McGough is always in pursuit of better ways to build. This philosophy drives our commitment to strategic alignment, enabling our people, and continuous improvement.
These same principles are also foundational in the Shingo Model and Lean approach that McGough applies in our work. Lean Construction focuses on maximizing value and eliminating waste by creating predictable workflows, fostering collaboration, and delivering superior results for our clients. Standard work is a core system within Lean that aims to document, and continually refine the best-known method for completing a task.
McGough has been on its Lean journey for over a decade. In 2025, that work was recognized when we had the privilege of sharing our Standard Work experience and approach at the annual Lean Construction Institute (LCI) Congress in Arlington, Texas. The event was the largest LCI Congress to date and was held just down the road from our Dallas office.
“In the beginning, it was simply about creating awareness of Lean principles and encouraging our teams to speak up and think differently about how to reduce waste and improve efficiency” said Erica Kegler, McGough’s Standard Work Facilitator and a presenter at the LCI Congress. “As we’ve grown that focus has helped support the McGough way by insuring both new employees and offices are equipped to deliver a consistent McGough experience nationwide.”
Defining a New Standard for Excellence for McGough and Clients
Our Lean and Standard Work journey demonstrates how an organization can intentionally build a culture of excellence. As Standard Work was developed, the Operational Excellence team partnered with Subject Matter Experts across the company to document essential tasks and processes for cross-functional alignment and overall success. “While every client and project are unique, we can now more clearly define what a “McGough” project looks like, and understand what we need to do to reliably manage our biggest risks.”
More than just a checklist, McGough’s Standard Work System is a baseline for improvement. It establishes clear, repeatable processes, which empower our teams to identify opportunities for innovation and systematically improve. “It has been really exciting to experience some of positive benefits that we’ve reaped both internally and externally, through the creation and adoption of a strong Standard Work System.”
For our clients and projects, McGough’s dedication to Lean and Standard Work translates into tangible benefits, Erica says. It means more predictable schedules and budgets, higher quality, improved safety, and better partnerships. When a project runs on proven, efficient processes, there are fewer surprises and less waste.
Putting the Power of Lean in Everyone’s Hands
Where McGough has really grown in the past few years, and a core reason we were selected to present at the Congress, was our progress in adapting Standard Work to new technology. “As our Standard Work library has matured through the years and become more widely relied upon by a growing employee base, it was clear that a web-based platform was needed,” Erica says.
McGough’s new Standard Work home page, built on the company’s SharePoint collaboration site, has been structured to ensure all Standard Work is accessible, searchable, and user-friendly in many ways:
- Mobile Access: This is especially important for personnel on job sites, and those traveling or working remotely.
- Interactive Links: Building interactive links from process maps to supporting resources helps team members work through the steps without missing a beat.
- Live Updates: Enabling easy ways to provide feedback, and being able to update in real time is a key to ensuring that users always have the most current on hand.
- Robust, intelligent search: Erica notes that with many people joining McGough, either from another employer or entering the field for the first time, they may not know the terminology used at McGough. The strong search function and built in-metadata can help bridge that knowledge gap.
- AI tools: The SharePoint site also connects to McGough’s enterprise-wide ChatGPT AI to help workers not only find the Standard Work resources they need but also help apply them.
“I’ve seen project teams use ChatGPT with some limited knowledge and a good prompt to really be efficient,” Erica says. “They might search for Standard Work resources for holding a scheduling meeting, and the AI can not only find it, but can populate the agenda based on the project and what you are looking to achieve in the meeting in only a matter of minutes.”
What the Future Holds for Lean at McGough
Our commitment to Lean construction and continuous improvement is ongoing. Erica highlights that Standard Work processes are not only reviewed, improved, and expanded at least annually, but that the very way Standard Work is developed and used continues to evolve as well.
“It’s an exciting time at McGough. We receive several improvement ideas each month, and It’s evident that our employees are actively bought-in to the value Standard Work provides. Additionally, we continue to get new requests for Standard Work to help support new types of projects, and expanding areas of the business.” Erica says.
Employing Standard Work at McGough not only helps us build structures but also build trust and deliver a better experience for all of our partners and clients from start to finish. As we continue to advance our Lean practices, we reinforce our promise to be a trusted partner who is always building better.
