Elevate Construction

In this episode, Jason Schroeder explains why the layout of space whether on a jobsite or in a manufacturing facility can quietly become your most limiting constraint if it isn't designed on purpose. Through real-world examples from modular manufacturing and construction sites, he shows how poor layouts choke flow, create bottlenecks, and force costly rework. The core message is simple: design the production system first, then design the space to support it otherwise the space will control you instead of the other way around. What you'll learn in this episode: Why space layout often becomes the hidden bottleneck in production and construction. How to design the production system first and let it dictate the layout of the space. The role of flow, bottlenecks, and Takt thinking in designing manufacturing and jobsite layouts. How poor site layouts create excess motion, transportation, and wasted cost. Why beginning with the end in mind prevents trailers, conexes, and equipment from blocking progress. Where is your space limiting your flow and what would change if you redesigned the layout to support the work instead of fighting 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

Overproduction is the hidden root of instability on jobsites, and it's one of the fastest ways to trigger every other form of waste. In this episode, Jason Schroeder explains how producing too much too early creates excess inventory, extra movement, defects, rework, waiting, and even physical strain on crews. Using a real story and field examples, he shows why one-piece flow, staying inside your Takt rhythm, and bringing materials just-in-time are the only ways to protect flow and keep the job stable. What you'll learn in this episode: Why overproduction and excess inventory trigger the other wastes on a project. How batching work (or materials) creates defects, rework, motion, and waiting. Why building "ahead" of your Takt rhythm creates damage risk and punchlist instability. How staging materials too early blocks access, slows production, and kills flow. What "just-in-time" material delivery looks like from vendor to laydown to zone. If overproduction is creating chaos, what would change if your crews only built what was needed where it was needed, right when it was needed? 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 Schroeder explains why "holding start dates" is one of the most important discipline moves a superintendent can make on a Takt-based project. He breaks down how moving trades up "because someone finished early" creates variation, disrupts rhythm, overburdens crews, and actually extends total project duration even when it feels like you're speeding things up. What you'll learn in this episode: Why Takt requires start-to-start rhythm, not "pull" that waits on the trade in front without target times. How moving start dates creates variation that increases overall duration and throughput time. Why forcing trades to accelerate triggers sandbagging, distrust, and overburdening the workforce. How holding buffers protects finishing work: punch, cleaning, training, and demobilization. Why changing start dates also disrupts supply chains for materials, information, and resources. Where on your project are you creating chaos by "moving things up," instead of protecting the rhythm that actually finishes the job sooner? 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 Schroeder and Mark Story dig into what it really takes to scale a construction business because winning bigger work is easy compared to delivering it. They explain why companies fail when they scale revenue without scaling people, why "panic hiring" destroys projects, and how the only reliable path is to work backwards: define the target, then build the training systems, meeting cadence, and leadership capability to match it. What You'll Learn In This Episode: Why scaling work without scaling people creates predictable project failure. How to "work it backwards" from growth targets to the training and leadership capacity required. Why panic hiring and "winging it" on big jobs leads to toxic behavior and blown outcomes. How consistent meeting systems and long-term planning blocks create stability and recovery. Why training camps beat incentives and how building people prevents write-downs and burnout. If you're trying to grow, are you building the system and the people first or just hoping the next big job won't expose the gaps? 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 breaks down what stability actually looks like on a construction project and why it takes courage, clarity, and decisive leadership to create it. Using real-world examples from the Bioscience Research Laboratory, he explains how clean, safe, organized environments don't happen by accident and why most teams avoid the discipline required to achieve them. This episode challenges leaders to move past fear and indecision and intentionally build stability as the foundation for excellence. What You'll Learn In This Episode: What true stability looks like on a real construction project. Why humans are not naturally wired for cleanliness, order, and finishing. How fear and hesitation prevent leaders from creating stability. What clean, safe, and organized sites signal to workers and trade partners. Why stability must be enforced before collaboration can work. How lean leaders create discipline without chaos or burnout. What elite projects do differently from day one. Why spotless environments are common across high-performing organizations. If you want better performance, stop waiting for buy-in and start setting standards. Stability is not optional, it's the entry requirement for improvement. Decide what "clean, safe, and organized" means on your project, enforce it consistently, and lead with confidence. That's how real progress starts. 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 explains a hard truth many teams avoid: you cannot improve chaos. Through real project stories, he shows why coaching tasks and pushing harder never works when a site is disorganized, unsafe, and unstable. This episode breaks down why cleanliness, order, and standards are not optional and why stability must come before any attempt at improvement. What You'll Learn In This Episode: Why improvement efforts fail when a project is chaotic. How cleanliness, safety, and organization create real control on a project. Why projects finished in chaos stay late, over budget, and burned out. The role of stability and standardization as the foundation of improvement. How lean thinking collapses without a clean, safe, organized environment. Why "bright ideas" don't matter if the system isn't stable. How 5S directly supports production, flow, and reliability. The visual difference between improvement in chaos vs. improvement with standards. If you want to apply this immediately, stop trying to fix outcomes and start fixing the environment. Clean the site. Remove excess inventory. Organize the laydown. Make safety and order non-negotiable. Once the project is stable, then and only then continuous improvement actually works. 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 continues the conversation about feedback and expectations, then pivots into a key operational lesson: iterations and checks. Using real experiences managing freelancers, he explains why fast, frequent updates beat "big batch" deliveries every time, and how lack of transparency creates stress, wasted effort, and broken trust. What You'll Learn In This Episode: Why "batching" work until the last minute creates stress, rework, and distrust. How fast iterations and frequent checks keep projects aligned and moving. The difference between a top performer and a "black cloud" teammate in execution. What transparency looks like in real work: mockups, previews, updates, and questions. How silence and non-responsiveness make leaders wonder if work is even happening. Why getting feedback early protects both the worker and the customer. How to build one-piece flow thinking into communication and deliverables The mindset shifts from "turn in perfect work once" to "show progress and adjust". If you want to apply this immediately, start one habit today: send progress updates early and often. Don't wait until you think it's perfect. Show the draft, ask the questions, get the check, and adjust. That's how you build trust, protect the schedule, and become the person everyone wants to work with. 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 negative review hits Jason's CPM book, and instead of ignoring it, he breaks it down point by point. In this episode, you'll hear the difference between thoughtful critique and sloppy "cheap seats" commentary, plus why Jason believes CPM's underlying mindset creates predictable waste, even when people claim they're "hybridizing" it. What You'll Learn In This Episode: How to respond to negative feedback without letting it derail the mission. Why anonymous reviews can reward careless behavior and hurt valuable work. The difference between critique that helps and critique that just tears down. Jason's core argument about CPM: it drives overburden, WIP, rushing, and instability. Why "we don't use pure CPM" doesn't hold up in real owner/legal/arbitration settings. What it actually costs to edit and produce books, and why "self-published" isn't an insult. A challenge to critics: publish something, propose a better system, and stand behind it. If this episode hit home, take the next step and audit how you give feedback to people on your team. Don't do cheap-seat commentary. Be specific, be fair, and bring a solution. 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

