Continuous improvement is the house built on the foundation of stability and standards. There is no flow, there is no production, and there is no improvement outside of a stable environment. Stability enables everything you are attempting to do as a crew leader.
This is Part 26 of my walk-through of my book Elevating Construction Foremen. If you are just joining, start with Part 1. This part is about creating stability on the jobsite: a clean, safe, organized project, a balanced team, managing delays, holding start dates, and using the meeting system.
Short answer: A stable environment comes from five things: a clean, safe, and organized project, a balanced and healthy team, delays managed intelligently with the team, start dates that are held, and a meeting system used to plan the collective how of the work. Miss any one of them, and your team and your environment may not be stable enough to make production.
Why Must the Project Be Clean, Safe, and Organized?
We have covered this three times now, so I will be brief. Your work must be perfectly clean, safe, and organized. If it is not, you won’t even be able to see the other concepts I’m writing about, and your mind isn’t in a position to implement them even if you could. There is no progress or production in a dirty, unsafe, and disorganized project, and there shouldn’t be, because it disrespects people. Dirty, unsafe, and disorganized zones are unbecoming of a good crew leader.
What Makes a Team Balanced and Healthy?
Your crew, you, and your office team must all be balanced. This is often ignored, but it is one of the most common deviations from good project execution I know of. Team balance means clear roles, not being overworked, and being able to focus. Team health is when the team is working together properly.
If you or your team gets out of balance with distractions, non-value-add meetings, unnecessary paperwork, excessive changes, or heavy bureaucracy, you must say something. If someone is not a good fit, or the dynamics on your crew or company teams are cancerous, the problem must be fixed immediately. You cannot stay silent or wait another minute. Book one of Elevating Construction Senior Superintendents is entirely focused on how to build teams, and it applies to you and your crew nicely. Start with Elevating Construction Senior Superintendents – Part 1.
How Should Crew Leaders Manage Delays?
Delays will happen at work, period. It is life on a construction project. They must be managed intelligently to benefit your team and the whole project team. When a delay happens, these are your options:
| Option | What it means |
|---|---|
| Stop the train and swing to workable backlog | The whole train of trades stops and gets a small extension on the takt deadline. Trades can finish, prepare, or move to workable backlog: work that is ready but not part of the critical flow. |
| Stop the train and fix the problem | Wait and prepare while the delay is fixed. It sounds scary, but it may be more cost effective than starting other work just to be busy. |
| Pull the delayed zone out | If the zone isn’t dependent on the others, recover it with a separate crew on its own pull plan or scrum board while the train ignores it and keeps going. |
| Pull the train car out | If a delayed wagon isn’t dependent on the other work packages, put it on its own takt time or schedule. |
| Recover within the wagon | Swarm the problem with company resources, workable backlog swing capacity, and sometimes help from other trades. |
These are my preferred and default options. Discuss them in crew leader huddles or the trade partner weekly tactical. The last option, which I would not recommend at all, is to trade stack and start working overtime. That only leads to the productivity losses from the start of Part Two. See Swing Capacity & Workable Backlog and Takt Steering & Control Book – Delays.
Why Should Crews Hold Start Dates?
I love this concept. Holding start dates means you do not start your work in the next zone until it is scheduled to start. This is wildly important on takt projects where the train moves to the takt time beat, but it’s a good practice anyway because it aligns resources. Construction depends on supply chains and separate entities preparing the work. In design, you can move start dates quite a bit because it relies on one resource, the design team. Move a start date in construction, and you may be changing the work for the equipment supplier, layout technicians, other crews, the labor company, the inspection team, the office team, the supply chain, and many others.
Going sooner than planned could ripple 15 to 150 to 1,500 different waves through the work of our trades and vendors. It seems small, but it reinforces the chaos of the system and slows down production. And starting sooner usually comes at the expense of workers, quality, and the proper use of your buffer. Moving dates earlier should not be the default. You can do it only if all of these are met:
- You are 100% finished in your current zone.
- All work is inspected and signed off in your current zone.
- You have used your buffer to train your workers.
- You have prepared your next work area properly and done a reflection.
- The next and previous trades agree to the push.
- It does not overproduce and cause waste for anyone.
More in Holding Start Dates.
How Should Crew Leaders Use the Meeting System?
The meeting system on site should not be a burden on you. It should be a systematic and consistent time where you can ask for and get what you need. One of the most important meetings is the afternoon crew leader huddle. Project teams really start to flow when they discuss takt steering and control items there and come up with a plan they can all see, know, and execute. Your production and the speed of the train will only go as fast and as well as it is visually coordinated daily as a team. See The Afternoon Foreman Huddle.
So here is the challenge. Score your crew on each of the five this week, from clean and safe to the meeting system. Pick the weakest one and bring it up at your next afternoon crew leader huddle.
Bottom line: Build the foundation of stability first, and flow, production, and improvement can follow.
If your project needs superintendent coaching, project support, or leadership development, Elevate Construction can help your field teams stabilize, schedule, and flow.
On we go.
Elevating Construction Foremen series:
Previous: Part 25: Crew Leader and Superintendent Communication: Pre-Staging, Handoffs, Layout, Training, and Logistics
Next: Part 27: Quality Product: Precons, First Run Studies, Mock-Ups, Prefab, and Standard Work
FAQ
Why does stability come before improvement?
Continuous improvement is the house built on the foundation of stability and standards. There is no flow, no production, and no improvement outside of a stable environment.
What are the options when a takt zone is delayed?
Stop the train and swing to workable backlog, stop and fix the problem, pull the delayed zone onto its own pull plan or scrum board, pull the wagon onto its own takt time, or recover within the wagon by swarming it. Trade stacking and overtime are not recommended.
When can a crew start the next zone early?
Only when it is 100% finished in the current zone, all work is inspected and signed off, the buffer was used to train, the next area is prepared and reflected on, the next and previous trades agree, and it does not overproduce.
People Also Read:
Speed Comes from Stability
First Stabilize, Then Optimize
Production Control – Part 2 – Creating Stability
Lean Onboarding Series – Holding Start Dates
If you want to learn more we have:
-Takt Virtual Training: (Takt Virtual Training)
-Check out our YouTube channel for more info: (Elevate Construction on YouTube)
-Listen to the Elevate Construction podcast: (Elevate Construction Podcast)
-Check out our training programs and certifications: (Training Programs and Certifications)
-The Takt Book: (The Takt Book on Amazon)
Discover Jason’s Expertise:
Meet Jason Schroeder, the driving force behind Elevate Construction. As the company’s Founder and COO, he’s dedicated to taking construction to new heights. With a wealth of industry experience, he’s crafted the Field Engineer Boot Camp and Superintendent Boot Camp – intensive training programs engineered to cultivate top-tier leaders capable of steering their teams towards success. Jason’s vision? To expand his training initiatives across the nation, empowering construction firms to soar to unprecedented levels of excellence.