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Why Projects Fail – Takt University Course – Video 2

Posted on by Danny Jiménez⁩

Why Projects Fail — And How to Predict (And Plan) For Success

Welcome to the second blog in our free Takt University course. In this installment, we’re tackling one of the most important questions in construction and project management: Why do so many projects fail? And more importantly—how can we start getting them right from the very beginning?

We’re going to explore the key takeaways from the book How Big Things Get Done, and how these lessons apply directly to production planning using Takt.

The Ugly Truth: Most Projects Start Off Wrong

If your project is off-track halfway through, it likely didn’t go wrong during construction—it started off wrong. According to How Big Things Get Done, out of 16,000 representative projects:

  • Only 8.5% finished on time and on budget.
  • A mere 0.5% finished on time, on budget, and as originally planned.
  • Projects that failed went 65% over budget on average.
  • And finished 58 days late.

That’s not just bad luck. That’s systemic failure rooted in poor planning, broken systems, and untrained or unsupported teams.

The Three Keys to Project Success:

Based on the book and field experience, here’s what every successful project needs:

  1. Remarkable Planning.
  2. Systems That Support Flow.
  3. Skilled People with Real Training.

Let’s break these down.

  1. We Don’t Plan Anymore—And It’s Killing Us:

In the industry today, we’re often expected to start planning a project just days before execution. This reactive behavior results in chaos. Real planning should follow the 1/3–2/3 rule: if your project lasts 12 months, you should be planning for at least 6 of those months in advance.

Let’s learn from failure:

California’s “Train to Nowhere” was planned to be a 500-mile rail line completed in 2020. It’s now 2025, over $70 billion over budget, and only spans 172 miles.

Contrast that with the Empire State Building—planned thoroughly, it finished two weeks early and under budget, using time-location flow strategies we now recognize in Takt.

  1. We Use the Wrong Systems:

Traditional methods like CPM and design-bid-build are broken. Instead, we should embrace:

  • Design-build.
  • IPD (Integrated Project Delivery).
  • CM-at-risk.
  • Takt Planning + Last Planner System.

The goal is to establish flow, not force speed. Pushing people and schedules results in rework, chaos, and burnout. Flow, on the other hand, is what leads to consistent, safe, and productive sites.

  1. We Don’t Train Builders—We Train “Security Guards”:

Too often, superintendents are trained in company policies and paperwork, not real building. We’ve taken skilled master builders off the field and turned them into meeting attendees.

Real supers:

  • Create zone maps and logistics plans.
  • Lead procurement.
  • Implement production systems.
  • Remove roadblocks.
  • Lead teams.

Train them. Support them. And don’t sideline them.

Debunking the Fallacies That Destroy Projects:

Projects don’t just fail because of bad luck. They fail because we fall for predictable traps:

  • The Need for Speed: Pushing timelines doesn’t make projects faster—it makes them worse.
  • The Commitment Fallacy: Signing a contractor early without a plan isn’t smart—it’s risky.
  • Strategic Misrepresentation: Understating risk or complexity to win a job backfires.
  • Wish thinking: Hoping problems won’t arise instead of planning to prevent them.

The “10th Person” Principle: Think Differently

In Pre-construction, optimism is your enemy. You need a “10th person”—someone willing to challenge assumptions and look at risk critically.

Plan from right to left:
Start with the completion date, and work backwards through each phase. Make sure each step is achievable and fully prepared before moving on.

This is how Pixar plans their movies:
They do 9 full drafts before final production. Why should we plan construction projects any differently?

Case Studies: When Planning Works (And When It Doesn’t)

Project  Result
Guggenheim Bilbao  Finished on time and under budget using models, iteration, and pre-construction.
Sydney Opera House  1,400% over budget, 9 years late, due to lack of finalized design.
Montreal’s “Big O” Stadium  Paid off over 30 years, still undergoing repairs in 2025.
Frank Gehry Projects  No change orders, rigorous model testing before construction.
Hoover Dam  Finished under budget and ahead of schedule with a master builder in charge.

