why produce second-rate design with third-rate results?

Looking back at some of the design changes stealthily made on a project whilst I was on paternity leave, the plans are not too different from my original drawing, however the sections and elevations are atrocious and adopt none of the spirit of my 'ribbon' design intent. Most of us know what its like to draw something and see something completely unintended come out at the other end. Losing control over the design is unfortunately one of the facts we must contend with in our industry, its just when and where that varies. Thoughts of having spent the past weeks and months simply spinning my wheels. When a principal is placed on the project by the president and makes changes in my absence with no discussion, something is obviously afoot, and somebody somewhere has an agenda.

Having said that, even when there is something happening at a level uncontrollable by ourselves, when the opportunity arises, can we 'step up' and be the successful designers that we want to be? We do not want to find ourselves relegated to doing second-rate design with third-rate results because a firm is incapable or unwilling to advance our concepts. What question is paramount is whether those original design concepts feasible? Possibly the better question is whether they are feasible in the dog-eat-dog capitalist/commercial world where cash speaks louder than the pen or the sword.