keep everything visual. Follow this proven process consistently, and you can turn overwhelming dreams into predictable wins.

If you want to learn more we have:

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

On we go

First Planner System™️ – Introduction

Posted on August 14, 2025August 14, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 6 min

Elevating Pre-construction Planning, The First Planner System

Today, I’m diving into the book Elevating Pre-construction Planning, originally known as The First Planner System book and I couldn’t be more excited. This is the third in a series where I’ve already covered Takt Planning and Takt Steering and Control. Now, it’s time to explore the system that ensures we design the right processes before a single shovel hits the dirt.

First, a big shout-out to Darryl and Joel, whose contributions helped shape this work.

The Integrated Production Control System (IPCS) is made up of three core components:

First Planner System – planning the project and designing the right system in pre-construction.
Takt Production System – creating a production rhythm that aligns supply and demand.
Last Planner System – engaging frontline leaders to coordinate short-term plans that align labor, materials, information, and permissions.

Each system works independently but also connects seamlessly to the others. When unified, they reduce variation, control workflow, and make project success predictable.

The Last Planner System is all about engaging project leaders in the planning cycle, connecting early decision-makers with the people doing the work. But here’s the key: you can’t have a Last Planner without a First Planner. The First Planner System ensures that the foundation, the system design, the trade partner onboarding process, and the accountability metrics is in place before execution begins.

The Takt Production System gives us the pace and structure to deliver efficiently. Think of it as the heartbeat of a lean project, keeping zones and logistics in sync to eliminate waste and maintain steady progress.

In creating the First Planner System, we pulled from everywhere: theory of constraints, lean thinking, Toyota Way, DBIA, IPD frameworks, even military doctrine. The result is a unified system that sets projects up for success by focusing on people first.

Here’s the truth: respect is non-negotiable. Healthy, balanced teams perform better. When people win at work, they can win at home and that’s how we break the cycle of burnout and frustration in construction. Foremen, superintendents, and trades are the unsung heroes; our job as general contractors is to give them the systems, materials, information, and respect they need to succeed.

If a project is struggling, it’s not about blaming the foreman, it’s about fixing the system. That’s what IPCS is designed to do: provide clarity, stability, and flow so every stakeholder can perform at their best.

This is just the start. In future entries, I’ll walk you step-by-step through the First Planner System as part of the IPCS so we can finally empower our Last Planners to thrive.

On we go.

Key Takeaway:

Great projects don’t happen by chance, they’re built on systems designed with people in mind. The First Planner System ensures the right structure is in place from day one, so foremen and trades can do their best work without chaos or wasted effort.

If you want to learn more we have:

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

On we go

First Planner System™️ – Introduction – 2

Posted on August 14, 2025August 14, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 8 min

Playing the Hand You’re Dealt in Pre-construction

Welcome, everyone. In this blog, I’m continuing our deep dive into Elevating Pre-construction Planning and the First Planner System. Today, we’re talking about a truth we all have to face in construction: sometimes, the deck is stacked against us and we have to play the hand we’re dealt.

The Hard Truth About Owners and Systems

Let me say this upfront: I’m not against owners. But the reality is that owners (and sometimes designers) can make it extremely difficult, if not impossible to implement lean systems successfully.

I believe in protecting workers and foremen with lean practices. But to do that, we must acknowledge the obstacles early and develop a strategy to offset them.

Here are four areas I evaluate right away:

Paradigms – Do stakeholders respect people, support stability, and encourage flow? Or are they pushing people and cutting costs at the expense of the team?
Mindset – Is “respect for people” a top priority? If leaders are quick to add overtime, weekends, or more crews instead of solving root problems, morale and safety will suffer.
Goals of the System – Is the goal to finish on time with a happy team, or is it about ego, politics, and old-school firefighting?
Structure & Rules – Is the delivery method set up for lean success? Or are outdated requirements—like mandatory CPM schedules, setting the team up to fail?

