What we do
DDA examines complex problems. We find the conditions that control an outcome. Then we find what must change for the outcome to change.
We collect the evidence and put it in order. We test each explanation against that evidence. We follow the system that causes the result. Then we identify the constraints, incentives, dependencies, feedback, and decisions that have the most effect.
Next, we test the diagnosis against real conditions. In the analysis, we remove the apparent constraint and examine what occurs. We identify which actors change their behaviour, which activity moves to a different place, and which constraint stops movement next. We also identify the actors who must act first, and the conditions that make their commitments credible.
The work can start with a project that stopped, a new mandate, or an RFP. It can also start with numbers that do not agree, a strategy with no progress, public records in many locations, or doubt about the accepted explanation.
The result is an account that the evidence supports. It shows what occurs and why it occurs. It shows where a small action has a large effect. It also shows what is still uncertain and which next step the evidence supports.
How DDA does the work
01 Start with the problem
We start with the material that you have and the result that you want. You do not need a complete scope. The first step makes the question clear. It also identifies the decision, the people and organizations, and the fixed dates and commitments.
02 Collect the evidence
We collect sources, definitions, dates, datasets, actors, dependencies, and earlier claims. When the problem crosses subjects, the work crosses them too. These subjects include economics, policy, infrastructure, labour, land, institutions, finance, and project schedules.
03 Find the constraint and measure its effect
We find the constraint, gap, dependency, assumption, or risk that controls the outcome. Then we measure its effect on cost, capacity, schedule, feasibility, and risk. For a public claim, we measure how much evidence supports it.
04 Make the product that the problem needs
The finding decides the product. The product can be a model, an evidence base, a spatial analysis, or a chronology. It can also be a set of scenarios, a strategy, a register, a brief, an implementation sequence, or a decision tool.
Capabilities
DDA's work uses six types of analysis. Most problems need more than one.
Evidence reconstruction
We find the primary source for each claim and record its date and status. We also show where sources disagree.
Economic and market analysis
We examine demand, supply, prices, investment, and the behaviour of firms. We measure what an action adds to the regional economy.
Fiscal and scenario modelling
We connect population, land, infrastructure, costs, and revenue in one model. Then we test how the result changes when each assumption changes.
Labour and workforce analysis
We divide a workforce total by occupation, qualification, location, mobility, housing, and schedule. The result is the supply that a project can use.
Land, infrastructure, and spatial analysis
We screen parcels against every condition between a land designation and a completed project. We find which sites can support the intended use.
Institutional and policy analysis
We follow public claims, decisions, and policy mechanisms to their sources. Then we explain why an institution produced its result.
Areas of work
An area is a sector where DDA applies these capabilities. A problem in one area often needs several capabilities, and it often crosses into a second area.
Housing and municipal planning. We test housing targets and plans against land, servicing, project costs, and the historical rate of construction.
Public finance and capital planning. We examine revenue, spending, debt, and capital plans. We test the assumptions that each budget depends on.
Economic development. We find which opportunities have evidence, which ones the region can capture, and which conditions stop them.
Mining and critical minerals. We examine project schedules, workforce, infrastructure, permits, and the regional effect of a mine.
Energy and electricity. We examine load growth, generation, transmission, and the industrial demand that depends on available power.
Forestry and forest communities. We compare the fibre supply on paper with the fibre that mills can get at a price they can pay.
Infrastructure and transportation. We examine demand, capacity, cost, and the sequence of capital projects. We find which project must come first.
Health workforce and access. We examine recruitment, workforce supply, facility capacity, and the distance between people and services.
Skills, training, and post-secondary. We compare training output with occupational demand. We measure the time that a program needs to produce certified workers.
Agriculture and food. We examine agricultural land, production, processing, labour, and farm economics.
Tourism and resort communities. We examine seasonal demand, accommodation, workforce housing, infrastructure, and the municipal revenue that visitors produce.
Public institutions and oversight. We compare what an institution reports with what its system produces.
Land, water, and resource use. We examine competing uses of land and water, tenure, and the cumulative effects of many projects on one area.
Direct work or analytical capacity
DDA works directly with organizations. DDA also works inside the mandate of a different consultant. On an active assignment, DDA can take full responsibility for one workstream that depends on a large quantity of evidence. The analysis fits the schedule, the team, and the final product. See For consulting teams.
Bring the material you have
A report, RFP, project schedule, dataset, forecast, strategy, public claim, or open question is enough to begin the conversation.