Submittal review workflow and ball in court
Submittal reviewers are organized into review steps that run in order. Ball in court means the people responsible for the next action. SubmittalLink updates it automatically as reviewers respond.
How ball in court moves
Section titled “How ball in court moves”- When a submittal is created, every reviewer on Step 1 is ball in court.
- When any one reviewer on the current step submits a non-pending response, that step is complete.
- Ball in court moves to every reviewer on the next step. The other reviewers on the completed step are no longer ball in court.
- After every step has at least one response, ball in court returns to the submittal manager.
Example
Section titled “Example”Step 1 has Ana and Ben. Step 2 has Chris.
| Event | Ball in court |
|---|---|
| Submittal created | Ana, Ben |
| Ben responds Approved as Noted | Chris |
| Chris responds Approved | Submittal manager |
Ana doesn’t need to respond for the submittal to move on.
Start with the subcontractor
Section titled “Start with the subcontractor”Review steps don’t have to start with the design team. Put the subcontractor on Step 1 so they upload their shop drawings, product data, or samples first. The submittal only goes out to the architect and engineers once the subcontractor has submitted.
- When you create the submittal, add the subcontractor as the assignee on Step 1.
- Add your consultants on Step 2 and later steps.
- The subcontractor opens the submittal, clicks Update Review, attaches their documents, and chooses Submitted.
- Ball in court moves to the consultants on Step 2.
Example
Section titled “Example”Step 1 has Dana (steel subcontractor). Step 2 has the architect. Step 3 has the structural engineer.
| Event | Ball in court |
|---|---|
| Submittal created | Dana |
| Dana uploads shop drawings and responds Submitted | Architect |
| Architect responds Approved as Noted | Structural engineer |
| Structural engineer responds Approved | Submittal manager |
Respond to a submittal
Section titled “Respond to a submittal”- Open the submittal from your Home dashboard, the In My Court filter, or the link in your email.
- Click Update Review.
- Choose a Status: Approved, Approved as Noted, Reviewed, Revise and Resubmit, Rejected, Void, Pending, For Record Only, or Submitted.
- Add a Comment and any marked-up Attachments.
- Click Update Review, or Update Review and Send Emails to notify the team.
What the submittal view shows
Section titled “What the submittal view shows”The submittal view shows the title, description, spec section, number, revision, issue and due dates, status, priority, submitted by, received from, submitted for, manager, ball in court, Cc, attachments, and each review step with its reviewers.
Owners and project managers can change the overall status directly from the view.
After review
Section titled “After review”When ball in court returns to the submittal manager, they can:
- Close the submittal if it’s approved.
- Create a revision if it came back Revise and Resubmit or Rejected.
Frequently asked questions
Section titled “Frequently asked questions”What does ball in court mean on a submittal?
Section titled “What does ball in court mean on a submittal?”Ball in court is the person or people responsible for the next action on a submittal. In SubmittalLink, it’s every reviewer on the first step that has no response yet. After all steps are done, it’s the submittal manager.
Do all reviewers on a step have to approve?
Section titled “Do all reviewers on a step have to approve?”No. One non-pending response from any reviewer on a step completes that step and moves the submittal to the next step.
How do I require every reviewer to respond?
Section titled “How do I require every reviewer to respond?”Put each reviewer on their own review step. Steps run in order, and each step needs its own response.
Can the subcontractor submit their shop drawings before the consultants review?
Section titled “Can the subcontractor submit their shop drawings before the consultants review?”Yes. Put the subcontractor on Step 1 and the consultants on later steps. The subcontractor uploads their documents and responds Submitted, then ball in court moves to the consultants. See Start with the subcontractor.
Do later-step reviewers get emailed before their turn?
Section titled “Do later-step reviewers get emailed before their turn?”By default, yes. Every reviewer on every step gets create and update emails. Turn on Submittal Email: Ball in Court Only in project settings to email only the current ball-in-court reviewers. See Submittal email notifications.
How do I see everything in my court?
Section titled “How do I see everything in my court?”Use the In My Court quick filter on the Submittals list, or check the Submittals in Your Court card on the Home dashboard.