Keep a close watch on critical materials to avoid costly delays.

1. Getting materials for your project can be a process
   1. Purchasing
   2. Submittals
   3. Fabrication
   4. Delivery
   5. Storage
2. Getting them on time is critical
   1. Avoid delays in production
   2. Avoid missing key dates
   3. Understand long lead items
3. Create systems to track your materials
   1. Create a tracking log for each project
      1. List each item and track the entire process from start to finish
      2. Use the dates needed on the project to work backwards to determine when to buy
   2. Make this part of you project start-up process
   3. Follow-up on the items to make sure suppliers are hitting the dates