The Old Dawgs Live at LCI Congress (Episode 90)

Recorded live inside the Lean Construction Institute’s Live Podcast Booth at LCI Congress 2025, the Old Dawgs got together for an unfiltered, field‑first discussion. This fast‑moving conversation captures what decades of hard‑won (700+ years) experience have taught these seasoned Lean builders about the superiority of modern Lean construction methods over traditional methods.

Led by podcast host Adam Hoots, this is one “Hoots on the Ground” episode you DO NOT want to miss! (And if you usually go audio-only for our podcasts, this one is one to WATCH – 12 Old Dawgs crammed into a podcast studio – you can see and feel the passion!)

From the origins of Lean Construction to the latest experiments in production planning, the Old Dawgs trade war stories, share missteps, and reveal the practical moves that create flow, reliability, and above all respect for environments and people. You’ll hear how they’ve adapted The Last Planner System® practices for tough schedules, why Takt thinking clarifies handoffs, and how real trust is built when leaders keep promises and elevate the voices of craft professionals.

What the Old Dawgs get into during this podcast:

• The shift from “tools talk” to a people‑first culture that enables tools to work.
• How trust, psychological safety, and clear promises drive schedule reliability.
• Evolving Last Planner System behaviors (constraints removal, PPC as coaching, daily huddles that add value).
  
• Using Takt planning to simplify sequencing, stabilize labor, and reduce chaos at handoffs.
  
• Preconstruction to production: designing for flow, defining capacity, and right‑sizing batch sizes.
  
• Leadership on the deck: what foremen and supers need from project leaders to protect the crew’s time.
  
• Respect for People in action: craft voice in planning, mental health, and creating environments where capability grows.
  
• Rapid‑fire reflections: the one behavior each Dawg would start tomorrow to improve team performance.

Key takeaways include:

• Reliability is a relationship. When leaders make and keep clear promises, crews reciprocate—and schedules stabilize.
• Small, stable cadences beat heroics. Short planning horizons, visible commitments, and simple feedback loops win.
• Design for flow early. Define constraints and capacity in precon so production plans are realistic, not aspirational.
• Psych safety isn’t “soft.” It’s the precondition for surfacing constraints, learning from misses, and improving PPC.
• Respect for people is the strategy. Elevating craft expertise and well‑being accelerates learning and performance.

It’s a lively, candid celebration of the Old Dawg community that continues to push the industry forward—reminding us that Lean is less about perfection and more about continuous learning, with dignity for the people doing the work.

ABOUT HOOTS ON THE GROUND PODCAST:

The Lean Builder’s absolutely, positively NO Bullshido podcast. Join host Adam Hoots and his guests as they dig deep into the topics that matter most to those in the field. With stories from the trenches, lessons learned, and plenty of laughter, this podcast is for the men and women doing the hands-on work of construction.

RESOURCE LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• The Lean Builder — Blog, book, and field resources for Lean practitioners.
• Old Dawgs Lean Community — www.skool.com/olddawg
• LCI Congress — https://congress.leanconstruction.org/

GUESTS FEATURED IN THIS EPISODE:

Adam Hoots | LinkedIn — Host of Hoots on the Ground and Lean Construction Shepherd with ConstructionACHEsolutions.

12 Old Dawgs - too many to name, but we will...

• Boone White, ICM (Innovative Construction Management)
• Brian Chiles JE Dunn Construction
• Denver Watters, Pointcore Construction
• Emerson Dority, Turner Construction Company
• James Gable, Adolfson & Peterson Construction
• James Glass, Turner Construction Company
• Jeff Reilly, Mill Creek Residential
• Jordan Leytem, CoBuild Construction
• LR Weeden, Robins & Morton 
• Manny Hoyo, Skanska
• Mike Chiles JE Dunn Construction
• Sam Sinclair, Henson Robinson Company
• Plus, Justin, Jason, and Joe snuck in at the end.