Application of the CBA Decision System to Manage User Preferences in the Design Process
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 142, Issue 1
Abstract
One dimension of user-involvement in the design process is the management of user preferences. Managing user preferences, as a way towards optimizing value in the design process, could sometimes involve making tradeoffs among competing design options. The focus of this research is to explore the possibility of applying the choosing by advantages (CBA) decision system to manage user preferences in the design process, especially at the conceptual design stage. The CBA decision system was therefore applied to choose between two conceptual design options in relation to the expansion of an operating theater building at the Holy Family Hospital in Techiman, Ghana. A workshop involving the design team, user-group, and management of the hospital was organized to decide on the options using the CBA approach. The findings from this study illustrate the CBA decision aid as a transparent and participative decision system, capable of creating and sustaining a collaborative atmosphere of trust and respect in the involvement of users to make design choices. The observed attributes of the CBA decision system makes it worthwhile to incorporate it in a user-involvement framework for design process.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
Our appreciation goes to the management and staff of the Holy Family Hospital, Techiman, as well as Beong Integrated Services for their support during the case study.
References
Abraham, K., Lepech, M., and Haymaker, J. (2013). “Selection and application of choosing by advantages on a corporate campus project.” 21th Annual Conf. of the Int. Group for Lean Construction, C. T. Formoso and P. Tzortzopoulos, eds., Fortaleza, Brazil, 349–358.
Allinson, K. (1997). Getting there by design: An architects guide to design and project management, Elsevier Architectural Press, Oxford, U.K.
Arroyo, P., Tommelein, I., and Ballard, G. (2012). “Comparing multi-criteria decision making methods to select sustainable alternatives in the AEC industry.” 2nd Int. Conf. for Sustainable Design, Engineering, and Construction (ICSDEC), ASCE, Reston, VA.
Arroyo, P., Tommelein, I. D., and Ballard, G. (2013). “Using ‘choosing by advantages’ to select ceiling tile from a global sustainable perspective.” 21st Ann. Conf. of the Int. Group for Lean Construction (IGLC), C. T. Formoso and P. Tzortzopoulos, eds., Fortaleza, Brazil, 309–318.
Arroyo, P., Tommelein, I. D., and Ballard, G. (2014). “Comparing AHP and CBA as decision methods to resolve the choosing problem in detailed design.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage., 04014063.
Baker, A. (2013). “Simplicity.” The stanford encyclopedia of philosophy, Fall 2013 Ed., E. N. Zalta, ed., Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA.
Björnfot, A., and Bakken, E. N. (2013). “Quality function deployment (QFD) with human touch.” 21st Annual Conf. of the Int. Group for Lean Construction (IGLC), C. T. Formoso and P. Tzortzopoulos, eds., Fortaleza, Brazil, 379–388.
Bølviken, T., Gullbrekken, B., and Nyseth, K. (2010). “Collaborative design management.” 18th Annual Conf. of the Int. Group for Lean Construction, K. Walsh and T. Alves, eds., Haifa, Israel, 103–112.
Caixeta, M. C. B. F., Bross, J. C., Fabricio, M. M., and Tzortzopoulos, P. (2013). “Value generation through user involvement in healthcare design.” 21th Annual Conf. of the Int. Group for Lean Construction, C. T. Formoso and P. Tzortzopoulos, eds., Fortaleza, Brazil, 299–308.
Christiaans, H. H. C. M., Fraaij, A. L. A., de Graaf, E., and Hendriks, C. F. (2004). Methodology of scientific research, Lemma, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Christoffersen, A. K., and Emmitt, S. (2009). “Exploring the value universe: A values-based approach to design management.” Architectural management: International research and practice, S. Emmitt, M. Prins, and A. de Otter, eds., Wiley Blackwell, Chichester, U.K., 34–52.
Emmitt, S., Sander, D., and Christoffersen, A. K. (2004). “Implementing value through lean design management.” 12th Annual Conf. of the Int. Group for Lean Construction, S. Bertelsen and C. T. Formoso, eds., Copenhagen, Denmark.
Emmitt, S., Sander, D., and Christoffersen, K. (2005). “The value universe: Defining a value based approach to lean construction.” 13th Annual Conf. of the Int. Group for Lean Construction, Sydney, Australia, 57–64.
Farrell, R., and Hooker, C. (2013). “Design, science and wicked problems.” Des. Stud., 34(6), 681–705.
Flyvbjerg, B. (2006). “Five misunderstandings about case-study research.” Qual. Inq., 12(2), 219–245.
Forbes, L. H., and Ahmed, S. M. (2011). Modern construction: Lean project delivery and integrated practices, Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, FL.
Hansen, G. K., and Olsson, N. O. E. (2011). “Layered project-layered process: Lean thinking and flexible solutions.” Archit. Eng. Des. Manage., 7(2), 70–84.
Jensen, P. A. (2005). “Value concepts and value based cooperation in building projects.” Proc., CIB W096 Architectural Management Conf., S. Emmitt and M. Prins, eds., CIB, Rotterdam.
