Elevate Construction

The 8 Wastes of construction use the acronym DOWNTIME: Defects, Overproduction, Waiting, Nonutilized talent, Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Extra processing. The 5S methodology is Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain. Create standard work for common tasks so everyone does them the same way. Zero tolerance safety policy means if someone does not wear safety glasses, send them home for the day to refocus. Safety glasses are a psychological trigger because if they will not wear glasses, they will not wear fall protection properly.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• 8 Wastes DOWNTIME: defects, overproduction, waiting, nonutilized talent, transportation, inventory, motion, extra processing
• 5S methodology: sort, set in order, shine, standardize, sustain for organization and cleanliness
• Standard work: document common tasks so everyone does them the same way consistently
• Zero tolerance enforcement: send worker home for day to refocus, email company, retrain through orientation
• Safety glasses as trigger: minimum standards kept like important standards, sets behavioral expectations on site

If someone will not wear their safety glasses, they will not wear their fall protection properly, because the important standards will be kept like the minimum standards are kept.

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

Read How to Win Friends and Influence People to learn skills not taught in schools or trades. Create 14 communication resolutions like no cussing, no accusing, never get angry, stay moral, bring high energy. Learn Excel, Bluebeam, and P6 because superintendents must be proficient with technology. Stay out of the box by presuming positive intentions. Jason cussed out a mechanical contractor about air handlers and threatened to kill somebody, got in trouble, and realized he was in the box.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Communication resolutions: no cussing, no accusing, never get angry, bring excitement and love to every interaction
• Technology proficiency: Excel for logistics and schedules, Bluebeam for coordination, P6 for CPM scheduling
• Visual communication: get plan out of your head, use laminated schedules, huddle boards, maps, whiteboards
• Harness team energy: sense of urgency, acceptable pace, optimism and morale drive production
• Stay out of the box: presume positive intentions, stop exaggerating faults, choose right thing before reaction escalates

When negativity occurs with others there is a tendency to begin deceiving ourselves about their intentions and behaviors, and the only way to get out of the box is to do the right thing by choosing to stop letting others control your behavior and assuming they have good intentions.

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

Success without fulfillment is the ultimate failure. Superintendents must create a mission for personal life and work, examine resolve to carry it out, and set up habits that support their goals. If you don't write it down, it ain't going to happen. Always act with honesty and integrity even when it costs money. One superintendent made a $300,000 sewer line mistake but admitted it openly and kept his career.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Create mission and resolutions: outline unique talents, what you want life to mean, who you want to be
• Note-taking system: voice recorder story, write everything down, reference three times daily, no memory is good enough
• Habits support mission: daily routine to read resolutions, consistent weekly and monthly practices to share talents
• Morals and ethics foundation: without them all other success will fail, spiritual well-being strengthens character
• Honesty and integrity: always do right thing, admit mistakes immediately, widen circle in the moment, never hide errors

You will never be hindered in your career, ever, if you are honest and act with integrity, because you will always be able to take that next step, improve, and be able to act in a manner that will bring you success and fulfillment throughout your career.

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

Being a good neighbor is one of the main responsibilities of a superintendent. Treat the neighbor on the corner as if your own grandmother lived there. We are in construction to build people first who then in turn build great buildings and great things. We make money when workers work, not when we send emails or hold meetings. Craft workers are the heroes and deserve our respect and reverence.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Be a good neighbor: protect neighbors like family, treat everyone as customers, develop heart connection with care
• Build people first: we are customer service business, take care of needs, make people the priority
• Exhaust bad behavior: success determined by worst behavior leader tolerates, have standards and enforce them
• Support the craft: workers are heroes who make money, not necessary evil, optimize their work with materials and instructions
• Field engineers: training position, eyes and ears of superintendent, support craft by creating flow and continuity

The transportation, fabrication, coordination, design, and management are all non-value add actions necessary to prepare for the moment when the worker works, because the money is earned when the work is being put into place by the craft.

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

We do not need superintendents with the plan only in their heads. We need givers, not takers. Takers want control and credit by keeping information in their heads. Givers share time and knowledge for throughput of communication on site. Well-run meetings are amazing and should have healthy conflict.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Hold effective meetings: clear purpose, prepare beforehand, hook from outset, keep attention, provoke healthy conflict
• Taker versus giver mentality: takers keep plan in head for control and credit, givers share visually for throughput
• Short interval scheduling: Level 1 and 2 superintendents focus on details tied to master schedule milestones
• Production tracking: percent plan complete scores track commitments, identify roadblocks, grade contractor performance
• Fanatical roadblock removal: key to any production tracking system, maintain flow by removing obstacles immediately

When superintendents keep the plan in their heads instead of on a visual schedule, trade partners are confused, without direction, and not productive because they are waiting for the superintendent to come and save the day with information that only he or she has.