What Planning Should Include:

Before construction begins, your planning toolkit should contain:

  • A Takt plan.
  • Zone maps.
  • Logistics plans.
  • A procurement log.
  • Organizational charts.
  • A risk and opportunity register.
  • A fully designed trailer and signage plan.

The Power of the Integrated Production Control System:

To succeed, every project must integrate:

  1. A solid project plan.
  2. The Takt Production System.
  3. Last Planner System for team alignment.
  4. Trade partners prepared for Takt.
  5. Real builders with experience.

You can’t just implement Takt blindly—you need the right training, team, and sequencing for it to work.

Final Thought: Learn to Say “No”

Most failures occur not because someone didn’t know—but because they didn’t say no:

  • No, we’re not skipping planning.
  • No, we’re not rushing trades.
  • No, we’re not using broken systems.

Saying no to dysfunction is the first step toward remarkable results.

Key Takeaway:

Most projects don’t go wrong—they start wrong. Success in construction begins with thorough planning, proven systems like Takt and Last Planner, and experienced builders who think critically before the first shovel hits the ground. Stop pushing. Start planning. Think from right to left, build on paper first, and support your people from day one.

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

Bid Leveling Template

Posted on by Danny Jiménez⁩

Bid Leveling Done Right: How to Use a Simple Template to Compare Apples to Apples

When it comes to construction estimating, one of the most time-consuming—and critical—tasks is evaluating and comparing bids from trade partners. Each subcontractor sends their pricing in a different format. Some skip breakouts for alternates, some don’t split up the phases, and others include incorrect quantities. Suddenly, what should be a straightforward comparison turns into a tangled mess of numbers.

That’s why you need a solid bid leveling template.

In this blog, I’ll Walk you through a clear, visual bid leveling template that helps you compare trade to trade, apples to apples, not apples to oranges.

Why a Bid Leveling Template Matters:

When estimators receive multiple bids, it’s rarely a clean comparison. Formats differ, quantities are off, and categories are missing. That’s where your bid leveling template comes in—it creates structure and clarity so that your recommendations for selection are backed by consistent, comparable data.

This blog is designed to give you not only the template but also tips and tricks for using it effectively. And if you have a better approach? Let me know! Lean is a two-way street—we’re always looking to improve.

Inside the Template:

I’m showing you a sample in Miro—just an image with some placeholder data to illustrate the concept. As we progress through projects, I’ll share real examples and lessons learned.

Here’s how the layout works:

  • Top Left Section: Project scope, pro forma budget, and key notes.
  • Left Sidebar: Quantities and risk/action items—for example, long lead procurement.
  • Main Table: Trade names at the top, with breakdowns for materials, labor, and equipment.
  • Bottom Totals: Where all pricing adds up.
  • Alternates and Adjustments: Captured separately to avoid confusion and keep everything visible.

You want at least three trades for a solid comparison. Plug in their numbers under consistent categories. If one trade includes a component the others don’t, use adjustments to normalize the totals so you’re still comparing apples to apples.

It’s Not Just About Price:

The lowest bid is not the lowest total cost.

You should also evaluate:

  • Did they comply with bid docs?
  • Did they price all required alternates?
  • Are they aligned on the schedule?
  • Did they follow the process and checklist?
  • Did they help identify risk?

Grade them on these soft criteria too—because qualifications matter just as much as pricing.

Pro Tips for Leveling:

  • Keep everything visual, clear, and traceable.
  • Use color codes or yes/no indicators for compliance.
  • Highlight your selected trade in the final row.
  • Add a row for notes and a section for final recommendation.
  • Guide the trades with a well-structured bid package up front.

We’ve all been there—getting back a bid that’s just one number with no breakout. That’s why guiding the process from the start helps avoid frustration and wasted time later. When you use a well-formatted bid leveling template, you set your team up for better decisions.

Final Thoughts:

Remember, we’re not just chasing the lowest number—we’re chasing the best value. That comes from a combination of cost, clarity, risk awareness, and process compliance.

And I’d love to hear your feedback—what works for you? What could we improve?

Let’s build smarter, together.

