Building Decisions

Decision-making is critical in many industries. Leaders make decisions daily, often hyperfocusing on cost at the expense of value for society and the environment. Unfortunately, project teams are poorly equipped to make decisions, and many prefer to avoid conflicts instead of having healthy discussions based on different perspectives. The good news is that we can learn ways of making decisions that drive better outcomes. Decisions are especially relevant in the construction industry, given the scale and long-term impact its projects create worldwide.

This book presents a practical framework and guidelines for group decision-making where multiple stakeholders have to come to a resolution. The authors introduce the reader to the Choosing by Advantages (CBA) decision-making system, explaining its principles and methods. The authors provide relatable examples, such as choosing a phone and renovating a kitchen. The book also includes case studies of large construction projects from the author's professional careers, including a museum in San Francisco, a tunnel in England, and the main railway station in Munich, to explain the CBA method. These varied examples will equip the reader with actionable tools to improve their own decision-making process through critical reflection.

Written by three experts who co-founded CollabDecisions in 2018, a platform to share knowledge on how to make decisions collaboratively. Paz, Annett, and Randi have published dozens of peer-reviewed papers and trained multiple practitioners to make collaborative, inclusive, and sustainable decisions using CBA. They have designed this book to help professionals in the construction industry, leaders, owners, investors, public agents, architects, contractors, engineers, and students new to the industry to make decisions that drive project success.