Because Every Delay Feeds the PM’s Risk List
Glass and ceramic vendors sometimes think they’re waiting on the PM—but in many cases, it’s the vendor’s delay in submittals, mockups, or material confirmations that slows approvals. And when those late inputs disrupt the build schedule, PMs lose patience fast.
Where It Breaks Down
Submittals submitted incomplete or out of sequence.
Long approval times not flagged as critical path items.
Mockups submitted late—throwing off façade or envelope timelines.
What PMs Say (but not to your face)
“They knew we needed this a week ago—it’s still not in.”
“Their submittal package had errors—they’re not reading the spec.”
“This delay just cost us staging access for the crane crew.”
Late Inputs That Lead to Approval Gridlock
Spec clarifications that change material selection.
Long-lead items submitted after framing has begun.
Packaging plans sent too close to delivery dates.
How to Stay Off the PM’s Hit List
Submit complete, clean, annotated packages—no back-and-forth delays.
Create an “approval countdown” for critical path materials.
Pre-flag SKUs with long lead time and require early signoff.
Conclusion
Late approvals aren’t always the PM’s fault. If you’re not managing your front-end inputs like mission-critical items, you’ll find yourself locked out of the next RFQ.