Lean implementation doesn't start with a program, it starts with the leader, and it has to be driven from the top. In this episode, Jason gives a passionate reminder that you can't delegate lean to a VP, a lean director, a consultant, or a committee and expect it to stick. He breaks down why lean must become the company's main operating system, not a side project, and why real change requires authority paired with daily example. If you want lean to work at scale, this is the mindset shift. What you'll learn in this episode: Why lean must be led by the top leader not delegated How "lean as a side job" guarantees failure The difference between influence and authority when implementing change Why committees and decision-by-group create chaos instead of improvement What daily lean leadership looks like in real life If you're the leader, what are you personally doing every day to prove lean is the operating system, not a slogan? 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

Lean isn't a 1.0 program it's a pursuit, and if you think you're "done," you haven't even started scratching the surface. In this episode, Jason challenges you to go 10 times further than what most teams call "lean," with a vision for truly advanced planning, logistics, visual systems, and training that creates real muscle memory in the field. He also shares what he's building next with Last Planner content and why "good enough" is the enemy of great on modern projects. If you want a hopeful push to keep improving and live a remarkable life, this one's for you. What you'll learn in this episode: Why "lean 1.0" is only the starting point and what 10x implementation really looks like How to think about next-level Last Planner execution (2.0, 3.0) instead of the "old way" Why the industry must train and mass-produce construction professionals to match today's demand What advanced jobsite systems could include: visual controls, logistics queuing, tracking, drones, and daily real-time visuals How to stay motivated, keep learning, and build momentum without burning out. If you could take your current "lean" effort 10 times further, what would you change first? 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