Victims and Losers Love CPM (Why Bad Contractors Hide Behind Schedules)

Victims and Losers Love CPM (Why Bad Contractors Hide Behind Schedules)

Welcome everybody out to podcast number 1543. In this podcast I’m going to talk about CPM is the way to play the victim. If you’re interested in that, please stay with us.

Let me tell you, there have been some times where recently we get asked to come help a general contractor to finish the job. And actually, this has happened all throughout the life cycle of our company. And it used to be embarrassing to me, but it’s now such a commonplace that it doesn’t even bother me anymore, interestingly enough. But where the contractor will hire us and then we will go work on one or two of their projects.

And those projects will become the top performing projects for the company. And it’s not even a secret. It’s not like it was just my opinion. It’s like literally the leader of the company is like, “That is the best performing project that we have.” And that’s not me trying to brag. That’s not me trying to self-aggrandize. That’s just data that I’m sharing with you.

And then somebody usually a scheduling director or the director of the risk management legal department or vice president or somebody like that will start to fight against the job site.

The Pain of Playing Victim with CPM

And somebody, usually a scheduling director or the director of the risk management legal department or vice president or somebody like that, will start to fight against the job site. And typically, you’ll hear them say a couple of things. “Well, they’re using Takt, so they’re behind schedule.” Or, “Hey, we don’t have a legal schedule as our CPM and we’re going to get sued.”

I do want to say one more time, after the times that I’ve challenged people to present a historical case study where CPM was the determinant factor in a case or arbitration, nobody can produce that. So I still don’t believe that.

But the interesting thing is that Takt respects trades. These projects will go really well. And what will inevitably happen is that the argument they’ll hinge getting rid of us on is that they need their CPM schedule for legal purposes.

Here’s the thing. Here’s the main time that I noticed this. We had figured out the overall production plan for a massive, like $350 million plus project. And the scheduling team and the vice president who was encouraging this behavior was like, “No, no, no, no. We had gained buffers with them by zoning it properly.” They’re like, “No, we can’t do that. We’ve got to show delay claims. We got to show that we’re behind. We got to show that the owner is impacted.”

And what I realized is that lawyers and arbitration experts and scheduling departments want to always play the victim. They want to always be behind. They want to always be injured. They want to always be negatively impacted by the owner or the designer, because if they ever mess up, they need somebody to blame.

So if they become the victim first, then they can never become the victim in reality in their mind. Meaning they don’t want the Lean Takt plus superintendent project team Takt plan that actually has buffers and a path to finish. They want the schedule that shows that the contractor is the quote-unquote poor boy, the victim. And that anything that happens is the owner’s and the architect’s fault.

Why Victims and Losers Love CPM

And the problem is, is that owners, and I’m not giving you a lecture, but we’ve got to stop hiring contractors like this because they are always how could we ever have a good relationship with the owners and designers if this is the way that they’re going to treat people?

And it hit me that victims and losers love CPM because they can always excuse their bad behavior in a schedule full of lies and delays and impact notices and a false path to the finish that shows that it’s all the owner’s fault.

And so if anybody’s like ever wondering why is CPM so popular? Well, it’s because it’s a more effective tool for owners to be abusive to contractors. And it’s a more effective tool for legal departments and contractors to always play the victim. And so that they can set themselves up to not be accountable if they lose.

Here’s why victims and losers love CPM:

• CPM shows delays and blame: The schedule is designed to show the contractor is behind and the owner is at fault. That sets up delay claims before the project even starts.
• CPM removes accountability: If the contractor ever messes up, they already have a victim narrative built into the schedule. “We were behind because of the owner.” Not because of poor planning.
• CPM hides buffers: Scheduling departments don’t want buffers. Buffers show you can finish on time. They want to show delays so they can blame the owner.
• CPM creates a false path to finish: The schedule shows a path that’s impossible. When you don’t hit it, you blame the owner. Not your bad planning.
• CPM enables excuses: Every delay, every problem, every mistake gets blamed on the owner or the designer. The contractor is always the victim. Never accountable.

