Elevate Construction

In this episode, Jason dives into the pitfalls of advanced work packaging when it's improperly implemented. Using examples from data centers and large industrial projects, he explains how poorly sized construction work packages, installation work packages, and improperly leveled zones can lead to months of wasted time, bottlenecks, and misaligned trade flows.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• How improperly sized work packages and zones create delays and bottlenecks.
• Why advanced work packaging without trade input can hinder performance.
• How to structure construction, procurement, and engineering work packages correctly.
• The role of Takt principles in optimizing installation workflows.
• How to save months of project time by properly zoning and leveling work.

Are your work packages actually helping your project or secretly slowing it down?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

In this episode, Jason discusses the concept of "professional A-holes" polished, classical business management leaders who, despite their appearance and manners, create psychological unsafety and hinder people's growth. Using examples from corporate environments, Jason explains how these individuals operate with control, fear, and intimidation rather than service and support, and contrasts them with strategic, purposeful communication, including occasional use of cuss words for impact and learning.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• The difference between toxic, polished leadership and intentional, disruptive guidance.
• How classical business management approaches can create fear and limit performance.
• Why psychological safety is critical in construction leadership.
• How deliberate communication can enhance learning and impact.
• How to reflect on your own leadership style and influence.

Will you choose to be a professional A-hole, or a leader who enables growth and safety for your team?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

In this episode, Jason explores a critical question for leaders: are your company's core values truly operationalized? It's not enough to have values posted on the wall, they must actively guide hiring, discipline, decision-making, and daily operations.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• How to assess whether your core values are truly reflected in your operations and systems.
• The difference between core values and aspirational values, and why both matter.
• Practical examples from Lean systems on embedding values into daily work.
• How operationalized values drive real results, transparency, and team enjoyment.

Are your company's values just words on a wall, or are they driving the decisions and behaviors that define your culture?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

In this episode, Jason discusses the importance of starting with entry-level positions in construction to build strong foundations for lean culture and high-performing teams. He explains why shaping people early in their careers allows leaders to instill the right habits, processes, and mindset without having to deprogram previous toxic behaviors.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why entry-level hires are crucial for instilling lean culture and proper habits.
• How to avoid deprogramming challenges by shaping people early.
• The role of leadership in developing field engineers and project engineers.
• Why starting fresh leads to high-performing, resilient teams.
• How proper onboarding impacts project success and team alignment.

Are you building your team from the ground up or trying to fix behaviors later that could have been shaped from day one?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

In this episode, Jason challenges the construction industry's obsession with excessive documentation, paperwork, RFIs, submittals, narratives, and reporting systems that often create more waste than value. While proper documentation is necessary, Jason argues that much of what the industry records is never actually used and simply steals time away from building the project right.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why excessive documentation creates waste in construction.
• How RFIs and submittals expose deeper process problems.
• Why most reporting systems are built around protecting failure instead of enabling success.
• The difference between necessary documentation and pointless bureaucracy.
• Why "we've always done it that way" is not a valid reason for a process.
• How lean thinking applies to project reporting and communication.
• Why the goal should be building the project right not documenting why it went wrong.

Are your systems helping people build better or just creating more paperwork nobody will ever use?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

In this episode, Jason explains why trade partner participation before the pull plan is one of the clearest indicators of future project performance. If a trade partner won't complete the pull plan homework ahead of time, Jason argues that you already know how they will show up during the project, in meetings, material handling, prefab coordination, communication, and overall reliability.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• The difference between Pull Planning 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0.
• Why pull plan homework predicts future trade partner performance.
• How weak leadership creates poor trade participation.
• Why pre-construction processes are really interviews for project behavior.
• How early warning signals can save a project months later.
• Why accountability and respect must work together in leadership.
• How the contracting and onboarding phases shape project success.

Are your trade partners proving they're ready before the project starts or revealing future problems you're ignoring?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

In this episode, Jason explains why a pull plan alone is not enough to create reliable schedules. While pull planning is critical for collaboration, sequencing, and trade buy-in, it must always be balanced against historical project data, what Jason calls the "reference class." The key lesson: never let optimism override reality. Great pull plans combine collaboration with historical evidence.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why CPM and rigid single-train Takt planning are both flawed extremes.
• What multi-train Takt planning actually means.
• How trades can flow together without forcing unnatural rhythms.
• What a "reference class" is and why it matters.
• Why pull plans must be validated against historical project data.
• How optimism and "rose-colored glasses" can derail schedules.
• Why historical throughput data should guide milestone commitments.

Are you building schedules based only on opinions or grounding them in real production history?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

In this episode, Jason challenges one of the most misunderstood concepts in lean construction: the idea that eliminating waste is always the primary goal. While waste reduction matters, Jason explains why focusing only on "cutting waste" can actually destroy flow, destabilize systems, and hurt project performance.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why eliminating waste is not the ultimate goal of lean.
• How the Theory of Constraints changes the way we think about efficiency.
• Why buffers and stabilization time are essential to production flow.
• How over-focusing on utilization can damage project performance.
• Why non-working foremen, empty zones, and standby resources are sometimes necessary.
• How system thinking prevents "lean" from becoming destructive.

Are you optimizing individual activities or protecting the overall flow of the system?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

In this episode, Jason dives into a powerful logistics concept that can completely change how construction teams organize work in the field. He explains the "five-and-five" principle: can workers access everything they need within five steps and five seconds? along with the idea that all visual information and standard work should be understandable from ten feet away.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• What the "five-and-five" principle means in construction logistics.
• Why all tools and materials should be accessible within five steps and five seconds.
• How visual systems should be readable from ten feet away.
• Why logistics not firefighting is the key to production flow.
• How strike zones, carts, shadow boards, and Kanban systems improve efficiency.
• Why the field is for installing work not figuring things out.

Are your crews spending their time installing or searching, walking, and scrambling for what they need?

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw

In this episode, Jason tackles a major misconception in the construction industry: the idea of "pre-Takt," "out of Takt," or "non-Takt" areas. He explains why every part of a project can and should be Takt when you truly understand what the Takt Production System is designed to do.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Why "pre-Takt" and "out of Takt" are misconceptions.
• What the Takt Production System is actually designed to accomplish.
• Why every project area can be organized into zones and sequences.
• How buffers stabilize production flow.
• Why Takt planning is about flow and progression, not perfect uniformity.
• How different Takt times can still work together within one production system.

If you like the Elevate Construction podcast, please subscribe for free and you'll never miss an episode. And if you really like the Elevate Construction podcast, I'd appreciate you telling a friend (Maybe even two 😊).

Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:

· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg

· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt

· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured

· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw