Using Lean Construction to Takt with Ines Verdun

In this episode of The EBFC Show, Ines Verdun shares her experiences about takt planning, Integrated Project Delivery, Lean Construction, production engineering, and how contracts shape production flow in construction.

Ines Verdun is a civil engineer with expertise in construction management and project delivery. She holds a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from UC Berkeley College of Engineering, where she was an active member of the IPD Team at Cal Construction, focusing on Integrated Project Delivery methodologies. She also earned her Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Universidad Politécnica Taiwan Paraguay and works as a Production Engineer at The Boldt Company in San Francisco.

In this conversation, Ines shares her journey from Paraguay to UC Berkeley and The Boldt Company, where she experienced firsthand how Lean Construction works inside a real construction project. Felipe and Ines explore why takt planning is not just a scheduling method, why IPD helps teams collaborate differently, and how the role of a production engineer connects the schedule, field, office, trade partners, and project goals.

The big idea: contracts shape production flow.

If you are a construction leader, project manager, superintendent, scheduler, Lean coach, production engineer, trade partner, architect, owner, or anyone interested in better project delivery, this episode will help you see why Lean tools work best when the contract, leadership, and team behaviors support shared accountability.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why takt planning is a system, not just a schedule
• How IPD supports Lean Construction and trade partner collaboration
• Why traditional contracts can make Lean behavior harder
• The difference between takt planning and CPM scheduling
• How production engineers connect the field, office, and schedule
• Why trade partners need shared goals to improve project flow
• How risk and opportunity conversations support better project outcomes
• Why leadership and transparency matter in Lean project delivery
• How AI may accelerate construction management and project delivery

Subscribe for more conversations on Lean Construction, Construction Scrum, takt planning, Integrated Project Delivery, production systems, project delivery, leadership, and the future of construction.

#LeanConstruction #TaktPlanning #IntegratedProjectDelivery #ConstructionManagement #TheEBFCShow

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Blogs:

How Integrated Project Delivery Enhances Takt Planning Implementation Mission Bernal Care Complex Case Study

https://leanconstructionblog.com/how-integrated-project-delivery-enhances-takt-planning-implementation-mission-bernal-care-complex-case-study.html

Definitions:
Takt Planning / Takt Production System

Takt Planning is a flow-based planning system that organizes design or construction work by location, trade, and rhythm so teams can move through the project in a predictable sequence without overcrowding, stopping, or starving downstream work. A Takt plan is a collaboration that results in a detailed one-page, one-process flow schedule focused on throughput, production, and creates flow. It works best when paired with Lean behaviors, daily coordination, constraint removal, and field production control.

Takt is not just a schedule. It is a production system that asks: What is the repeatable rhythm of work, where does each team go next, and what needs to be ready so nobody is waiting, stacking, or reworking?

Critical Path Method Scheduling (CPM)

Critical Path Method Scheduling is a logic-based scheduling method that maps activities, durations, and dependencies to identify the longest sequence of dependent work that determines the overall project completion date. Activities on the critical path have little or no float, meaning delays to those activities can directly delay the project unless the team resequences, adds resources, reduces duration, or changes the plan.

CPM shows the chain of tasks that drives the final milestone. It answers: What must finish before something else can start, which activities control the end date, and where do we have float to absorb change?

Simple Contrast

CPM tells us what sequence controls the finish date.
Takt tells us how work should flow through locations at a reliable rhythm.

In construction terms: CPM is milestone and dependency control; Takt is production flow control.

The EBFC Show Podcast:

Lean Construction Pioneer Iris Tommelein

https://www.theebfcshow.com/lean-construction-pioneer-iris-tommelein/

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Connect with Ines via
LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/inesverdun/

Connect with Felipe on social media and access FREE Lean and Scrum Training Resources at https://felipe.engineer/

Felipe’s PPC App
https://ppc-coach.ebfc.ai/

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Watch The EBFC Show Podcast https://click.theebfcshow.com/YouTube-Podcast

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