The gap nobody talks about
The office approves a submittal. The field installs it. Somewhere between those two events, things go wrong — and the reasons are almost never in the paperwork. A substitution that looked equivalent on paper doesn't fit the existing conditions. A shop drawing was approved without checking the structural notes. A resubmittal addressed the comments but introduced a new conflict nobody caught.
These aren't hypotheticals. They happen on every project. What If puts office and field professionals in the same conversation and walks through real scenarios to understand where the process breaks — and what would change the outcome.
What we explore
Who we talk to
- Project Engineers — the ones doing the actual review, cross-referencing specs, and writing comments at 10pm
- Project Managers — balancing schedule, cost, and risk while keeping the submittal log from going red
- Superintendents — the field voice who sees what actually arrives, what fits, and what doesn't
- Subcontractors — the trade partners who prepare the submittals, respond to comments, and resubmit
- Architects & Engineers of Record — the design side of the review, where intent meets interpretation
Why this matters
The construction industry loses billions each year to rework, change orders, and miscommunication between office and field. Most of it traces back to the document review process — where decisions are made without full context, and gaps aren't caught until they become problems on site.
What If isn't about selling software. It's about understanding the real workflow — from the people who live it every day. The insights from these conversations are what shape how we build DECK.