Qestion:
What is the most innovative product, service or process your clients plan to implement in the next 12 months?
Answer:
As we kick off 2026, one thing is clear: Operational excellence is about working smarter. Innovations in operations don’t always require brand-new technology or massive capital investment. Often, it comes from creating awareness of the change that is needed, developing new ways to perform daily tasks with your existing resources and team and everyone staying disciplined to do their best work every day.
In our experience, operational innovation happens where planning, people and tools intersect. In 2026, we see the biggest opportunities in three areas:
- Landscape and irrigation installation
- Maintenance and lawn care
- Fleet and equipment
Let’s break down what innovation looks like in each of those areas.
Landscape and irrigation installation: Build it right the first time
Installation work is where margins are won or lost. The companies leading in 2026 are focusing on building processes that work, before the shovel ever hits the ground.
One of the simplest yet most powerful concepts in operations is O.H.I.O. — Only Handle It Once. Every time a task, decision or piece of information is revisited, it costs time and money. Innovation means designing workflows so tasks are completed correctly the first time, eliminating duplicative steps.
For example, you can direct ship products and supplies instead of staging material for jobs at the shop. Try this exercise with your managers: Choose a recent job that went over budgeted hours and track how many times your team touched each piece of material before it was installed.
Maintenance and lawn care: Precision, not just productivity
Maintenance operations thrive on consistency, but innovation is what keeps them profitable. And innovation doesn’t always mean new equipment. Sometimes it means better agronomic products, sharper blades or improved application methods that deliver stronger results with less waste.
The most innovative organizations empower their crews to identify problems and propose solutions. “Continuous improvement teams” create ownership, boost morale and spot operational insights leadership might otherwise miss.
How can your team get started? Choose three maintenance properties where you have issues with hitting hours — ones with more hours are ripe for savings.
Print a map for each property with street visibility and ask them to indicate the following:
- Where is the vehicle parked?
- Assign crew members to line trimmer, edger, mower and blower tasks.
- Create an order for tasks to be done to service the specific property.
- Draw the best routes using a different color for each task. Draw arrows to show the direction from the start to finish at the truck.
The goal is the least number of steps possible to complete the work. For example, ending a task away from the truck and having idle steps back to the vehicle is time wasted. The operators who are empowered to work on this together have better quality and do it in less time.
Fleet and equipment: Where efficiency becomes visible
Your fleet tells a story to your team and your clients. In 2026, that story should be one that represents a brand of excellence.
When it comes to your trucks and trailers, abide by this simple rule: Everything has a place, and everything in its place. Organization starts with standard equipment lists by crew type and clearly defined storage locations. That visual order helps reduce thinking time and mistakes.
Using the wrong tool — or lacking the right one — costs more than time. It leads to poor quality, frustrated employees and safety risks. Innovative operators invest in purpose-built tools, mobile storage solutions and clean, branded setups that allow crews to perform at a high level every day.
Forming the foundation
In 2026, operational leaders should be asking:
- Where are we handling things more than once?
- How are we empowering our people to innovate?
- When can standardization create freedom instead of restriction?
The companies that win aren’t chasing every new trend. They are improving their workflow processes, embracing the changes to drive progress and training the team to seek excellence.
