Scaling & The Diff between Buffers and Contingency

How to Scale Construction Systems for Any Size Company

I hope you are doing well today. I am still out here at Super PM Bootcamp, having the time of my life even though I cannot seem to shake this cough. You might even hear it in my voice if you are following along with the recordings. Between the bootcamp energy, the airport noise nearby, and this lingering cold, it has been an adventure. But I want to dive right into some questions from our community that really got me thinking.

One listener recently reached out and said they had listened to Dr. Ashlag’s interview three times while trying to piece together what a full kit would mean for a structural steel fireproof roof deck and skin work front. They imagined a checkpoint or gate before MEP trades started hanging things from the beams. That kind of thinking is exactly the point of a full kit. To me, a full kit means you have every single thing you need such as tools, materials, equipment, permissions, and information before you start. It is about being truly ready so the work can flow without interruption. And yes, it applies in exactly the situations that were mentioned.

I also heard from someone who said they have been building since they were a kid and are now part of a smaller company after years of working in Louisiana. They love the content and wanted to know how they could get their smaller company on board with these systems. They worried that the approach might be designed for larger operations.

Here is the truth. Everyone thinks their company is either too small, too big, or too unique for new systems. That is just how the human brain reacts to change. We tell ourselves we do not have enough time, money, or resources, or that leadership will never buy in. But in reality, these principles work in any environment.

If I were in that situation, here is what I would do. I would start by getting the company into the free two hour TPS training. That session alone can shift perspectives and spark interest. Then I would follow up with company wide training, set up the templates, and get support on the first project if needed. Once a team sees the results such as better flow, fewer interruptions, and more support for field crews, it becomes impossible to ignore. From there, you have the foundation of the right system, the right corporate structure, and an easy way to connect everything to CPM if you ever need to.

Another great question came in about the difference between Takt buffers and CPM float. Are they the same thing, and can one replace the other? Here is how I see it.

Contingency is about having extra resources such as time, money, or materials set aside for truly unexpected events. These are the things you could not predict with certainty at the start of a project. Think of regulatory changes or a surprise condition that no one anticipated. In many cases, contingency belongs to the owner and is only used in rare, major circumstances.

Buffers, on the other hand, are intentional margins built into the plan to absorb natural variation. Work never flows perfectly, and buffers give the system flexibility to handle predictable but hard to pinpoint slowdowns or delays. Buffers are not wasted time. They are a part of the plan, expected to be used, and designed to keep the system healthy.

The key difference is that contingency deals with the unknown, while buffers deal with the known variability of real world work. In my opinion, buffers are much more effective because they force us to acknowledge variation, plan for it, and quantify it. Contingency often feels like a vague percentage at the end of the schedule, while buffers are practical tools that protect flow at the activity level.

I hope these responses help. Whether you are running a small company or managing a massive project, the principles of readiness, flow, and planning apply. Systems are not about size, they are about mindset. And when we embrace tools like full kits and buffers, we set our teams up for success.

Takeaway
Company size should never be the reason to delay implementing systems that work. Takt buffers protect the flow of work while contingency is for the unknown, and both have their place when used with clarity.