The separation of planning from doing and the preoccupation with administration, contracts, and scheduling over designing and building has been disastrous for construction. Lawyers, planners, risk managers, schedulers, and other administrative roles impede the ability of architects, engineers, and craftspeople—the professionals who design and build the things society needs to function. It isn’t just a matter of getting things done on time—if you’re the owner of an asset, manage a construction company, or invest in a project, overcoming these limitations is critical to your ability to compete and profit.

Todd Zabelle, a recognized expert, construction CEO, and one of the founders of the lean construction movement, looks critically at each aspect of the industry, from production to construction to design to deployment to what the future holds, deftly analyzing where we’ve gone wrong and offering concrete, clear-eyed solutions for how to fix it.

Zabelle’s incisive wit and pulls-no-punches honesty are a refreshing antidote to the bland, overly polite, vacuous dialogue of board meetings and academic conferences. Speaking from the heart—and informed by over thirty years of experience in all facets of the industry—Zabelle delivers a much-needed wakeup call at a time when it’s needed most.