Dean T. Kashiwagi

Dean T. Kashiwagi
Dean T. Kashiwagi, speaking at a best value conference on February 9, 2009
Born	(1952-10-27) October 27, 1952
Occupation	Professor

Dean T. Kashiwagi (born 27 October 1952) is a professor at Arizona State University and a leader in Best Value Procurement.^[1] His specific system for achieving best value is called PIPS and he has implemented it in over 1,500 projects across the globe with total procurement over 5.7 billion dollars.^[2][3]

Early Life and Education

Dean T. Kashiwagi was born on October 27, 1952 to Shizuo and Midori Kashiwagi. Kashiwagi’s father, Shizuo, was a second generation Japanese-American^[4] who graduated from the University of Hawaii with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering. With this degree, Shizuo became a civil and structural engineer for the city and county of Honolulu. Kashiwagi’s mother was an entrepreneur with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Hawaii.

Kashiwagi was the youngest of three children. He had a brother four years older than him and a sister who was one year older. His family’s constant drive to make more money through entrepreneurship led him to be moved around quite often as a child. Throughout most of his schooling, Kashiwagi was an excellent student. Once in college, however, Kashiwagi’s grades began to slip. He developed a love for bodysurfing and the beach.^[5]

Military Service

Kashiwagi served in the United States Air Force for 14 years^[6] after serving a church mission in Japan and attending college. While in college, Kashiwagi was a member of ROTC. After he received his undergraduate degree, Kashiwagi moved to Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico where he became the JOC president. After being there for five years, Kashiwagi was transferred to Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. In 1978, Kashiwagi was given a special mission in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. During this time, Kashiwagi was sent to Arizona State University to acquire his PhD. In 1992, Kashiwagi retired from the air force and began teaching at Arizona State University.

College education

Kashiwagi has received three degrees in his life. The first was an undergraduate degree in civil engineering, the second was a master’s degree in 1983, and his third was a PhD in 1991. His master's degree and PhD are both in industrial engineering.^[7]

Kashiwagi Solution Model

Throughout his life, Kashiwagi tried to explain things that did not make sense to him. After struggling with his thoughts for years, he began to develop the ideas of Information Measurement Theory and the Kashiwagi Solution Model. These theories explained to him why certain things happened and why others did not. Once he had successfully applied these principles into his life, he began looking at where else he could use them. He found his answer by applying his theories to businesses. His modified theory is called the Performance Information Procurement System.^[8][9] With this model Kashiwagi started the Performance Based Research Group at Arizona State University.^[10][11]

Projects

Kashiwagi has been responsible for more than 1,500 successful projects all over the world.^{[12][13][14][15][16]}

References