The strut-and-tie method is a reliable tool for designing the reinforcement in discontinuity regions in reinforced concrete structures. It provides safe designs, but it is on the other hand also acknowledged to provide conservative designs. As the strut-and-tie model is widely used in the design of structural elements as wall girders and pile caps, it would be very beneficial if its verifications or the strut-and-tie model itself can be optimized. In this thesis the design process of wall girders and pile caps is optimized. This is done by comparing the design verifications and the strut-and-tie models itself with numerical analyses.