April 24, 2025

Midway through the evening, we took part in an engaging icebreaker led by Emily Lowe, Mid-Atlantic CoP leader and Director of Lean at Butz Family of Companies. Each participant shared their affiliated CoP and revealed their personal “Condition of Satisfaction” (CoS) for the next day — the one goal they hoped to accomplish to make the time away from work and family worthwhile.

Wednesday morning began with an organizational update from LCI Executive Director, Dan Heinemeier. Leaders were briefed on LCI’s short- and long-term strategies, learned how CoPs can contribute to these goals, and received insights into the 2024-25 annual research program. We also got an exclusive first look at the findings from the 2025 Dodge Analytics Report.

To set the tone for the day, John Zachara of Integrated Facilities Solutions, Inc. and NPT Core Group Leader, facilitated a condensed version of his training, Lean: It Starts from Within. (Fun preview: the full half-day workshop will be featured at LCI Congress this October!) John’s message was clear — strong CoP leadership starts with strong Lean leadership.

The rest of the work session was packed with rich discussion and valuable takeaways. The morning wrapped up with two impactful presentations on marketing and social media best practices to help boost both CoP and personal LinkedIn pages. The focus: increasing visibility and driving attendance for upcoming events. We also explored strategies around event budgeting to support effective planning and sustainable revenue.

In the afternoon, leaders broke into smaller groups to dive deeper into topics of their choosing, including:

• Recruiting strategies for new CoP core group members
• Succession planning within CoP core groups
• Sponsorship development and use of funds

As the day wrapped up, we circled back to the Conditions of Satisfaction we shared the night before, ensuring each participant felt their time was well spent and their goals met.

We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all CoP leaders for their commitment, time, and energy in supporting their communities and making this gathering so impactful. A special thanks as well to the NPT core group members, whose dedication and thoughtful planning brought meaningful content and collaboration to life.

Together, we continue to strengthen the Lean movement — one conversation, one connection, and one CoP at a time.

Ready to join as an LCI corporate member? Fill out your application today. Interested but want to know more? Please email Maryann Fiala.

P.S. Share your Lean journey with others! Peer-to-peer learning is invaluable in helping others grow. Submit your contributions for five questions, project highlight or company recognition!

Congratulations to Jacobs on winning the LCI Safety Week in Construction Member Campaign! We received many outstanding submissions, and Jacobs was selected by an independent panel of subject matter experts.

As part of their recognition, Jacobs will host a safety-focused webinar on May 6 from 11 AM to 12 PM. This free webinar is open to everyone, and we’re excited for you to see what they’ve prepared!

We’d like to thank everyone who submitted entries—your work was impressive, and we look forward to highlighting your contributions to safety in the industry across LCI’s social media channels during Construction Safety Week.

At its core, LPS is not a scheduling tool. It’s a collaborative system that builds reliability and trust through commitment-based planning. It’s about more than working backwards in a pull plan—it’s about pulling people together to have conversations that matter:

1. Milestone Planning – Are we aligned on the big picture and purpose?
2. Phase Planning – Have we truly explored handoffs and constraints?
3. Design Cycle/ Lookahead Planning – Are we making work ready—not just identifying it?
4. Weekly Work Planning – Are we making reliable commitments?
5. Learning – Are we learning from our misses and adjusting as a team?

Design teams face unique challenges: ambiguity, iterations, timely decisions and differing paces. That’s why simply applying the mechanics of LPS without the principles can leave teams frustrated. You may be “doing” LPS, but not getting the benefits.

The shift comes when teams embrace the mindset: transparency over control, commitments over directives, learning over blame.

Take a moment to reflect.

Think back to a time when the results didn’t meet your expectations—even when you were “doing” LPS. Were the five conversations truly happening, or were the motions mistaken for meaning? What outcomes might have shifted if the team had leaned into the principles, not just the process?

Your insights may reveal more than a missed milestone—they may uncover the gap between intention and impact.

Thanks to a $5,000 grant from Future Construction Leaders, funded in part by the 2024 LCI Congress Silent Auction, students at Bostonia Global High School are gaining real-world construction experience. From building custom projects to planning a mobile welding lab, these students are developing the skills that will shape tomorrow’s workforce.

See how these students are building their future in construction in our recent blog post.

Read More

Looking ahead: The 2025 LCI Congress Silent Auction will benefit the TEXO Foundation, helping empower even more students through construction education.

Learn how Lean approaches can increase productivity by focusing on value and reducing waste in project delivery. This updated webinar connects Lean principles, practices, and behaviors to optimize results, featuring real-life design and construction examples to guide your Lean journey.

Registration closes 30 minutes before the start, and attendees will receive a confirmation email with the webinar link directly from GoToWebinar. The webinar is non-refundable in cases of scheduling conflicts or late cancellations.

Register Now!

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