Jensen, P. A., Keith, A., and Fronczek-Munter, A. (2011). “Towards an agenda for user oriented research in the built environment.” Proc., 6th Nordic Conf. on Construction Economics and Organisation: Shaping the Construction/Society Nexus, K. Haugbølle, S. C. Gottlieb, K. E. Kähkönen, O. J. Klakegg, G. A. Lindahl, and K. Widén, eds., Vol. 6, SbiForlag, Hørsholm, 25–42.
Keizer, J., Halman, J. I. M., and Song, X. (2002). “From experience: Applying the risk diagnosing methodology.” J. Prod. Innov. Manage., 19(3), 213–232.
Kestle, L., Potangaroa, R., and Storey, B. (2011). “Integration of lean design and design management and its influence on the development of multidisciplinary design management model for remote site projects.” Archit. Eng. Des. Manage., 7(2), 139–153.
Kjølle, K. H., Blakstad, S. H., and Haugen, T. I. (2005). “Boundary objects for design of knowledge workplaces.” Proc., CIB W096 Architectural Management, Design Value: New Directions in Architectural Management, CIB, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
Koskela, L., and Bølviken, T. (2013). “Which are the wastes of construction?” 21th Annual Conf. of the Int. Group for Lean Construction, C. T. Formoso and P. Tzortzopoulos, eds., Fortaleza, Brazil, 3–12.
Koskela, L., Howell, G., Ballard, G., and Tommelein, I. (2002). “The foundations of lean construction.” Design and construction: Building in value, R. Best and G. de Valence, eds., Butterworth-Heinemann, Elsevier, Oxford, U.K.
Kpamma, Z. E., Adjei-Kumi, T., Ayarkwa, J., and Adinyira, E. (2014). “Creating, sustaining and optimising the collaborative realm for participatory design.” 22nd Annual Conf. of the Int. Group for Lean Construction, B. T. Kalsaas, L. Koskela, and T. A. Saurin, eds., Oslo, Norway, 475–485.
Lawson, B. (2006). How designers think: The design process demystified, 4th Ed., Architectural Press, Oxford, U.K.
Lukka, K. (2003). “The constructive research approach.”, Turku School of Economics and Business Administration, Turku, Finland, 83–101.
Macomber, H., Howell, G., and Barberio, J. (2006). “Target-value design: Nine foundational and six advanced practices for delivering surprising client value.” 〈http://www.leanproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/3-targetvalue-design-lpc.pdf〉 (Sep. 10, 2013).
Meredith, J. (1998). “Building operations management theory through case and field research.” J. Oper. Manage., 16(4), 441–454.
Mossman, A. (2012). “Choosing by advantages.” The design manager’s handbook, J. Eynon, ed., Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, U.K., 197–200.
Oijevaar, K. J., Jovanovic, M., and Den Otter, A. F. H. J. (2009). “User involvement in the design process of multifunctional buildings.” Changing roles: New roles and new challenges, H. Wamelink, M. Prins, and R. Geraerdts, eds., University Press, Delft, Netherlands, 485–495.
Parrish, K., and Tommelein, I. D. (2009). “Making design decisions using choosing by advantages.” 17th Annual Conf. of the Int. Group for Lean Construction, Y. Cuperus and E. H. Hirota, eds., Taipei, Taiwan, 501–510.
Pasquire, C., and Salvatierra-Garrido, J. (2011). “Introducing the concept of first and last value to aid lean design: Learning from the social housing projects in Chile.” Archit. Eng. Des. Manage., 7(2), 128–138.
Robson, C. (2002). Research world, Blackwell, Oxford, U.K.
Santorella, G. (2011). Lean culture for the construction industry: Building responsible and committed project teams, Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, FL.
Seppälä, J., Basson, L., and Norris, G. A. (2001). “Decision analysis frameworks for life-cycle impact assessment.” J. Ind. Ecol., 5(4), 45–68.
Suhr, J. (1999). The choosing by advantages decision making system, Quorum, Wesport, CT.
Tilley, P. A. (2005). “Lean design management—A new paradigm for managing the design and documentation process to improve quality?” 13th Annual Conf. of the Int. Group for Lean Construction, Sydney, Australia, 283–295.
Van Aken, J. E. (2004). “Management research based on the paradigm of the design sciences: The quest for field-tested and grounded technological rules.” J. Manage. Stud., 41(2), 219–246.
Whelton, M., and Ballard, G. (2002). “Project definition and wicked problems.” 10th Annual Conf. of the Int. Group for Lean Construction, C. T. Formoso and G. Ballard, eds., Gramado, Brazil, 375–387.
Whelton, M., Ballard, G., and Tommelein, I. (2001). “Application of design rationale systems to project definition—Establishing a research project.” 9th Annual Conf. of the Int. Group for Lean Construction, G. Ballard and D. Chua, eds., Singapore.
Yin, R. K. (1994). Case study research: Design and methods, Sage, London.
Zwemmer, M. (2008). “Engaging users in briefing and design: A strategic framework.”, Eindhoven Univ. of Technology (TU/e), Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 142 • Issue 1 • January 2016
Copyright
© 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 13, 2015
Accepted: May 4, 2015
Published online: Jun 25, 2015
Discussion open until: Nov 25, 2015
Published in print: Jan 1, 2016
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.