Back-calculate submittal due dates from the schedule and send a weekly due-soon list

Short answer

Join the submittal log to schedule activities, subtract lead time and review time from the need-on-site date, and email the team a list of submittals that must move in the next two weeks. Start here: export the submittal log and the schedule to spreadsheets. Keep a person in the loop: Lead times come from subs and change. Dates are only as good as the activity links and schedule updates.

The problem

Back-calculate submittal due dates from the schedule and send a weekly due-soon list. This is a common, time-consuming task for a project manager.

What this workflow does

Join the submittal log to schedule activities, subtract lead time and review time from the need-on-site date, and email the team a list of submittals that must move in the next two weeks.

How it works: Rules or specialist software perform the task. No AI agent is required.

Your checkpoint: Lead times come from subs and change. Dates are only as good as the activity links and schedule updates.

Before you start

Access to the named tool; confirm license, version and cost with the vendor.
A small, non-confidential sample to try the workflow on first.
A qualified person to review the output before it is used.

Tools and access

Follow the steps

Export the submittal log and the schedule to spreadsheets.
Add columns: linked activity ID, sub lead time, review duration, buffer.
Compute required submit-by date = activity start - lead time - review - buffer.
Filter to items due within 14 days and not yet approved.
Send that list weekly (saved report or scheduled email) to the PE and supers.
Refresh after each schedule update.

Try a small example

Replace the bracketed fields with your own project details. No tested sample run is published for this workflow yet.

Sample input

Fill in the bracketed [fields] in the text below with your project data.

Manual setup checklist

From this submittal log and schedule export, match each submittal to the most likely activity, list lead time assumptions to confirm, and compute submit-by dates. Mark any match you are unsure of: [paste data]

Expected output

Not published yet. Treat any output as a draft and check it against the source documents.

Check the result

Every value, citation or quantity traces back to a source document.
Missing information is marked as missing, not filled in.

Limits and recovery

Lead times come from subs and change. Dates are only as good as the activity links and schedule updates.
Check your organization’s data policy before sharing project files with third-party tools.

Stop or switch when: The source cannot be verified, permissions are missing, or the result contains unsupported facts.

Frequently asked questions

How do I back-calculate submittal due dates from the schedule and send a weekly due-soon list?

Export the submittal log and the schedule to spreadsheets. Add columns: linked activity ID, sub lead time, review duration, buffer. Compute required submit-by date = activity start - lead time - review - buffer. The full step list is above.

Does this use an AI agent or regular software?

It is labeled Conventional automation: Rules or specialist software perform the task. No AI agent is required.

What tools do I need?

Microsoft Excel, Procore submittals. Confirm license, version and cost with the vendor, and try it on a small non-confidential sample first.

Can I use the output without checking it?

No. Lead times come from subs and change. Dates are only as good as the activity links and schedule updates.

Has this workflow been tested?

Workflow guide · not independently tested. It is written from vendor documentation and practitioner use.

Evidence and maintenance

Written from vendor documentation and practitioner use. Labels apply to the steps described here, not every feature of a product. Links were checked when the page was written.