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

Cleanliness is the best indicator of a project's health and stability. If it's not clean, it's not going well. The set point must be set to perfection. If the superintendent's set point is set to dirty, it will always return to that state.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Cleanliness as pulse check: can't assess safety, quality, morale, materials, flow, or schedule on dirty project
• Set point concept: works like thermostat, must be set to perfection not good enough
• Clean and steady rallying cry: Tucson lab story, no cleanup crews, led by example in English and Spanish
• Deliver results without excuse: don't tolerate bad morale, lack of safety, uncleanliness, chaos, poor communication, unbalanced lives
• Muda, Muri, Mura: waste, overburden, unevenness cause project failure beyond just management or finances

If we expect and strive for anything but perfection we will get mediocrity, and only when people know that we expect perfection will they get out of the normal, mediocre, and disgusting state of our industry.

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

The Art of the Builder is a principle-based leadership guide for superintendents. The Hammer Story: Dave only yelled and threw hard hats. Mike asked if he would fire a carpenter who could only use a hammer. Dave realized he only knew one management tool and needed more leadership tools beyond pushing.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• The Hammer Story: superintendent only knew how to yell, needed more leadership tools
• Cultural creation: internal culture determines destiny more than external conditions
• Command and control: builder's responsibility after owner provides funding and design
• Outstanding electrician: preparation wasted when GC fails to provide controlled project
• Chaos indicators: schedules behind, bad quality, safety issues mean no command

If you don't have the full range of leadership tools on your superintendent tool belt, you're nothing but a pusher, and pushers are a dime a dozen in this industry.

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

The Art of the Builder is a principle-based leadership guide for superintendents. The Hammer Story: Dave was a hard-nosed superintendent who only yelled and threw hard hats. Mike asked: if a carpenter could only use a hammer, what would you do? Dave said he would fire him. Mike responded: you only know one management tool. You're nothing but a pusher. Dave returned three days later wanting to hear the story again.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• The Hammer Story: superintendent only knew how to yell, realized he needed more leadership tools beyond pushing
• Cultural creation: internal culture determines destiny more than external conditions
• Command and control: builder's responsibility after owner provides funding and design
• Outstanding electrician: preparation wasted when GC fails to provide controlled project
• Chaos indicators: schedules behind, bad quality, safety issues mean no command or control

If you don't have leadership tools, you're nothing but a pusher.

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

A Norwegian philosopher wrote that the meaning of life is improvement. Sisyphus rolled a rock up a hill for eternity as a life without meaning. Stop Decorating the Fish teaches us not to improve the wrong process. Don't organize waste. Are you pushing rocks up hills that are meaningless? The art of continuous improvement is personal. What you choose to work on is unique like art. Workers want to do good projects. Listen to understand their intentions. Find their natural lean behaviors. Meet people where they are. Speak their language.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• Sisyphus myth: meaningless work versus improvement as life's purpose
• Stop Decorating the Fish: focus on whether you should do it not just how
• Natural behaviors: workers already do things well, identify and build from there
• Fishing rod principle: trust people can solve problems, give rod not fish
• Meeting people where they are: boss drew pictures for workers who couldn't read, productivity tripled

Nobody wants to be a terrorist. Everybody wants to win.

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

Jason, Felipe Engineer-Manriquez, Spencer Easton, and Reno Schroeder reflect on their time in Munich with Janosch Dlouhy, Marco Binninger, Saskia, and Magdalena. They share what it was like to walk the BMW production line, watch a finished car roll off every 58 seconds, and play through the Takt simulations that Felipe says blew away everything he thought was possible with Takt. The conversation lands on a vision of a future where Takt, Scrum, and automation transform how trades are paid, supplied, and supported on every project.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• What flow feels like when Takt math is used to optimize Takt zones before any planning begins

• How BMW runs a production line where the platform moves with the cars and quality buffers are built in

• The vision for automated Takt systems that handle materials, payments, and quality through the platform

• Why software should do what humans cannot, freeing humans to plan, build, and coach

• Why training days, rain days, and prep days beat pushing trades through chaos

Could you imagine arriving at a jobsite where everything you need is staged, swept, and ready to go like opening a brand new package? That future is closer than the industry realizes.

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