Measuring and Improving Rationale Clarity in a University Office Building Design Process

This paper measures and improves the clarity of design rationale on an architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) project and observes the effects. The rationale clarity framework (RCF) defines decisions in terms of components of rationale—managers, stakeholders, designers, gatekeepers, objectives (constraints and goals), alternatives, and analyses (impacts and assessment of stakeholder value). RCF defines relations and conditions of clarity for each component—coherent, concrete, connected, consistent, credible, certain, and correct. Using RCF, the rationale clarity of decisions was observed and documented on an industry case project. A decision-assistance methodology that seeks to clarify rationale, called MACDADI, was then implemented and costs and benefits from each team member’s perspective were observed. Future work is identified that can lower costs and increase benefits of clarifying rationale.