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

Work Packaging In Pre-construction

Posted on by Danny Jiménez⁩

Work Packaging in Pre-Construction: How to Prepare the Crew with a Single Source of Truth

Let’s be real—I’ve been thinking hard about something lately. Why do we go through a buyout meeting, execute a contract, hold a pre-mobilization meeting, and then run a pre-construction meeting… only to end up with nothing in the hands of the crew?

Each meeting is separate. Each note is stored in a different place. And none of it is tied together. That approach just doesn’t make sense.

But then it hit me—we use Canva all the time in our organization. Why not integrate these agendas into Canva and embed them into the work package?

What if we just:

  • Have the meeting,
  • Update the work package,
  • Repeat?

So, by the end of the process, we print a small, clean packet, and the crew has everything they need. Every decision. Every requirement. All in one place.

“But Jason, I Don’t Want to Print a Book…”

I get it. No one wants to hand their trade partners a 40-page manual. But Canva has a built-in feature where you can hide pages from print. Just click the little eyeball icon to mark the ones for historical backup only.

What’s left? The high-impact content:

  • Quality visuals.
  • Inclusions.
  • Key prep info.

Usually just 1–4 pages. That’s it. It’s all the most important conversations distilled into something the crew can actually use.

The Concept: Build Your LEGO:

Let me walk you through what we’re doing inside Miro. This is where the “Build Your LEGO” concept comes to life. For each bottleneck trade (say, task #80: vinyl), we simulate different production strategies:

  • 3-day Takt time with 5,000 sq ft zones.
  • 2-day Takt time with/without overlap.
  • Smaller zone sizes.

Once we identify the most efficient option, we collaborate with trade partners and ask:

  • What would need to be designed, fabricated, delivered, or installed differently?
  • What’s needed to meet this new rhythm?

Sometimes, this drops the planned duration from 99 days to 70. That’s a 37-day gain—without sacrificing quality or safety.

Connecting the Dots: From Strategy to Execution:

We’re building each work package with key stages in mind:

  • Bid packages.
  • Bid leveling.
  • Purchasing.
  • Pre-mobilization.
  • Pre-construction.

At every stage, information flows into the same document.

This way, when the trade partner gets to site, the work package is fully loaded—with logistics, zone plans, critical requirements, and even a brief blog inside the Miro plan.

Using the Canva Template:

The Canva work package file is structured to support every step:

  • Project goals.
  • Critical planning questions.
  • Checklists for each phase.
  • Trade partner teaming.
  • Pre-mob and pre-con notes.

Every detail—from buyout conversations to pre-test plans—is right there. And again, we hide any non-essential content before printing, so the crew only sees what they need.

What It All Means:

If you’re following along, you’ve probably caught on:
We’re documenting every decision throughout the process in one place using a simple, visual format that crews can trust. It’s not just about organizing—it’s about optimizing how we build.

And honestly, not giving this to our trade partners is like swimming across a mile-wide channel… and drowning five feet from shore.

We can do better.

So, here’s our commitment:

  • We’ll do Build Your LEGO analysis for every bottleneck trade.
  • We’ll document bid leveling, purchasing, and planning in one living document.
  • We’ll track decisions that impact install.
  • And we’ll deliver a clean, field-ready work package that supports success.

Key Takeaway:

Work packaging isn’t just about organizing documents—it’s about building smarter, faster, and with fewer mistakes. By integrating every planning step into a single, visual document using tools like Canva and Miro, we create a clear, field-ready work package that helps crews succeed from day one.

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

Temporary Power Planning In Construction

Posted on by Danny Jiménez⁩

How to Plan Temporary Power for Your Construction Project

Temporary power planning is something that must be done on every project—whether you’re connecting to an existing transformer, getting a power drop from a utility pole, or finding a solution for a remote site. No matter where your project is—downtown or out in the field—you need power. And not just for the trailers and restrooms, but also for spider boxes, temporary lighting, and all your other construction power needs.

This blog is all about making sure you have a clear plan, a solid timeline, and the right resources to get temporary power set up early and efficiently.

The Power of a Good Plan:

Let’s start with the plan. On our team, we combined input from electricians, a bit of help from ChatGPT, and step-by-step thinking to outline everything from regulatory requirements to system protection, safety measures, and inspection processes. Yes, it’s a lot of text—but it’s incredibly valuable. We included this in our bid packages and shared it with trade partners, and the response was clear: “This is complete. We know exactly what you’re going to do.”

