2025 Congress Feature: Explore Powerful Advanced Lean Practitioner Offerings
Don’t miss this year’s valuable Congress content geared towards advanced Lean practitioners.
Join Jessica Kelley, Director, Integrated Project Delivery, Merck & Co., Inc.; Kevin Labrecque, founder of Integration Point, LLC; and Daniel Shirkey, Senior Director of Technology & Operations Improvement, Balfour Beatty US, at this year’s sessions geared towards our most experienced Lean practitioners. All three are advocates for creating content geared toward the more seasoned practitioners in our community, and they shared their insights with us.
Our Lean advanced content is geared towards those who have been practicing Lean project delivery for a long time. They’re past the basics and into the mechanics of practical application within projects deeply and within organizations deeply. It’s intended for people in all parts of the industry and supply chain, including owners, designers, contractors, suppliers, trade partners, and across vertical markets of delivery.
Learn more and register today with the lowest rates of the year for the 2025 LCI Congress, October 20-24, in Arlington, Texas.
During the Advanced Lean Practitioner AI Panel and Open Exploration of AI Forum, attendees will gain inspiration and expand their thinking.
Advanced Practitioner AI Panel (Part One), Wednesday, 10:00 am
Advanced Practitioner Open Exploration of AI Forum (Part Two), Thursday, 3:45 pm
Moderated by Andreas Phelps, Kevin Labrecque, and Daniel Shirkey
This two-part session will enable industry peers to openly share their Lean implementation challenges, successes, and best practices, while collaboratively taking a deep dive into how to solve common struggles—with a focus on AI. Daniel noted, “We chose to focus this year’s Open Exploration on artificial intelligence, because it represents one of the most rapidly evolving and impactful frontiers in our industry. The dynamic nature of AI, especially in its early adoption phases, challenges us as Lean practitioners to stay curious, agile, and thoughtful about the future we are activating.”
Kevin described what attendees can expect: “Attendees will participate in the AI Panel to gain inspiration and develop a lens with which to view core Congress content through. Then we’ll reconvene Thursday afternoon to take that inspired thinking and have an open dialogue about how we might apply AI to specific aspects of Lean project delivery.
He continued, “The moderated panel includes practitioner companies that have been applying AI and advanced thinkers on the AI front, both from inside and outside the design and construction space. They’ll share how they are utilizing and considering AI for the products they deliver and how it will impact their overall organizational structure and staffing.”
Geared toward the most advanced level of Lean, these sessions will cover focused content that goes deep. As an expert in AI, Daniel noted, “That’s why we have the narrow focus on AI and how it applies to Lean project delivery—to reach that complexity for advanced practitioners, and have an interactive, dynamic dialog to internalize the takeaways while exchanging ideas.”
We hope attendees leave with action items to implement at their own organizations. Kevin added, “It’s to think through advancing the front edge of Lean project delivery.”
Additional advanced Lean practitioner content offers deep, transformational Lean learning.
With the rest of our advanced sessions, participants will go well beyond the fundamentals and gain impactful takeaways to enact larger scale change. Check out the interactive agenda for full descriptions of these topics:
- Big Room Strategies for Even BIGGER Project Success, Wednesday, 1:15 pm
- Scaling Lean Project Alignment, Thursday, 10:15 am
- Championship Formula: 3D Takt & Tech Drives Production Gains, Thursday, 1:15 am
- Winning with Team Health: A Playbook for Results, Thursday, 3:45 pm.
The closing Open Reflection session offers a revival of the earliest Congress traditions.
On Thursday evening from 5 to 7 pm, at the close of Congress, we’re hosting an Open Reflection happy hour. Attendees can network with advanced peers and leave with their follow-up action plan further developed. Congress Planning Team members will be in attendance to hear suggested improvements for next year’s Congress. [Note: There is a $50 per person fee to cover drinks and light appetizers during the session.]
Kevin offered, “If you were at an early Congress, and couldn’t get a flight out that night, Greg Howell would pull up a circle of chairs, and everyone would talk about key takeaways and aha moments. The second thing was the plus deltas—what worked well this year and should be preserved, and what to add next year.”
This is an opportunity for the broader community to discuss what they heard at Congress, how they’ll act upon it, and what should be kept or changed for next year’s event. It will be an open dialog to help attendees make the best use of their Congress takeaways, rather than “get back on Monday and be buried in their normal day job.”
Advanced Lean practitioners should come to Congress each year for fresh perspectives, renewed energy, collaboration, and more.
Advanced practitioners are a key part of our Lean community, attending Congress each year to reinforce and build connections, take part in fresh content, and gain inspiration to bring back to their teams, projects, and organizations.
Jessica offered, “The more people can work collaboratively to transform our jobs, our organizations, and our industry, the better. We need to do it together to learn from each other and grow. More often than not, if you are an advanced Lean practitioner in your organization, you don’t have as many peers at your level. And because the LCI community is so open in sharing the realities and struggles, these are the people you can build energy with to take back and apply.”
Daniel added, “Congress is always an energizing experience. You come away inspired with new nuggets to take back and focus on for the next year. Advanced Lean practitioners benefit from engaging with their peers from other organizations, gaining fresh perspectives that can inspire new ideas, and renewed energy to advance Lean within their own organizations and the industry as a whole.”
Join us at Congress.
Join us at the 2025 LCI Congress, October 20-24, in Arlington, Texas, for this content and much more! Register today.
Stay in the know.
Check out the Congress website, all of our Congress blog posts, and the latest on LinkedIn with #LCICongress25.
Interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at this year’s Congress?
Email Ilene Goldberg or call (703) 785-9087, for more information.
Questions on the Congress program?
Contact Joan Piccariello with any questions about the Congress program.