Common diagram mistakes

Frequent errors that cause confusion on site — and how to avoid them.

When to use this

Skim before handoff — catches issues that look fine on your laptop but fail on site.

Documentation mistakes

Diagram shows ideal bench layout, not actual venue path — update after site survey.
Same cable labeled three different ways across diagram, rack, and Excel.
Missing return paths — talkback, return video, or AES splits not drawn.
Spare ports not marked — crew assumes every BNC is in use.

Technical mistakes

Wrong port direction on a passive patch — verify in vs out on wall plates.
Network diagram mixed into SDI layout without clear separation.
Device count over free tier per-diagram limit (10 devices on free) without noticing.

Process mistakes

Only PDF sent — no share link, so updates never reach crew.
Diagram never updated after client change order.
Underlay scaled wrong — distances between positions misleading for cable estimates.

Fixes

Walk the diagram once as video engineer, once as A1, once as network — each role catches different gaps.