That’s the power of a well-documented plan. Everyone stays aligned.

Building a Timeline:

Next up: the timeline. We built our schedule in InTakt and tied it into our overall production plan. You can export this into Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, or Excel, but the logic remains the same—plan early and tie it to real dependencies. We didn’t need power for early sitework, but it was critical for starting foundations. That’s where the logic connection lives.

From signoff and permitting to installation and inspection, every step is accounted for. That ensures the power company and trade partners can execute without delays.

The Sketch: Visual Clarity

We also created a detailed sketch—complete with notes, a legend, and a high-level visual of the entire power setup. I’ve kept this intentionally a little fuzzy to avoid distracting from the big picture, but it communicates the critical flow of work.

The sketch shows where we’ll tie in with the city and utility company, where service entry sections go, where we’ll need temp power for each construction phase, and how power will reach laydown areas and buildings.

This visual allowed our trade partner to analyze power capacity needs and respond accurately. They even asked for phase details and durations so they could match their work to our project timeline.

Summary: Plan, Timeline, Sketch

To recap, we did three things:

  1. Created a detailed plan — including regulatory, safety, and installation steps.
  2. Built a timeline — integrated into our production plan and aligned with project milestones.
  3. Developed a visual sketch — to communicate clearly and align stakeholders.

Even before we had electricians on board, we used this information to initiate early procurement, issue letters of intent, and immediately bring trade partners up to speed.

Whether you’re a field engineer, project engineer, or assistant superintendent, this blog gives you a repeatable process: Make a plan, sketch it out, set your timeline. Then collaborate, communicate, and execute as a team.

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

What Is Scheduling In Production Planning?

Posted on by Danny Jiménez⁩

What is Scheduling in Production Planning?

This is a really interesting topic because I’m going to use a Macro-level Takt plan to describe it. There are two different words here: schedule and production plan. Now, there are different ways to approach this, but based on the work by Todd Zabel in the book Built to Fail, a schedule is essentially the wish list or demand side of the equation, and a production plan is the merging of demand and supply — a simulation of what’s possible in line with the demand, meaning you have an overall healthy plan.

So how do you loop in scheduling (the demand side) into the supply world (what’s possible)? Here’s the answer:

Early on, during conceptual or schematic design, you create a Macro-level Takt plan. This could be done using wagons, summaries, or a simple macro phase sketch. The idea is to simulate different speeds — slowest, normal, and fastest — and strategize within the parameters you’re given, all while meeting client demands.

In this blog, I’m going to show you a real example of this macro phase sketching and how we merge these two worlds together so you have a schedule for the owner and a production plan that fits between the milestones.

Merging Demand and Supply Through Macro Phase Sketching:

I’m excited to share a real-world example from Lean Built. This approach feels almost like an art form — showing your strategic plan visually along with different options.

In the example:

  • The purple line represents the macro — your most reasonable promised speed (your contractual commitment).
  • The orange line shows what happens if we zone the project properly — your production target.
  • The blue line is the backup plan in case you get into trouble.

We base these on zone sizes and takt times, for instance:

  • Macro: 5,000 ft² zone size with a 3-day takt time.
  • Target: 4,000 ft² zone size with a 2-day takt time.
  • Backup: 2,500–3,000 ft² zone size with a 1-day takt time.

Here’s the important distinction:

  • The schedule is your promise to the owner — the demand side.
  • The production plan simulates what’s actually possible based on real production capabilities.
  • The backup plan prepares you to adapt if needed without hurting the workers.

This analysis even impacts cost projections. It helps developers and project managers estimate when money will be spent and ensures the budget stays intact.

Why This Analysis Matters:

Without this type of simulation:

  • You might promise a deadline you can’t actually meet.
  • Your normal production rate might barely hit the finish line, leaving no room for delays.
  • You won’t know if you’re financially safe until it’s too late.

Here’s a simple process you should follow:

  1. Set your promise — the contractual finish date.
  2. Simulate your production target — the realistic work rhythm you can achieve.
  3. Ensure buffers exist — so you can absorb delays without panic.

