National codes have many clauses with requirements to meet. Some also include objectives and points for a Designer to consider for which Line Design Software can do little to assist.


Designers need to know if a Line Design Software is addressing or assisting with meeting any one of these clauses. If they do, they should also describe the situations and/or the options and configurations required in their software.


The Designers are ultimately responsible for meeting the due diligence requirements of their organization and their profession. They can only do so if it is made clear to them what clauses are covered and what settings are required. Otherwise they could be under a false sense of protection from their interpretation of sales material or hearsay. That would be a very uncomfortable position for a Designer.


Designers and their engineering support staff should be made explicitly aware of what a Line Design Software will and will not do for them. Only in this way can they be assured of meeting their due diligence requirements. Modifying their line design processes can only be possible if they can identify gaps in code compliancy in a crystal-clear way. Vendors should be respectful of this need and provide their self-assessment, in a comparable standardized format, to Designers and supporting professionals (if applicable).


To assist with this objective, spreadsheet templates will be available for CSA,NESC,GO95 standards.