Owning the Problem

I hear it all the time:

“No one wants to work anymore.”
“This new generation is lazy.”
“Subs are horrible.”

Even if these things were true (and I don’t believe they are), saying them doesn’t help. If we keep blaming others, we become helpless victims in our own projects.

Here’s the reality:

Workers and foremen are the ones finishing our projects, in spite of our poor planning and systems.

We, as managers, designers, and owners, are often the problem. Accepting that fact is the first step toward becoming the solution.

Extreme Ownership

Jocko Willink says it best:

“Leaders must own everything in their world. There is no one else to blame.”

So instead of blaming workers, I ask:

Who can fix this? (Managers, designers, owners, learning centers, government)
Who will suffer if we don’t? (Everyone, workers, foremen, managers, designers)

When we take full ownership, we can finally make the changes needed for success.

The Cake Analogy

In the book, I use a baking analogy to explain the First Planner System:

What to make – The production system.
Who it’s for – The trade partners and team.
How to make it – Preconstruction planning.

I’m a huge fan of The Great British Baking Show. I love the creativity, the dedication, and yes, the failures. The cake analogy works because, just like baking, construction requires following a recipe, using the right ingredients, and preparing in the right order.

An Ounce of Prevention

We often start preconstruction just before the notice to proceed and then we’re surprised when we miss deadlines.

The solution?

Start earlier.
Use a one-third, two-thirds ratio, spend one-third of the total project time planning, and two-thirds executing.

I’ve even said: however long your project is, divide it in half that’s how much time you should have planned.

The Cost of Poor Planning: A Tale of Two Projects

From How Big Things Get Done:

California Bullet Train – Due to poor planning, it will be 10+ years late, cost $67 billion more than planned, and cover only half the intended route.
Empire State Building – Finished early, under budget, and world-famous because the team planned well, understood the build, and maintained flow.

What changed? Not technology. Not complexity. Just where the emphasis was placed, on planning first.

Think Slow, Act Fast

Our industry too often:

Plans poorly
Builds reactively
Finishes “okay”

We need to flip that:

Plan First – Reference past projects, assess risks, iterate, and include the builders.
Build Right – Follow the plan, monitor costs/schedule, collaborate with trades.
Finish As You Go – Meet quality expectations, commission systems, and demobilize cleanly.

Key Takeaway:

Pre-construction isn’t a formality, it’s where over 60% of your project’s success is determined. Play the hand you’re dealt, but plan so well that the house doesn’t always win.

If you want to learn more we have:

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

On we go

First Planner System™️ – Introduction – 3

Posted on August 14, 2025August 14, 2025 by Danny Jiménez⁩

Read 7 min

Why You Actually Need the First Planner System in Preconstruction

Welcome, everyone. In this blog, I’m continuing the “Why Cake” section from Elevating Preconstruction Planning, where I explain why the First Planner System is essential in preconstruction.

The “Window of Doom”

Every project has problems, whether we like it or not. Planning is how we prevent them before they become expensive disasters.

One concept I love from How Big Things Get Done is the idea of neutralizing the “window of doom.”

Here’s how it works:

Every project will encounter a certain number of problems.
If you skip planning, you’ll discover those problems in the field where they cost time, money, and morale.
This keeps the project’s “window” open longer, leaving more opportunities for black swan events and severe risks.

When you find problems during construction, you bleed time and cash. But if you find them in preconstruction, the worst-case scenario is erasing a whiteboard or reprinting PDFs.

The Reality Check from 16,000 Projects

Data from over 16,000 projects worldwide shows:

Only 47.9% finished on budget.
Only 8.5% finished on budget and on time.
Just 0.5% finished on budget, on time, and as planned.

Over half ran 65% over budget, and 90% missed their deadlines—by an average of 58 days. The message is clear:

Projects don’t go wrong, they start wrong.