By doing this, you ensure that you match the schedule with the production plan, keeping your team, your client, and your project’s success in alignment.

The bottom line is: you have to make sure your trades can actually produce according to the client’s demand. We achieve this by simulating production early, strategically zoning the project, and always planning for buffers.

Key Takeaway:

To successfully deliver a project on time and within budget, you must merge the client’s demand (the schedule) with a realistic production plan by simulating different speeds, zoning strategically, and building in buffers to handle unexpected challenges.

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

What Are The Things To Consider In Production Planning?

Posted on by Danny Jiménez⁩

Key Things to Consider in Production Planning

In this blog, I want to talk to you about a kind of lost — or maybe never fully developed — art in production planning.

In a typical production plan, you’ll see the different phases of the project laid out with flow, usually in a time-by-location format. We all know the standard elements: an executive summary, milestones, the first 120 days of administrative and mobilization work, and long-lead procurement schedules.

But here’s something you rarely — if ever — see on a production plan: the Trade Partner Preparation Process.

The Trade Partner Preparation Process:

The Trade Partner Preparation Process is about managing the time it takes to get a trade partner through buyout, pre-mobilization, their pre-construction (or preparatory) meeting, and into their first zone of work. Just like procurement, these steps need to be leveled — you can’t stack them all at once. You can’t have 30 pre-mobilization meetings in a single week without overloading your team. This leveling must be managed within your actual production plan.

If you implement this Trade Partner Preparation Process, you’ll be successful on your project because your trades will be queued up and fully supported with everything they need.

Now, let’s dive deeper into what this process looks like.

How It Works:

I walk through how I set this up inside InTakt — a planning tool that’s become one of my favorites (I even like it better than Excel for Takt planning).

If you’ve worked for Hensel Phelps, you might recognize this as a variation of their Six-Step Process. Others call it the Quality Process. Whatever you call it, it’s crucial.

Here’s the basic flow:

  • Teeing/Purchasing Phase: This happens before reaching a fully executed contract.
  • Pre-Mobilization Meeting: Scheduled within two weeks of signing the contract, ensuring the trade partner has time to prepare submittals, RFIs, and other documentation.
  • Pre-Construction (Preparatory) Meeting: Confirm that the foreman and superintendent are 100% ready to begin work. Ideally, this happens two to three weeks after the pre-mob.
  • First In-Place Inspection: Conducted as soon as the first work is ready.
  • Follow-Up Walks: Continue to monitor the quality and progress.
  • Rolling Completion List & Final Walk: Ensure all scopes are completed before trade partners demobilize.

The key pattern here:
➡️ Plan it first.
➡️ Build it right while you’re there.
➡️ Finish as you go.

Using InTakt to Visualize and Manage It:

Inside InTakt, you can visualize the phases: Project Management, Bidding Process, Permitting, and the Trade Partner Preparation (labeled TP3). This helps ensure you have enough time before work starts for all necessary steps: pre-mob meetings, pull planning, pre-construction meetings, and prep work.

For example, if civil work is starting soon, you’ll want to ensure the pre-con meeting is done before that start date — and not have it crammed in last minute.

The beauty of this system is that it not only keeps your production plan flowing, but also lets you level out meetings. If you notice you have too many pre-mob and pre-con meetings scheduled at once (say, 23 meetings in two weeks), you’ll instantly see the bottleneck and can adjust.

Managing the Trade Partner Preparation Process within your production plan prevents overwhelm and keeps the project moving smoothly.

The bottom line: Don’t forget to manage and level your Trade Partner Preparation Process.
If you don’t, your team will get overloaded — especially when submittal reviews and other internal processes layer on top.

Key Takeaway:

In production planning, success isn’t just about scheduling work — it’s about carefully managing and leveling the Trade Partner Preparation Process to ensure trade partners are fully prepared, supported, and ready to perform when their time on-site begins.

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

Batching vs. OPF

Posted on by Danny Jiménez⁩

Batching vs. One Piece Flow: Which is the Best Approach for Your Projects?

