Full Kit like Cooking

Full Kit Thinking

Today I want to share a concept that has shaped the way I look at planning and execution in construction: full kit thinking. Before I get into it, let me reflect on a few things that connect to this idea and why it matters so much.

When leaders look at drawings or schedules, the right questions should immediately come to mind: Is the information clear? How is it built? When and in what sequence? Who will do it? Have we ordered materials on time? Drawings and plans are not meant to just be read; they are meant to trigger action. That action is what drives progress, and without it, we are just shuffling paper.

This ties into my broader frustration with the way our industry often leans on tools like CPM. The critical path method has become this sacred cow, but in practice it distracts us from reality. Just because something is on the “critical path” does not mean it is correct, nor does it mean it deserves all our focus. Projects are chains, not isolated paths. Everything has to start and finish in sequence, or the whole system falls apart.

The same problem happens with baselines. I see owners demand baselines just for the sake of formality, and teams end up spending months creating something that does not actually drive production. At its worst, CPM becomes a formal way to panic instead of a tool to solve problems.

What I keep coming back to is the idea of building systems that actually work for people in the field. Incentives, software, reports, all of these can become distractions if they are not designed with flow and clarity in mind. Human nature is such that people will do anything to meet an incentive, even if it undermines the real goal. That is why principles like lean, tact planning, and full kit matter. They anchor us back to reality.

So let’s talk about the full kit.

Think about a cooking show. Everything is laid out before the chef begins: the onions already chopped and in a bowl, the right amount of oil in a cup, the oven preheated, the recipe visible, the utensils within reach. When it is time to cook, they are not asking, “Where is the parsley? Who has the measuring cup?” Everything is ready because the audience expects a smooth, flawless process. That is a full kit.

Now imagine applying that same principle on a jobsite. A foreman should have every tool, material, drawing, permit, and piece of information ready before starting work. You would not go live on a cooking show scrambling to find salt, because you would look unprofessional and lose credibility. Yet in construction, we too often allow crews to start without full kit, only to watch productivity collapse as they search for missing parts, answers, or approvals.

Full kit is about respecting the people who do the work. It is about giving them everything they need to succeed without delay or frustration. When we do this, crews move faster, quality improves, and stress goes down. It is simple, but it requires discipline.

If we can learn to prepare for work like a chef prepares for a show, we can transform the way projects are delivered. And that is why I believe full kit is one of the most important lean principles for our industry today.

Key Takeaway: Full kit means setting crews up like chefs on a cooking show, everything ready before starting. It is a simple discipline that drives flow, quality, and respect on the jobsite.