Beyond Deadlines

In this episode we dive into performance reviews. The Challenge You're a senior scheduler running three data center schedules for one client. Your manager calls a quarterly performance review. You're great in P6, you hit your reports, and you assume the conversation will write itself. It won't. In this episode, I play the manager and Greg Lawton plays the senior scheduler to show what...

In this episode we dive into the future of construction scheduling. The Challenge I have been thinking a lot about where this profession is headed. Not in a panicked way. In a curious way. So I sat down with Greg Lawton on the Beyond Deadlines podcast and we tried to do something most people avoid: pick actual years for when the manual parts of scheduling stop being a human job. We worked backward...

In this episode we dive into scheduling software Oracle Primavera P6 and Oracle Primavera Cloud. The Challenge Nearly every major construction project in the world has touched Primavera P6 at some point. It is the godfather of scheduling software. But Oracle has been quietly building something entirely different -- Oracle Primavera Cloud -- and it is not just P6 with a web browser. That distinctio...

In this episode we dive into Progress Reports The Challenge You know the moment. That message lands. Your project manager needs a status update on the project and they need it right now. Not in two weeks when it's supposed to happen. Right now. You have an 11,000 activity schedule. A critical path that keeps shifting. A structural steel delay throwing everything off. And zero minutes to spare....

In this episode we dive into Automated Progress Tracking. The Challenge Walking the job site with a clipboard. Sitting at a desk while a superintendent reads numbers off an Excel spreadsheet. Logging vague "days remaining" into P6. This is how most teams still update their schedules. It's slow, it's surface level, and it's not grounded in any measurable reality. On the latest...

In this episode we dive into [Insert Challenge] The Challenge You are the owner on a large scale data center project. Construction is underway. Out of nowhere, your generators are now three months late. You had about a month of float built in. But that still leaves a two month delay staring you in the face. The stakes? About 10 to 15 million per month in construction overheads. Another 5 to 10 mil...

In this episode we dive into building a construction scheduling team. The Challenge A general contractor hands you the keys. They say, "Set up a planning and scheduling group for us. Do whatever you want." Where do you start? That's the hypothetical posed to Franco Giacuinto , CEO and founder of Outbuild . The status quo is familiar: no company-wide standards, a mix of P6, Excel, and...

In this episode we dive into Change Management The Challenge You're six months into a billion dollar project. Change orders are stacking up. Your schedule is morphing weekly. The owner wants a meeting. And you're buried in spreadsheets trying to figure out what changed, when it changed, and who changed it. Sound familiar? This is the reality for most construction schedulers. Schedule chang...

In this episode we dive into Schedule Health The Challenge You’re handed a live project and a plan that “passes DCMA,” yet dates keep slipping and no one trusts the critical path. On this episode of Beyond Deadlines , we tackle the core challenge: what “schedule health” really means and how to use it to drive real predictability. We discuss why a schedule is more than a spreadsheet of tasks, it’s...

In this episode we dive into Building a Construction Portfolio Schedule. The Challenge Construction organizations often juggle dozens or thousands of projects at once, but few have a unified way to see the big picture. How do you align every project, extract consistent insights, and keep reports automated across a global portfolio? In this episode of Beyond Deadlines , I shared how to design and m...

In this episode we dive into random topics. The Challenge You’re at a social event. Someone asks, “So what do you do?” Try explaining construction scheduling without losing them in 10 seconds. That’s harder than it sounds. On this episode we wrestle with that exact problem. Along the way, they dive into AI’s growing role in project controls, shifting attitudes toward risk analysis, and even the mi...

In this episode we dive into Greg's new Book the Physics of Project Acceleration . The Challenge There are 8 types of project acceleration. And 33 techniques to make them real. Most teams only think “crash the path” or “work weekends.” But acceleration isn’t about brute force. It’s about changing the model first—then making it real. Greg Lawton’s new book The Physics of Project Acceleration sh...

In this episode we chat about the future of where we'd like to take the podcast next. The Challenge Reach out and let us know what you'd like to see next. Continue Learning Check out our new book The Critical Path Career: How to Advance in Construction Planning and Scheduling Subscribe to the Beyond Deadlines Email Newsletter Subscribe to the  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Beyond Deadlines⁠⁠⁠⁠ Linkedin Newsletter ⁠...

