Decisionmaking as a Competitive Advantage Choosing by Advantages (CBA)

The 2-day course provides a comprehensive exploration of the Choosing by Advantages (CBA) sound decisionmaking process, essential for professionals in capital-intensive industries. Please note that the term "decisionmaking" is used intentionally in accordance with the formal CBA methodology, which employs this non-traditional spelling. Participants will delve into foundational principles, models, and methods of CBA, learning to effectively describe differences, decide importance, and recognize unsound methods. The course covers various decisionmaking contexts and simple to complex situations, applying either a quick mental process or practical written tools like the Tabular Method and MS Excel CBA Workbook. Attendees will also explore priority and resource allocation decisions, life cycle cost considerations, and the integration of CBA with Lean practices. Through demonstrations, interactive Q&A sessions, and hands-on activities, this course equips participants with the skills to soundly make informed, strategic decisions that enhance efficiency and profitability.

• Organizational Leaders: Executives and managers in capital-intensive industries wanting to improve decisionmaking practices and enhance team collaboration.
• Project Managers: Individuals responsible for overseeing large-scale projects and making key decisions.
• Team Leaders: Those who lead teams and facilitate collaborative decisionmaking in manufacturing investment, facilities improvement, and construction projects.
• Business Analysts: Professionals who review business proposals, assess financial viability, and provide recommendations for major investments.
• Consultants: Advisors who guide organizations in various practices or seek to gain expertise in the Choosing By Advantages decisionmaking system.
• Engineers and Technical Leads: Individuals who evaluate multiple technical options and select the best one for large-scale projects.
• Stakeholders: Individuals or customers who want to ensure decisions affecting them or their constituents are soundly made in large, capital-intensive projects.

Attendees will need a laptop on Day #2.

• Definitions, Principles, Models, Methods
• The Discovery and Recognition of CBA
• Correctly Describing Differences
• The Principles of Deciding Importance
• Unsound Methods

• Methods for Simple Decisions
• Methods for Moderately Complex Decisions
• Methods for Complex Decisions

• Hints and MS Excel CBA Workbook
• Three Answers about Process
• Toyota’s Principle 13
• Online Software

• Demonstration
• Deciding Importance
• CBA Usage Q&A

• Four Basic Contexts of Decisionmaking
• Nonexclusive Proposals Defined
• Priority Ratio
• “With Minus Without” Increment
• Margin

• Nonexclusive Proposal Prioritization for Allocations
• Testing Weight of Importance in Allocation Decisionmaking

• Decisions using Life Cycle Cost
• Integrating CBA in the Lean A3
• Supplementary CBA Info
• Special Techniques

John Koga

John Koga is a retired vice president of The Boldt Company, a prestigious construction firm founded in 1889 and recognized as an ENR Top 100 company. The Boldt Company has been a leader in Lean Construction principles for over two decades, known for its innovative Integrated Lean Project Delivery (ILPD™), takt-time planning, built-in-quality, safety, and Choosing By Advantages (CBA) Decisionmaking.

John was an early adopter of CBA and introduced it to the lean construction community, significantly influencing lean methodologies in construction projects. As a vice president at Boldt, he championed these initiatives, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and excellence. His career included twenty years of consulting and teaching across various markets and project types. Mentored by CBA originator Jim Suhr since 2003, John assembled and taught this CBA training program for over ten years. At Boldt, he taught CBA to many clients and at Lean Construction Institute Congresses. As an independent consultant, he has taught Lean Construction and CBA for companies like McNeilus Truck and Oshkosh Corporation.