If you’re familiar with the concepts of batching and one-piece flow, you may have heard conflicting opinions about which one is faster or more efficient. At first glance, batching might seem like the faster approach, but when we dive into the details, the truth may surprise you. In this blog, I’ll explain both concepts and why one-piece flow is often the better approach, especially when it comes to efficiency and productivity.

What is Batching?

Batching refers to completing a single step for multiple items at once. Think of it like making pancakes – you would cook 10 pancakes, then butter them all, and finally add syrup to all of them before serving. You’re completing each step in bulk, which is a common practice in many industries.

However, in construction or other industries where precision and speed are crucial, batching can slow things down, and here’s why. When you batch processes, you’re performing the same task for a large group before moving on to the next step. This means you’re working in large chunks and dealing with delays between each step.

What is One Piece Flow?

One piece flow, on the other hand, is all about focusing on one task at a time. Instead of completing a step for multiple items, you do it for just one and move on to the next task as soon as it’s finished. If we use the pancake example again, you’d cook one pancake, butter it, add syrup, and serve it – then move on to the next one. This might seem slower at first, but in fact, it’s far more efficient.

In construction, one piece flow might mean completing one process fully before moving on to the next, without waiting for all items to be processed. This ensures that each task is finished correctly and promptly.

Why One Piece Flow is Faster:

Although we’ve all been taught that batching is faster, the truth is that one piece flow leads to faster completion times. Why? It’s all about reducing context switching and eliminating unnecessary delays.

In one piece flow, as you focus on completing each step individually, you avoid the interruptions and delays that come from switching between multiple tasks. Instead of waiting for one part of a process to finish before moving on, you’re completing each task quickly and without delay.

A Real-World Example:

Let’s look at a company that specializes in exterior inspections and consulting. Initially, they were running late on reports every day because they used batching. They would do one inspection, but leave the report and follow-up email for later. This would cause them to fall behind on tasks throughout the day, leading to delays.

Once they switched to one piece flow, they completed the inspection and report for each job before moving on to the next. This shift allowed them to complete more inspections each day, reduce delays, and ultimately get their reports out on time. The results were remarkable, and the team was happier and more productive.

The Benefits of One Piece Flow:

There are several key benefits to using one piece flow:

  • Faster Completion: Focusing on one task at a time eliminates wasted time and allows for quicker completion.
  • Reduced Errors: By completing each task fully, you’re able to ensure that everything is done right before moving on.
  • Improved Efficiency: One piece flow helps streamline processes, reducing bottlenecks and delays.

Tools and Resources to Help You Implement One Piece Flow:

If you’re looking to implement one piece flow in your operations, there are several resources that can help. From specialized software to insightful articles and blogs, you can find plenty of tools to assist in transitioning from batching to one piece flow.

Conclusion:

Ultimately, adopting one piece flow can drastically improve the speed and efficiency of your processes. Whether you’re working in construction or any other industry, focusing on completing one task at a time, rather than batching, will save you time and increase your overall productivity.

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

Quantities For Estimating

Posted on by Danny Jiménez⁩

Why Quantity Takeoffs Are Essential for Accurate Estimating

In this blog, we’re diving into one of the most important—yet often overlooked—parts of the estimating and bidding process: quantity takeoffs. I talk a lot about estimating, bid leveling, and selecting the right trade partners, but none of it works if we don’t have accurate quantities.

The Problem: No Control Estimate = No Real Comparison

I was recently talking with a great general contractor who shared something telling: “We do a good job inviting trade partners to price the work, but we don’t do a good job yet of getting quantities or having control estimates.” That’s a common issue.

When bids come in without a control estimate, you don’t really know if a price is high or low. You’re flying blind. To fix that, you need a baseline—an independent quantity takeoff—to compare each bid against.

Why Many Teams Struggle:

  • Large companies often have reduced capacity due to heavy workloads.
  • Smaller companies might not have the technical capability in-house.

Either way, the task is necessary. You must know your quantities.

A Simple Fix: Third-Party Help or Software:

Here’s the good news: You don’t have to do it all yourself. There are affordable services and tools that can help with takeoffs. On a recent Lean Built project, we were short on time and used a third-party to perform takeoffs—and they nailed it. We double-checked and hit our budget targets. It wasn’t even that expensive.