In this episode we dive into construction schedule progressing The Challenge A midsize general contractor asks, “Can you build a rock-solid, repeatable schedule-progressing program across every one of our projects?” They juggle different superintendents, uneven data, and scattered PDFs. They want one standard and a clear path to improve it. On the hot seat: Miles Haynes , Senior Scheduler at Oakla...

In this episode we dive into replanning a project. The Challenge Imagine you're working on a small lab renovation, and suddenly it's transformed into an entire building retrofit. Your team's size triples, communication lines multiply, and unexpected utilities pop up everywhere. In this episode, Heather Bemis , registered architect and CEO of SWAP Integration , to navigate through the chaos of mana...

In this episode we dive into schedule architecture. The Challenge Your new project is drowning in Primavera files, ad-hoc Power BI dashboards, and a jungle of activity codes no one can explain. Chaos thrives, reports crawl, and leadership wants answers yesterday. On this episode of Beyond Deadlines , co-hosts Micah Piippo and Greg Lawton ask a simple question: How do we fix the architecture behind...

In this episode we dive into leaving your job to start your own company. The Challenge Do you stay in the comfort of a well-paid corporate role or step into the unknown as an independent consultant? That question keeps many seasoned construction schedulers up at night. In this episode of the Beyond Deadlines podcast, host Greg Lawton CEO of the AI scheduling platform Nodes & Links puts veteran...

In this episode we dive into landing your next job with powerful interview secrets. The Challenge Transitioning from a senior scheduling role at a general contractor to an owner's position at a major tech company like Google can be daunting. Schedulers must not only demonstrate technical proficiency but also navigate the shift in perspective from contractor-focused to owner-centric scheduling....

In this episode we dive into productivity. The Challenge Imagine delivering a complex construction project without tracking productivity. You're left guessing progress, uncertain of efficiency, and facing unexpected delays. Without reliable data, you can't accurately forecast completion dates or manage risks effectively, putting project outcomes in jeopardy. Micah and Greg tackle this crit...

In this episode we dive into what a project manager needs to know about scheduling. The Challenge How do you improve your PM's scheduling ability? Continue Learning Check out our new book The Critical Path Career: How to Advance in Construction Planning and Scheduling Subscribe to the Beyond Deadlines Email Newsletter Subscribe to the  ⁠⁠⁠⁠Beyond Deadlines⁠⁠⁠⁠ Linkedin Newsletter ⁠⁠Check Out O...

In this episode we dive into forecasting end dates and the presenting your findings. The Challenge You’re four months into a 12-month project. Everything’s been running fine or so it seems. Then your update hits, and the schedule slips. Months late. Your leadership wants answers. You want clarity. This post gives you a step-by-step method to predict project outcomes using real performance data—so...

In this episode we dive into quantum mechanics. The Challenge What if the biggest problem in construction scheduling isn't bad data or missed deadlines but the very math we use to create schedules? In this episode of Beyond Deadlines , I sat down with my cohost Greg Lawton , CEO of Nodes & Links , to unpack his wild theory that quantum mechanics (yes, the stuff behind particle physics) mig...

In this episode we dive into scheduling cheat codes. The Challenge Schedulers often struggle to make their voices heard. Too often, they are seen as mere status reporters rather than strategic decision-makers. But what if your schedule could drive project success, align incentives, and make scheduling an indispensable tool across the organization? In this episode of Beyond Deadlines , I sat down w...

You’re a VP overseeing multiple projects, and no matter how well things start, they always seem to fall apart near the finish line. Despite detailed planning and scheduling, everything looks good—until the final stretch. Suddenly, tasks stack up, trades collide, and deadlines slip. You’ve noticed this trend across your portfolio and need a way to get ahead of the problem. This episode of Beyond De...

In this episode we dive into Earned Value Management The Challenge Earned Value Management (EVM) is one of the most powerful tools in project controls. But let’s be honest—mention EVM in a meeting, and half the room runs for the hills. The challenge? Taking an organization unfamiliar with EVM and implementing it in a way that actually adds value instead of turning into a compliance-driven headache...