Four Dangerous Fallacies in Construction

From my own experience and How Big Things Get Done, here are the fallacies we must eliminate:

The Need for Speed – Rushing kills preparation, lowers quality, and reduces safety. The only way to move fast safely is to create flow.
Pushing Makes Haste – Forcing milestones early creates chaos, poor decisions, blame, and lower productivity.
The Commitment Fallacy – Starting without proper planning doesn’t motivate—it just scales the mess.
Strategic Misrepresentation – Misrepresenting scope or conditions to shift risk is unethical and sets the project up to fail.

The “Idiotic Ideas” List

I’ve heard them all:

“We just need to get started somewhere.”
“Cut corners wherever you can.”
“Ignore safety to meet the deadline.”
“Overtime will fix it.”

If you hear these, hold the line. Don’t sacrifice planning, safety, or quality for the illusion of speed.

Push vs. Flow: The Arizona Study

I tracked projects in Arizona over several years. Here’s what I found:

CPM + Pushing – Plans were 20% too aggressive, with overruns of 5–15% (or more).
Takt Planning – Projects consistently finished 1–5% early, financially whole, and without burning out the team.

The difference? Planning enough time and refusing to push past safe limits.

What Pixar Can Teach Us About Construction

Pixar films go through up to nine iterations before final production. Why? Because rework on paper is cheap, rework in production is costly.

We need to treat construction the same way:

Plan, iterate, and test ideas before breaking ground.
Start with conceptual design and develop a maximum virtual product.
Get buy-in from both first and last planners.

My Non-Negotiables Before Construction Starts

Before Notice to Proceed, I expect:

Takt plans and zone maps
Procurement logs
Logistics plans
Trailer and signage designs
Org/accountability charts
Risk and opportunity register
Established budget
An experienced team ready to execute

It’s unethical to hold a team accountable for a project they didn’t plan.

Key Takeaway

Most project disasters are baked in before the first shovel hits the ground. Plan deeply in pre-construction to find problems on paper, where fixing them costs nothing.

If you want to learn more we have:

Discover Jason’s Expertise:

On we go

Work Fewer Hours, Build Better Teams

The 7-Step Process for Guaranteed Success

Elevating Pre-construction Planning, The First Planner System

Key Takeaway:

Playing the Hand You’re Dealt in Pre-construction

The Hard Truth About Owners and Systems

Owning the Problem

Extreme Ownership

The Cake Analogy

An Ounce of Prevention

The Cost of Poor Planning: A Tale of Two Projects

Think Slow, Act Fast

Key Takeaway:

Why You Actually Need the First Planner System in Preconstruction

The “Window of Doom”

The Reality Check from 16,000 Projects

Four Dangerous Fallacies in Construction

The “Idiotic Ideas” List

Push vs. Flow: The Arizona Study

What Pixar Can Teach Us About Construction

My Non-Negotiables Before Construction Starts

Key Takeaway

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General Training Overview

Superintendent / PM Boot Camp

Takt Production System® Virtual Training

Onsite Takt Simulation

Foreman & Field Engineer Training

Testimonials

Testimonials

agenda

Day 1

Foundations & Macro Planning

day2

Norm Planning & Flow Optimization

day3

Advanced Tools & Comparisons

day4

Buffers, Controls & Finalization

day5

Control Systems & Presentations

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UNDERSTANDING THE TRAINING

VALUE AND RESULTS

PLANNING AND SCHEDULING TOPICS

APPLICATION & TEAM ADOPTION

VIRTUAL FORMAT & ACCESSIBILITY

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GENERAL FAQS

CURRICULUM & OUTCOMES

LOGISTICS & FORMAT

PRICING & VALUE

SEO-BASED / HIGH-INTENT SEARCH QUESTIONS

agenda

Day 1

Agenda

Outcomes

Day 2

Agenda

Outcomes

Day 3

Agenda

Outcomes

Day 4

Agenda

Outcomes

Day 5

Agenda

Outcomes