Milne did all the design work for the Parliament carvings, but she did not do all the carving.  She has always been careful to acknowledge the contribution of her team, refusing to sign the pieces, and making special note of the team's contributions when she was granted her honorary doctorate from Carleton University in 1987. Milne initially worked the carvings from plaster models, but she soon switched to drawing her designs in charcoal directly on the stones. Her carvers and assistants used pneumatic tools to sketch out the designs, with Milne putting on the finishing touches with her hammer and chisel. Her team did the background work, such as floral decorations. After completing charcoal sketches, Milne gave the men verbal clues as to the details, allowing them to contribute their own ideas that Milne feels added to the vitality of the works. Eleanor Milne hired and trained her staff, and her relationship with them was positive, highlighted by the poker matches they liked to have in the basement of Parliament during their lunch break. By 1987 the majority of the sculptural work was completed, leaving mainly restoration. Recently an intensive project of documenting all the Parliament Building decoration has begun.