Don't Yell 'Go Faster' — Fix the System
"Go faster. Go faster. GO FASTER."
That's how most building sites operate when they're behind. Push harder. Work longer. Skip the checks. And it's exactly why they stay behind.
Michael Bonney's Rule
"If all we're doing is standing there saying go faster, go faster — that affects safety and quality."
So in our Lean simulation, the teams focused on something counterintuitive: People first. Quality second. Let velocity and cost take care of themselves.
The Results
Round 1 (rushing)
0 delivered
Multiple defects. Chaos.
Round 3 (quality focus)
14 delivered
Zero defects. Time to spare.
The Death Spiral
Rushing creates rework. Rework creates delays. Delays create more rushing. It's a death spiral that consumes projects whole.
The fix is counterintuitive: slow down to speed up. Focus on not making mistakes. Focus on the handover being right the first time. Focus on the person having what they need before they start.
Speed follows quality. Not the other way around.
About the Author
Luke Davies
Luke is the founder of Davies Design & Construction and author of Dream Home. He writes about home design philosophy, lean construction, and building businesses that put people first.
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