In the design and construction industry, teams often struggle with interruptions and distractions that can hinder productivity and progress. When I survey construction professionals about how often and how long they are interrupted, the answers are …
If you're someone who's interested in continuous improvement, entrepreneurship, and innovation, then this podcast interview is a must-watch. Felipe Engineer-Manriquez interviews Tatsuya "Tats" Nakagawa, the co-founder of Castagra Products, and the h…
Construction projects can be complex and time-consuming, especially smaller projects. Leading multi-thousand-dollar to billion-dollar-plus jobs taught me that the smaller ones sometimes take as much or more effort. I often use analogies to help reco…
Effective project management is critical to delivering projects on time and within budget in the construction industry. One methodology that has proven to be successful in improving project performance is Scrum, a widely used Agile methodology initi…
Yuhang Xu, PE, a Virtual Design and Construction Manager at an ENR 100 firm, became a Registered Scrum Master™ (RSM) in July 2021. He used the Scrum framework to create more flow, solve problems, and apply Lean Construction techniques daily wi…
So this just happened. My middle schooler decided to be a Scrum Master for a five-person class project. He led the team towards flow, got more than twice the work done in half the time, and used 'boss level' (his words) Scrum Master techniques to re…
On a construction job site, an assistant superintendent walked about during a typical summer day, directing site crews and keeping every trade and machine busy moving. A production manager passed by, paused took a few pictures, and made notes.&nbs…
An experienced project manager (PM) busy running from one meeting to another on a large construction project in search of status updates for an owner's meeting came across an assistant project manager (APM) studying the Scrum Guide. The APM moved …
Digital transformation in the construction industry is inevitable. With most organizations encountering ongoing safety concerns, reducing labor productivity levels, and project inefficiencies, the need to execute the right tools in your construction…
I have yet to meet a person or team that acted to aid the late delivery of a construction project. In fact, professionals often expend heroic levels of effort and creativity towards improving their schedules. Best efforts using standard management r…
The construction industry has been revolutionized by adopting Agile and Lean project management ideas and processes like Scrum and Last Planner System®. Some traditional approaches to managing projects are often characterized by bureaucratic red…
One of the most critical aspects of successful construction teams is communication. When I'm working with teams, communication is one of the first factors I seek to understand before recommending any improvement changes. Communication is crucial to …
The whole world had to rapidly change as local and federal governments deemed certain parts of the economy essential or non-essential. Some teams adapted to remote work or variations of working remotely faster than others. Whether you work directly …
In construction, we inherit a lot of expectations. We expect people to do their jobs based on role, title, contracts, previous training, and it's a bonus to get all that with a positive attitude. We expect our customers to pay us a fair price for ou…
One of my mentors asked me what is the most significant factor preventing me from spending more time forgetting the past (unlearning) and innovating today for the future."Innovation? I hadn't thought about it."That was my instant response. As an…
"Design is an iterative process."That's the phrase I most often hear when architects and engineers respond to how long some design deliverables will take to complete. When pushed, you may get a response, but it won't be accurate. Contractors have …
Teams utilizing Scrum most often double their output in the first couple of Sprints because they become more efficient and effective. Equally impressive is that they sustain their gains and that they continue improving their teamwo…
Since the popularization of quality circles in the 1960s, companies around the globe continue engaging front line employees to improve their work using variations of PDCA, a scientific method for problem-solving using four steps:Plan…
Lee este blog en español haciendo clic aquí.Throughout the course of my career, I've often been involved with projects pursuing sustainability goals like LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification across…
Scrum is a team framework that allows complex projects to be delivered with adaptation yet supports people to productively and creatively produce work at the highest possible value for customers. It is perfectly suited to meet the demands of th…