Decision Making: Value Generation in Front End Design using Quality Function and Utility Theory

Engineering and construction design practice is faced with uncertainty that bears on the design processes often contributing negatively to value delivery of projects. Emergent needs at the same time bring about uncertainty in the knowledge and evidence base that’s a key element of front end design processes. This is in part due to changing needs and expectations of end-users and of other stakeholders during the realization of projects benefits. In view of this, traditional approaches to Front End Design processes have been called into question not only because of their unstructured approaches leading to information loss but also their limited focus on value generation through efficient and effective decision making processes. This Paper proposes a Design Quality Function Deployment Model to support decision making on the basis of Utility Theory. A social housing case study in the Brazilian Minha Casa Minha Vida program is used to illustrate the model approach in facilitating decision making. It’s demonstrates that the approach promises more robustness in decision making using the structured approach with the benefit of focusing decision making on the utility of decisions. The model also introduces a cost/benefit analysis for requirements forecasting to account for emergent requirements. This paper’s main contribution is the introduction of a quantitative basis for decision making in front end design processes using utility theory and quality function deployment. The paper also contributes to knowledge of requirements forecasting in design of social housing that’s continually faced with emergent needs borne out of contextual factors.