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Phases of Implementation on Your Lean Journey

I am way behind on recording, so here I am on a Saturday while the kids watch a movie before we head to the lake. I hope to record a few so you can have them lined up next week. Before I dive into today’s topic, let me share some exciting updates. The refined edits for the Takt Planning book and its duplicate publication Lean Construction Planning are officially complete. We recently ran a Takt Production System course that went fantastically well, and we are rapidly updating it along with a Rise course that can be shared with universities. We are also building a Last Planner and Takt Steering and Control course so people can learn both planning and field implementation. On top of that, I finished the manuscript for the First Planner System book. Kate is about halfway through formatting and industry contributors are reviewing it. We are on target for release August 1st. After that, the Takt Steering and Control book will be next. These are all part of what we call the Integrated Production Control System, which combines the First Planner System, the Takt Production System, and Last Planner. We have also hit one million podcast downloads. Even though listens have leveled out around nine hundred per episode, I am grateful. This podcast has always been more than numbers for me. It is a development tool and a way to connect with friends in the industry. I also want to pause and share a piece of feedback I recently received. A superintendent told me that his first book purchase was Elevating Construction Superintendents and he thought it was amazing. He listens daily and now shares episodes with his daughter, who started as a field engineer a year ago. That kind of feedback means everything and motivates me to keep producing content for you. Now, let’s talk about the main topic for today: the phases of implementation on your lean journey.

The Four Phases of Implementation

Companies often want to skip ahead in their lean journey, but there is a clear sequence that cannot be ignored. If you jump steps, your implementation will fail.
  1. Paradigm and Awareness Leaders must first have awareness of lean, operational excellence, and production theory. Without this mindset, nothing else sticks. 
  2. Adoption of the System Once there is awareness, the leadership team must collectively decide on an operating and production system. Commitment at the top is non-negotiable. 
  3. Training Across the Organization With the system adopted, it must be scaled through training so everyone understands and supports it. Training without adoption is worthless. 
  4. Accountability and Rollout Accountability systems such as check-ins, status reports, and field walks are needed to ensure the system is consistently implemented. 
This is why implementation has to start top down. Workers and lower-level managers show up every day to do their best, but their primary responsibility is to provide for their families. They cannot risk their jobs by challenging broken systems. Change must come from leaders who have the decision-making power, influence, and resources to transform the organization.

The Risk of Skipping Phases

Kate has a way of explaining this clearly to clients. She often tells them, “You are skipping phases. You do not have leadership buy-in, and you have not adopted a system. If you move directly into training, it will not work.” Without united leadership, training creates isolated results at best or rejection of the new system at worst. Step one is always alignment at the top. When leadership has clarity and commitment, training then spreads knowledge and motivation throughout the company. Only then can the accountability systems anchor the transformation.

A Note on Bootcamps

This is especially true for something like the Super PM Bootcamp. If a company sends someone without leadership alignment or system adoption, that person will still receive life-changing value. They will improve personally, influence their projects, and carry new paradigms into future leadership roles. But the company itself will not see full implementation. For full organizational benefit, leaders must first decide to adopt lean and operational excellence. Then sending people to the Bootcamp multiplies the benefits at every level, individual, family, team, and company.

Key Takeaway

You cannot skip steps in a lean journey. Leadership awareness, system adoption, training, and accountability must happen in sequence or the effort will not deliver lasting results.

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