Here’s the deal. I talk a lot about keeping people balanced, about caring for people, and about comforting the workers and the foremen. Because of that, people sometimes think I am not a hard worker, or that I am encouraging project delivery team members to work 32 hours and be super comfortable in life. People misunderstand me, and I want to clear it up. I wrote a little about this in my last post, but my saying is simple: hurry up and plan.
Short answer: Pre-construction planning is where I drive hard, and construction is where I never push. In the field, I want rhythm, level flow, buffers, and no late days, weekends, or overtime. In pre-construction, I start as soon as I can, keep driving, and allow a late day when it gets the construction right, because an hour of pre-construction is worth a day in construction, and a day is worth a week.
Balance Is Not Comfort
I believe in balance, and I believe in all of these things. I do believe in stopping, and I do not believe in pushing. But I pride myself on being one of the hardest working people in the group. If I am in a group, I will regulate myself so that I am the hardest working person in the room, or at least as hard working. This might be toxic behavior, and I am not saying it is not.
I really believe in doing a good job and adding value. I do believe in balance, but I do not believe in laziness or comfort. I think comfort is a disease.
So sometimes people see me and say, you talk about balance, but you work incredibly hard. You talk about comforting the workers, but you do not believe in the project delivery team only working 32 hours and being super cushy in their jobs. You talk about not pushing, but you are always grinding in pre-construction and being urgent about everything. Jason, are you pushing?
My answer is, let’s hurry up. Let’s get this going. Hurry up and plan. Let’s go. We cannot fall asleep on this deal.
What Does “Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There” Mean?
I heard a neat quote from Hal Macomber. I do not know if it came from somebody else or if he made it up, but it goes like this: don’t just do something, stand there.
In construction, that means if you do not know if it is safe, if you do not know if it is quality, if you do not know what to do, or if you do not have full kit, do not just go do any old thing. Stop. I do not like the word wait, so I say stop, call, resolve. Stop, call, resolve. Let’s get it fixed.
In pre-construction and in planning, I would adapt that quote and flip it back: don’t just stand there, do something.
How Is Pre-Construction Different From Construction?
This is where the differentiation comes in. The same principle does not apply the same way in both places:
| In construction | In pre-construction |
|---|---|
| I want you to hit on a rhythm. | I want you to start as soon as you can. |
| I want a level flow. | I want a level flow too, but if we overburden ourselves every now and then, I do not mind. |
| I will stop the train. | I will keep driving. |
| I will advocate to try to never have late days, weekend overtime, or crazy work days. | I will allow it to happen. |
| I am looking for even flow, buffers and capacity. | I am always saying, let's hurry up and plan. |
Yes, I did just say I do not mind overburdening ourselves now and then in pre-construction. Somebody even said to me, Jason, you are a pusher in pre-construction, so you go against what you preach. No. I know that an hour of pre-construction is worth a day in construction, and a day is worth a week in construction.
If You Are Going to Work Late, Do It in Pre-Construction
I have said this to teams many times. If you have to work a late day every now and then in pre-construction to get the construction right, do it. It does not bother me.
If you are ever going to work late, pull an all-nighter, or burn a weekend, you do it in pre-construction. We are not going to do it in construction, where that fatigue could affect you in the field from a safety standpoint. I have said that to people 100 percent, because I do not believe in doing it in construction. I will not do it.
But one thing you will find with me is that I am not going to let us get behind in the field. I am not going to do that.
Why Is Waiting to Plan Such a Bad Idea?
The thing you cannot do is fall asleep, get complacent, or get lazy in pre-construction, and say, oh, we are just in pre-construction, I am not going to work a lot. Because then, in the field, you will try to:
- Be out in the field.
- Manage a number of people.
- Work where you do not have any decision or reaction time.
- Be in the critical moments of construction with an upcoming phase.
- And on top of all that, deal with your procrastination.
I am not going to do that. It is the dumbest thing. And one of the dumbest things I hear, from good people, is this: we have plenty of time to do the planning while we are excavating and digging a hole.
Why in the world would you say you have plenty of time until the project starts, or plenty of time while you are moving dirt? You would be throwing away all the good pre-construction coordination and pre-planning time you have to take care of construction.
Here is the thing. Construction people will tell you two things. First, we are moving dirt, no big deal, no rush. Second, the best time in construction to recover, or to get out of the ground fast, is in the beginning. You have to get out of the ground fast. Those two ideas are totally incompatible. You cannot fall asleep while you are digging a hole and also say the most important phase is getting out of the hole.
By the time you are moving dirt, your supply chains are already behind. Your design is already locked in. You are already stuck with your bottlenecks and constraints. You have already thrown away all of your opportunity.
Planning Pusher, Never a Field Pusher
So yes, a million percent, you heard me right, and you can quote me on it. Hurry up and plan. You cannot go fast enough. If that makes me a planning pusher, so be it. Am I a field pusher? Never. In the field, I want the work to flow on a rhythm without push.
So here is the challenge. Look at the next project your team has coming up. If anyone is saying there is plenty of time to plan while you move dirt, start the planning now, and do your driving in pre-construction so you never have to push in the field.
Bottom line: Hurry up and plan, because if that makes me a planning pusher, so be it, but I will never be a field pusher.
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On we go.
FAQ
What does “hurry up and plan” mean in pre-construction planning?
It means driving hard and starting as soon as you can in pre-construction, so you never have to push in the field. An hour of pre-construction is worth a day in construction, and a day is worth a week.
Is driving hard in pre-construction the same as pushing?
No. In the field, I want rhythm, level flow, buffers, and no late days or weekends. In pre-construction, I keep driving and allow a late day now and then, because that is how I avoid pushing in construction.
Why do late days belong in pre-construction and not construction?
Because fatigue in the field can affect people from a safety standpoint. If you are ever going to work late or burn a weekend, do it in pre-construction, not in construction.
What does “don’t just do something, stand there” mean?
In construction, if you do not know whether it is safe, whether it is quality, or what to do, or you do not have full kit, stop, call, and resolve instead of doing any old thing. In pre-construction, I flip it: don’t just stand there, do something.
Is there plenty of time to plan while you are moving dirt?
No. By then, supply chains are already behind, the design is already locked in, and you are already stuck with your bottlenecks and constraints.
People Also Read:
There Is No Such Thing as a Small Mistake With a Client
What Is a Look Ahead Plan in Construction?
Elevating Pre-Construction Planning Book
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-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Elevate Construction on YouTube)
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Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction. As the company’s Founder and COO, 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.