Most projects don't fail in the field they fail before boots ever hit the site. In this episode, Jason walks through the builder's pre-construction game plan for "winning the war before going to battle," from strategy and flow to procurement, team setup, and workforce support. If you want a job that runs with clarity instead of chaos, this is the checklist-style breakdown of what to design, buy out, and align before Notice to Proceed.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:
· Why planning is the real "battle," and how most teams lose before construction even starts
· How a morning routine (and box breathing) supports focus so you can actually execute your systems
· What "anchor projects" are and why your best people should learn from them and replicate the model
· The first-planner steps: project strategy, constraints, contract requirements, flow, and sequencing maps
· Why Takt planning belongs before CPM/P6/Microsoft Project and how it protects trade flow
· How a day-to-day geographic logistics analysis reveals the real production limits on tight sites
· The WBS → sequence → logic-tie approach that prevents "compressing the schedule to fit a date"
· How to identify bottlenecks and stabilize throughput instead of speeding up random activities
· Building procurement into the plan early especially exterior systems, elevators, and long-leads
· How to build the team in pre-con: roles by geography, leader standard work, and team health systems
· Designing trailers and office layouts for collaboration (so lean actually has a chance to work)
· Workforce win strategies: bathrooms, lunchrooms, huddles, parking, water/ice, and making work fun
· "Contracts and costs for culture": buying out the behaviors you want (LPS, JIT, coordination, BIM)
· Schedule health essentials: right detail level, commissioning/startup, monthly health checks and risk
· Risk prevention systems: basis of schedule, sequence maps, trade partner buy-in, fresh-eyes reviews
· The baseline discipline: backups, reports, owner interface strategy, and weekly schedule updates
If you want remarkable performance in the field, you have to design the job people, logistics, culture, procurement, and flow in pre-con. Win the war first. Then go to battle.
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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