The Core of the Issue: Bid Validation:

Trade partners are great, but even the best of them can submit bids with:

  • Incorrect quantities.
  • Incomplete scope.
  • Misleading per-square-foot numbers (especially in development, where usable vs. total square footage varies).

That’s why control estimates and quantity takeoffs are crucial. They help us avoid comparing apples to oranges.

My Key Advice: Build a Schedule of Quantities:

Here’s what I recommend:

  1. List the critical scope items that will impact pricing.
  2. Reference quantity survey manuals (many companies have them).
  3. Do takeoffs for each key item so you can validate trade partner bids.
  4. Leverage your designers. They already have much of this info—cut/fill volumes, material estimates, and more.

Tools You Can Use (Recommended Software):

I asked ChatGPT to help me find the most common quantity takeoff tools in construction. Here are a few great options:

  • PlanSwift.
  • Bluebeam Revu.
  • STACK.
  • Autodesk Takeoff.
  • On-Screen Takeoff.
  • Procore Estimating.

These tools can save time, reduce errors, and help you create internal benchmarks to compare against trade bids.

Final Thoughts:

This isn’t about mistrusting your trade partners. It’s about doing your job right—verifying scope, square footage, and quantities before locking in pricing. That’s how you prevent mistakes and set up your project for financial success.

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

How To Make A Production Plan

Posted on by Danny Jiménez⁩

How to Make a Production Plan – A Real Example from the Field

I’m super excited to share this blog with you because it’s all about how we built a production plan for a $120 million multifamily project—our first one at LeanTakt. Everything for this project is organized in a powerful software tool called InTakt.

But instead of just talking about production planning, I want to show you how it all comes together—from executive summaries and milestones to mobilization items, deferred submittals, long lead procurement, and the trade partner preparation process.

We’re going to walk through how to kick off production for site work, foundations, structure, interiors, and more. Seeing it all in place is key—so let’s not just talk about procurement or trade partner prep, let’s actually see it.

The Software We Use:

We use InTakt—our preferred Takt planning software. We’ve researched a lot of options over the years, and this one stands out for its simplicity, user-first design, and rapid development. The second half of this blog will show you how to create a production plan using InTakt.

Key Elements of the Production Plan:

Here’s how the software layout works:

  • Timeline on Top: This is a norm-level production plan—organized day-by-day.
  • Phases, Areas, and Zones on the Left: This layout helps you visualize everything clearly.
  • Full Functionality: You can customize and export your plan into CPM (Critical Path Method), which is a game changer.

Now let’s talk structure. The plan starts with:

  • Executive Summary & Milestones.
  • Bidding Process.
  • Trade Partner (TP) Preparation.
  • Procurement & Deferred Submittals.

Each section is logically tied into the production plan and exports with that logic. That means it’s not just for planning—it’s for managing real project execution.

Leveraging AI with ChatGPT:

Here’s something unique we’ve started doing: using ChatGPT to help identify long lead items and potential deferred submittals before the design is even finished.

We’ll ask ChatGPT something like:

“Hey, based on a multifamily building in this location, what are potential long lead items? Give me prep, review, and approval lead times.”

Even if it’s not 100% accurate, we’re managing it ahead of time. If something turns out irrelevant, we delete it. Simple. This proactive approach helps us stay ahead and reduce risk.

Site & Make-Ready Activities:

Within the production plan, we’ve incorporated:

  • Long lead procurement.
  • Deferred submittals.
  • Trade partner prep.
  • General requirements.
  • Critical timelines (e.g., temporary power sign-up, trailer setups).

After that, we move into civil work, foundations, exteriors, and interiors—all in a structure you’d expect from a solid Takt plan.

How the Production Plan Comes Together:

Here’s how to build a great production plan:

  1. Create the Master Schedule: This is your macro-level Takt plan.
  2. Pull Plan the First Sequence: For example, Zone A on Floor 1—this starts with input from trade partners.
  3. Use Multi-Rhythm Takt Planning: Different trades can run on different takt times. For example, Gypcrete may have its own rhythm separate from framing or drywall.
  4. Time-by-Location Format: Organize by zone and phase to maintain clarity.
  5. Include Trade Flow: Ensure your sequencing reflects how work actually flows across zones.

