In keeping with the cotton industry's mantra of "Concentrate on the things you can change and forget about the rest", I will outline the important parameters you can alter during design to optimize the overall performance of CP&LMs. This paper will examine the optimal design, installation and management of Centre Pivot and Lateral Moves or overhead irrigation systems. Topics will include optimizing the design to achieve an adequate system capacity or water supply rate, designs to minimize energy and labour inputs, and design to maximise the irrigation performance of CP&LMs in terms of uniformity and application efficiency. Discussion will follow on a range of recently completed tools that will assist surface irrigation growers and agronomists to more easily understand the practice of irrigation under CP&LMs.