Victims and losers love CPM because they can always excuse their bad behavior in a schedule full of lies and delays and impact notices and a false path to the finish that shows that it’s all the owner’s fault.

The Contrast: Takt Creates Buffers and Paths to Finish

But here’s the interesting thing. So I hear the analogy on the way to Atlanta driving my son and I. We were driving with a trailer going a consistent speed limit. You have to, even if I didn’t want to, I have to drive a consistent speed because I have my trailer.

And I’m driving consistently and you would see somebody riding up, like if I’m passing a big grade, you know, a lot of the roads out here are only two lanes and somebody would get right up on my backside, which for some reason really bothers me. And then I would get out of the way. And it would be, or that person would just like speed up and look over like I’m the biggest burden on earth just to stop again.

And in CPM, that’s the thing that happens is that your fake lying schedule says that you’re going to go fast only until reality hits you in the face. And so that’s why some people will claim falsely that Takt makes you go slower, even though you end up finishing sooner.

And you know, the funny thing is on freeways, you see that too. A lot of times I’m just staying at constant speed and I’ll end up at my destination before those rushers, pushers and panickers weave in and out of traffic.

Here’s what Takt does differently:

Takt shows buffers: You zone properly. You gain buffers. You have a real path to finish on time. You don’t need to play victim because you have a real plan.

Takt respects trades: The schedule is designed for trade flow. Equal speed. Equal distance apart. No stacking. No rushing. No pushing. Respect.

Takt creates accountability: The schedule shows what’s realistic. If you don’t hit it, it’s on you. Not the owner. You own the plan because the team made the plan together.

Takt finishes sooner: Consistent speed wins. Like driving a trailer at constant speed. You end up at your destination before the rushers, pushers, and panickers.

Takt builds relationships: You’re not always blaming the owner. You’re collaborating. You’re solving problems together. You’re building trust. If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.

Victims and losers love CPM. Winners love Takt. That’s the difference.

A Challenge for Owners and Builders

Here’s what I want you to do this week. If you’re an owner, stop hiring contractors who play victim. Look at their schedules. Do they show buffers and a real path to finish? Or do they show delays and blame? If they show delays and blame, they’re setting up to be the victim. Don’t hire them.

If you’re a contractor, stop playing victim. Build Takt plans with buffers. Own your plan. Respect trades. Finish on time. Build relationships with owners and designers. Stop hiding behind CPM schedules full of lies.

As we say at Elevate, CPM lets contractors play victim. Fake schedules show delays and blame owners. Takt creates buffers and paths to finish. Victims and losers love CPM. Winners love Takt.

And if you’re out there building it the right way, kudos to you. You’re my hero. I love you.

On we go.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do victims and losers love CPM?

Because CPM lets them play victim. The schedule shows delays and blames the owner. When they mess up, they have a victim narrative built in. “We were behind because of the owner.” Not because of poor planning.

Why don’t scheduling departments want buffers?

Because buffers show you can finish on time. They want to show delays so they can blame the owner. If they show buffers, they lose the victim narrative. They can’t claim impact.

What’s the difference between CPM and Takt schedules?

CPM shows a false path to finish with delays and blame. Takt shows buffers and a real path to finish. CPM enables excuses. Takt creates accountability. CPM plays victim. Takt respects trades.

Why do Takt projects finish sooner even though they “go slower”?

Because consistent speed wins. Like driving a trailer at constant speed you end up at your destination before the rushers, pushers, and panickers. Takt maintains trade flow. CPM rushes then stops then rushes then stops.

How should owners identify contractors who play victim?

Look at their schedules. Do they show buffers and a real path to finish? Or do they show delays and blame? If they show delays and blame, they’re setting up to be the victim. Don’t hire them.