In many projects today, especially in multi-storied buildings, industrial plants, or large institutional works, too many people try to manage the design coordination — project managers, site engineers, architects, contractors, and even client-side representatives. While everyone intends to help, the result is often the opposite: confusion, conflicting instructions, and design misinterpretations in the overall structural design process.
Structural design is not a democratic process — it’s a technical discipline that relies on clear communication and precise data. When messages, revisions, or clarifications start flowing through multiple channels, the accuracy of information drops drastically, slowing down the design approval process and increasing the chances of errors.
A single change in beam size, wall thickness, or foundation level may have a chain reaction throughout the structure. If that information doesn’t reach the structural engineer in its correct form — or reaches from three different people with three different versions — it becomes a recipe for errors that affect the project design and its execution timeline.
Why It Matters
- Loss of accountability: When too many people coordinate, no one takes ownership of what was actually communicated.
- Design revisions get diluted: Critical design inputs may get “simplified” or altered when passed through non-technical filters.
- Increased rework and site confusion: Different instructions from different managers lead to mismatched drawings and unnecessary delays.
- Safety and economy at risk: Structural design is interconnected; one wrong interpretation can affect the overall stability and cost optimization, making guidance from a qualified structural consultant essential.
The Better Way
For any project — whether small or large — the structural design engineer should coordinate only with one designated technical person from the client or project management team. This person must be:
- Technically sound enough to understand the design context.
- Authorized to convey final decisions and data.
- Responsible for ensuring consistent, accurate communication between site and design office.
A Simple Rule That Saves Projects
In short: Too many voices create technical noise. Structural design engineers don’t need multiple opinions — they need one clear line of communication to ensure that safety, stability, and efficiency are never compromised.
Let every project adopt this principle —
👉 “All structural design coordination must be through one technical person only.”
It’s simple, practical, and saves both time and mistakes.