Wrong Owner Assigned

Anatomy of the Misassignment Failure

During the schematic design signoff for a multi-story healthcare facility, a critical review comment regarding mechanical supply duct routing through a primary electrical room corridor was mistakenly directed to the lead electrical engineer. The markup specifically noted: “Verify vertical plenum clearance against low-voltage cable ladder elevation.” Because the comment was categorized broadly under MEP coordination, the review platform automatically assigned the action item to the electrical design team based on the room designation.

The electrical engineer reviewed the markup, identified that cable tray elevations complied with the nominal design criteria, and marked the status as “Acknowledged — No Action Required for Power Runs.” Crucially, the engineer never re-routed the markup to the HVAC team, who remained entirely unaware that their 600mm round ductwork severely conflicted with the structural soffit clearance.

Preventative Discipline Handshake Framework

When design teams work across isolated BIM models and drawing sets, comments that straddle multiple systems require active ownership management. A robust resolution workflow ensures that whenever an engineer determines a comment lies outside their scope of direct geometry modification, the review platform enforces mandatory reassignment to the proper discipline lead.