How do you think design coordination was done before we started using digital models? 

What advantages does doing this coordination digitally have over previous methods?

I believe that architects and structural engineers shared hard copies of their plans and had to be very exact with their hand drawn designs. This required great detail and lots of communication to assure that the projects had been completed properly. The advantages of coordination digitally is the convenience and level of detail between all parties of a project. Furthermore, all parties of the project could be more organized.

What strategies can design teams use to find and avoid clashes prior to the start of construction? 

What can be done besides sharing the models digitally?

Strategies that design teams can use would be going over restraints and limitations of the project in the initial meeting. Furthermore, it is important to have weekly meetings and to save various copies of designs before making any changes. By saving various copies of designs, designers can go back to models that they may need in the future phases of a project.

At what point in the project development process should design coordination start? 

Is it ever too early?

Design coordination should start from the beginning to ensure that everyone is on the same page and has the same vision. Furthermore, it is important to understand potential challenges that could happen moving forward with the project. Architects and structural engineers need to communicate from the start in order to see if the design of the architecture is feasible and structurally reliable.