Where the process actually bites schedules
The wall-closing gate is the big one. Work that covers uninspected systems may need to be reopened, which is the most expensive way to learn the sequence. A crew that schedules rough inspections proactively and holds wall closure until sign-off is running the project correctly even when it feels slower that week.
Correction handling is the second bite. Inspection items are common, minor, and only a problem when treated as insults instead of punch lists: the professional response is fix, reschedule, pass, with the correction documented. Watch for the schedule buffer around inspection points; a calendar with zero slack there is a calendar built on hope.
Closure paperwork is the long-tail value. Final sign-offs and the permit record itself belong in your project file, because future buyers, insurers, and refinance appraisals sometimes ask, and because the record proves the concealed work was verified. An unclosed permit discovered years later is a headache entirely preventable in the project's final week.
