When you design a bridge you should follow this process:

 

1. Identify the problem.   Your project is to design a truss bridge across a river.

 

2. Define the problem.  To fully define and understand the problem, you should carefully read the Design Specifications and familiarize with the characteristics of the project site.

 

3. Develop alternative solutions.  To achieve a high-quality design, you will need to investigate several different site configurations and  truss configurations.

 

4. Analyze and compare alternative solutions.  Optimize each alternative configuration for minimum cost, then compare the results.

 

5. Select the best alternative.  Select the alternative that costs the least, while still passing the load test.

 

6.  Implement the solution.  Finalize your design, and record it by saving it to disk, printing a drawing of it, and printing a copy of the load test results. 

 

7.  Evaluate the results.  Think about what you learned about the design process and about structural behavior as you designed your bridge.  Then apply these lessons to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your next design.

 

(from: West Point Bridge Builder)