Design schedules always seem to be pressed for time, which is the result of two primary factors. The first factor is that owners always want to move their projects forward as quickly as possible, so they pressure design teams into abbreviated design schedules. The second factor contributing to compressed design schedules is much less obvious than the first. It is human nature. People of all professions have a tendency to procrastinate in their duties. This is why design teams routinely accelerate their pace in the final weeks of the design phase, as opposed to progressing at a constant pace from start to finish. In the end, issuance of incomplete design documents is the recurrent and regrettable result of these two unfortunate factors. (In fairness to design professionals, it should also be noted that human nature is a contributor to why the final weeks of construction always seem to be quite hectic as well.)

Not Just Numbers on a Piece of Paper

Project managers, whether they are construction managers, general contractors, or architects, regularly supervise multiple projects concurrently. Each of these projects must be managed independently, particularly with regard to cost accounting. For this example let us consider the following scenario; a general contractor’s project manager is responsible for two projects that were each awarded on a negotiated basis with guaranteed maximum price (GMP) contracts. All savings under these GMP agreements will be returned to the owner. Project #1 is progressing well and expected to finish well under budget. Project #2 is not going well, has incurred many problems and is expected to finish substantially over budget. The general contractor’s president and vice president are placing tremendous pressure on the project manager to minimize their losses from project #2.

The need for secondary steel often arises for heavy items mounted on gypsum board walls and ceilings when the stud framing itself is not structurally sufficient to carry the load. Secondary steel in this case is constructed in line with the stud framing to augment its structural capacity. Coiling doors and ceiling mounted toilet partitions are two examples of when secondary (also commonly termed supplemental or miscellaneous) steel will be required behind or above the gypsum board. Coiling door and ceiling mounted toilet partition fasteners will actually bridge though the gypsum board and fasten directly to the concealed secondary steel.