Elevate Construction

Logistics is more than deliveries, it's the hidden engine that keeps projects moving smoothly. In this high-energy conversation with Mark Story, we break down why logistics planning can make or break a job. From mega-projects to tight urban sites, the principles stay the same: plan ahead, keep it simple, and always think with the end in mind.

What you'll learn in this episode:

• The golden rules of logistics every superintendent should know.

• Why logistics plans must evolve as your project changes.

• How to scale logistics for small jobs versus massive builds.

• The role of truck drivers, routes, signage, and staging areas.

• How prefab, buffer zones, and laydown grids can speed up production.

Mark shares real stories from buses colliding with pump trucks to truck drivers lost in congested campuses that prove why planning is non-negotiable. If you want to stop putting out fires and start running smooth, predictable projects, this episode is for you.

👉 Tune in now and take your logistics game to the next level.

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

Micromanagement gets blamed for everything. Jason pulls apart the viral advice and shows when close guidance is actually teaching, how capability and team stage change what leaders must do, and why meetings and details aren't the enemy. It's a frank reset on accountability, trust, and what real leadership looks like on the job.

• When close guidance is right: explain, demonstrate, guide, enable.
• Forming and storming need more check-ins so work can move in short cycles.
• Meetings are the work when teams are not side-by-side.
• Details matter: tighten quality where it protects brand, clients, and safety.
• Never okay: stealing ideas or hogging credit.
• The better response: communicate, shorten iterations, build trust, and raise your own quality bar.

If you lead people, this episode gives you a clearer lens and practical moves you can use today.

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

Projects rarely go wrong. They start wrong. In this punchy breakdown, Jason spotlights Adam Beanie's framework and ties it to the builder's code Never yield ground so you can protect finished work, keep control, and deliver.

• The big miss: inadequate planning and starting before you're ready.
• Leadership alignment: PM and superintendent in lockstep or the job suffers.
• Scope change creep: why phased design spins teams out and how to stop it.
• Scheduling truth: CPM confusion vs the rhythm and flow of Takt.
• Team capability: put the right people on the bus and skill them up.
• Incentives: how contracts drive behavior and how to align them.
• Risk and information: continuous risk scanning and real time updates to the field.

Clear. Applicable. Field ready. Press play, level up your next kickoff, and hold the ground you've earned.

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

Quick, energetic recap from Salt Lake City plus a listener question that turns into rapid fire, practical guidance on what actually works on site.

• Where AI saves time today: takeoffs, RFIs, submittal registers, meeting notes, and when to still write key items by hand.
• Tools that matter now: ChatGPT for writing and notes, plus purpose built platforms for estimating, reality capture, and schedule insight.
• First Planner vs Takt vs Last Planner what each system is for and how they fit together.
• Roadblocks vs constraints, why over prioritizing backfires and how to visualize and clear the path fast.
• What is coming next: General Superintendent book progress, Takt update, student video series, and the one day Builder Huddle.

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

Recordables are down across the industry, yet fatalities have not moved. In this episode, Highwire Chief Safety Officer David Tibbetts shows how to stop chasing TRIR and start preventing serious injury and fatality by focusing on the work that can change a life in a single moment.

• What SIF really means: life ending, life threatening, and life altering. • Why TRIR alone can mislead and how to pair it with exposure tracking. • How to make pretask plans actually useful by centering high risk tasks and critical controls. • Where to invest limited energy and attention so crews stay safe for real. • Fast moves for this week daily SIF scan, top three risks in huddles, verify controls before start, log SIF potential events.

If you lead people on a job, this gives you a clear, exposure focused playbook you can apply today. Press play and send every worker home safe.

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

What happens when a builder refuses to settle for "business as usual"? Michael Chavez, Project Manager at Sky Blue Builders, shares how Super PM bootcamp reshaped the way he leads, plans, and runs projects. From energizing meetings to building people first, Michael reveals the simple habits that keep momentum alive long after training ends.

If you want practical tactics and real inspiration for leading in construction, this episode will fire you up.

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 uncovers why Japan's lean revolution succeeded while the U.S. drifted away from the very principles it created. The answer lies in humility, respect for people, and the power of working as one united team.

Inside this episode:

• The forgotten U.S. production miracle of WWII and how Japan carried it forward.

• Why humility after the war fueled Japan's lean culture while America lost it.

• How total participation transforms project sites from worker huddles to safety culture to trade partner alignment.

• Why foreman meetings, visual systems, and zero-tolerance for chaos aren't optional, they're the foundation of flow.

• The hard truth: Lean will never take root in construction until everyone participates.

If you're tired of trades working in silos, projects bogged down by excuses, and the industry lagging behind manufacturing, this episode is your wake-up call.

👉 Hit play and discover how to build a jobsite culture where every crew, every trade, and every leader moves together because without total participation, there is no lean.

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

This episode wraps up our Last Planner series and sets the stage for a brand-new Last Planner Implementation Guide with real-world visuals and field-proven steps.

Here's what you'll learn:

• Why the classic "should–can–will–did" ladder fails and how to rebuild it with macro-level Takt so your plans are both realistic and reliable.
• How to structure work by zones, not dates, to shorten throughput time without fantasy durations.
• Why shielding and screening at the weekly level is already too late and what to do months earlier instead.
• The power of First Run Studies (done 3–6 weeks out) to guarantee crews only start what they can finish on time.
• How to use workable backlog as swing capacity for the train of trades keeping flow intact and crews productive.
• A clear line in the sand: why CPM can't be your master schedule and what to use instead.

This isn't just theory, it's the foundation for a field-ready manual that teams can actually follow. If you're serious about reliable promises, real flow, and project delivery that works, this episode is your blueprint.

👉 Hit play and close out the Last Planner series strong.

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

If you've ever struggled with making construction schedules truly reliable, this episode is a must-listen. Jason continues his series on the Last Planner System with a deep dive into the 2020 Benchmark, breaking down what's working, what's missing, and where the industry needs to head next.

From field engineering as the backbone of quality and safety, to the real meaning of reliable promises, Jason unpacks how detailed task breakdowns, constraint removal, and full-kit readiness set the stage for project success. He also shares insights on:

• Why lookahead planning is more than just a meeting, it's a commitment to roadblock-free work.

• How Percent Plan Complete (PPC) can mislead you, and the better metric you should be tracking.

• Why integration with Takt planning and flow-based work packaging is essential for the next generation of Last Planner.

• The Benchmark's push for target value delivery, adaptability, and continuous learning.

This isn't theory, it's practical, battle-tested insight designed for builders who want to lead with clarity, reliability, and flow.

If you're ready to level up your planning game and see how Last Planner ties directly to Takt and real project delivery, hit play now.

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 took a hard look at the Last Planner System, what works, what doesn't, and why it desperately needs a reset.

From daily huddles that prioritize foremen over craftworkers, to the misuse of "constraints" vs. real roadblocks, to static boards that kill flow, we pull no punches in critiquing where our industry is stuck. You'll hear why:

• Morning huddles waste critical craft time (and what to do instead).

• Roadblocks must replace "constraints" in our language and practice.

• Visual boards should drive problem-solving, not just display commitments.

• Why percent plan complete (PPC) isn't enough, we need new KPIs.

• Pull planning should always use one sticky per day and avoid batching.

Lean systems should evolve, not stagnate. If we want Last Planner 2.0 (or 3.0) to actually deliver, we've got to stop repeating bad habits and start building trust, flow, and clarity on our projects.

🔥 This episode is part critique, part blueprint and if you care about improving how we plan and build, you won't want to miss it.

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