Real Life Lean - 010

Happy Monday lean construction family and welcome to another edition of Real Life Lean. This newsletter is intended to give construction professionals worldwide 4 quick and easy resources to grow and continue on your lean journey.

Today's Summary:

• Lean Article - It’s Takt Time

• Lean Podcast - Construction Scheduling & Takt Construction

• Lean Event - Takt Production System Training

• Real Life Lean - Visual Communication Boards

Lean Article

The article below from The Voice Magazine comes from lean construction shepherd, Adam Hoots. In the article, Adam discusses why it is time for construction to adopt a new standard scheduling method. Did you know the CPM schedule method that we use today has been around, and has not been updated, since 1966? That blows my mind. This article got me fired up for Takt Planning and I can't wait for the FREE Takt Planning course I am signed up for with Elevate Construction (See this weeks Lean Event below). Total Read time - 5 min.

Lean Podcast

I think we can all agree that construction scheduling methods are due for a change. We need something more reliable and more realistic, and Takt is the future of construction scheduling. In this podcast Kevin and Jason give an overview of what the current scheduling process looks like in construction and how Takt builds off of that. My favorite part of this podcast is when they break down the benefits of Takt for every different role on a project - worker, foreman, superintendent, owner. Listen time - 47 min.

Lean Event

While I haven't taken this course yet, my understanding is this is the premier FREE Takt training out there. This course will offer an introduction into a revolutionary project planning and construction process known as Takt. Sign up at the link below for this 2 hour training from the great folks at Elevate Construction.

Real Life Lean - Lean practices in the real world

I am getting ready to head out on paternity leave for a couple of weeks and have come to the realization that a lot of the plan for the completion of this project lives in my head.

As much as I try, there are still items that don't make it out of my brain and onto a board, email or somehow get communicated to my team. One way that we have started combatting this is with the use of the discipline communication board pictured below.

The project I am working on is using CRB's ONEsolution model, which utilizes our talented design and construction teams together on a project. Our designers visit site often, and in an effort to make their jobs more efficient, we write out our needs for them on the board below. This allows for them to come to site, check in quickly at the board, and head out to the field to start clearing their items.

In the past, the designers would need to find one of the field team members on site and ask "what do you have for me today?" which would either lead to them being pointed to another team member (and they'd have to find them on site) or the field team forgetting what they had for them this week. Now, we use this board any time an items comes up. This is a small way that we get the plan out of our heads and to the team, and so far it has been working well!

Have a Real Life Lean story you think would be a great feature in an upcoming newsletter? Send me an email at [email protected].