The goal is to create a plan with the right number of zones, the right sequence, and realistic buffers to handle risk.

Buffers & Milestones:

At the bottom of the plan, we always include a buffer. It might look large, but it’s necessary to account for risk, especially when aligning with your Substantial Completion Date.

So:

  • Add buffers strategically.
  • Ensure your milestones are clearly defined.
  • Understand how your plan flows from the end goal backward.

From End Date to Start Date:

We start with the end (substantial completion), then work backward to identify:

  • When interiors and exteriors need to wrap up.
  • When concrete and civil must begin.
  • When procurement and bidding must be complete.

For example, if our notice to proceed is May 19, everything—TP prep, deferred submittals, procurement—must be queued up to hit that start date.

The Process Recap:

  1. Start with the end date.
  2. Define zones and layout.
  3. Insert buffers for risk management.
  4. Work backward from completion to procurement.
  5. Make sure make-ready activities start on time.
  6. Use Takt planning software to visualize and manage it all.

We’ve used this system across many projects and it consistently leads to success. The key? Make a plan to succeed—and start on time.

Key Takeaway:

A successful production plan starts with the end in mind—by defining your substantial completion date, building in the right buffers, and working backward to align procurement, trade partner preparation, and make-ready activities. Using Takt planning software like InTakt and leveraging tools like ChatGPT allows you to visualize, manage, and execute your plan with clarity and confidence—all while staying ahead of risk.

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

Lift Drawings For Starting Construction

Posted on by Danny Jiménez⁩

Why You Need Lift Drawings to Start Construction the Right Way

No matter what type of project you’re working on — whether it’s a hospital, lab, airport, steel or concrete structure, or even a wood-framed multifamily building — lift drawings are essential for starting construction effectively.

In this blog, I’m breaking down what lift drawings are, why you need them, and how we’re using them on our current $120 million Lean Built multifamily project to set ourselves up for success.

What Are Lift Drawings?

A lift drawing is a coordination tool that pulls information from multiple drawing sets into one unified document. These drawings allow your team to see how all the pieces fit together — from structural to architectural to civil — so you can build with confidence.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to be self-performing the work or have field engineers on staff to benefit from lift drawings. These are just as critical for GCs managing subcontractors as they are for self-performers.

Real Examples from the Field:

Let’s take a closer look at how we’re implementing lift drawings at our West Fillmore project.

  • Dimensional Coordination Drawing: Our team literally drew every wall from the plans (not CAD or Bluebeam) to verify dimensions, anchor bolt locations, hold-downs, and edge of slab details. We uncovered 45+ issues that would’ve become RFIs later — all caught during this drawing process. Now, when we’re out in the field, we can QC the edge of slab, bolt locations, and more with precision using total station layouts.
  • Primary Control Plan: We created a site-wide lift drawing including basis of bearings, property corners, and northing/easting coordinates for each of the 9 buildings. This ensures our hired surveyors can tie everything back to known coordinates and establish reliable control for layout.
  • Structural QC Modeling: Because wood framing can be ambiguous and dependent on the framer’s experience, we built lift drawings and models of two full units to ensure accurate QC. We know exactly how hold-downs, post-tension slab, and anchor bolts should look — and can confirm it during inspections.
  • Additional Lift Drawings: Beyond structure, we’re also doing lift drawings for roof slopes, ceiling heights, MEP coordination, utility cut sections, and site flatwork — especially to ensure slopes don’t exceed tolerances.

Why Lift Drawings Matter:

Lift drawings do three things:

  1. Help you learn the building: You can’t build what you don’t understand.
  2. Reveal problems early: Issues get surfaced before construction, not during.
  3. Provide trades with buildable visuals: When everything’s clearly shown, your team knows what to do.

Whether you’re on a remodel, data center, or residential project — lift drawings are a must-have in pre-construction. They’re how you prevent quality issues, go faster, and create a strong foundation for success.

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