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VA in Depth (Advanced VM) > Value Study Techniques
Title : Tailoring VE to Fit Your Project (N/A | 2006 | MEMBER-ONLY | #106)
Author : Brian Ruck, TSH Associates
Description :
Author : David Wilson, P.Eng, CVS-Life, CPF
Description : This presentation reviews 8 Ways to Enhance Team Efficiency and Productivity to Achieve Better Results The old adage, “This is the way we’ve always done it.”, is a red flag for value professionals…doing something different typically unleashes new opportunities. However, while many value professionals understand this principle, they continue to do the same things they initially learned over and over. Why not consider how they themselves could also evolve to deliver better value studies?
Author : Value Analysis Canada
Description : Want to achieve more with Value Management? Download Value Analysis Canada 30 tips for more value. Gain tips on how to:
  • Encourage Value Management
  • Prepare for a  Value Study
  • Build a great Value Team
  • Manage information
  • Make Function Analysis fun!
  • Create more ideas
  • Evaluate ideas quickly and competently
  • Help teams with the hard work of developing ideas
  • Deliver a smooth and credible presentation.
Author : Timme Hendriksen, ProRail
Description : Presentation focuses on the Dutch transit agency, ProRail, experience in modifying the VE process to meet the needs of their transit agency. Paper describes the introduction of VE or Value Analysis to the Netherlands transit authority from 2002 through to establishment of a corporate Value Engineering policy in 2005.  Much of the focus is on doing shorter studies to meet time constraints of ProRail and through early successful VE workshops gain acceptance of longer, more involved VE studies. The return on investment from the VE program for this transit agency is 60:1 with over €55 million and an 18% performance increase.
Title : 5 big challenges for a VE facilitator (PDF | 2023 | MEMBER-ONLY | #677)
Author : Mohammad Pourreza Katigary, TRA Consulting Engineers
Description : A VE team is a big investment of time and talent. The VE facilitator must help the team achieve a successful outcome.  Challenges from the client and the VE team must be overcome.  This presentation presents solutions on how a VE facilitator can overcome 5 of the biggest issues and obtain a more efficient result. Case studies  illustrate the challenges and solutions. 

 
Author : Andréanne Martin, VMA
Description : Facilitating a Value study is not an easy task. That’s why large workshops require the presence of a co-facilitator, to help out the main facilitator. Getting big things done through facilitation is essential to the success of VM. This presentation will show how a co-facilitator can take on some tasks and responsibilities, to improve the efficiency of a study. Mrs. Martin will speak about the skills required for a good co-facilitator and present the tasks associated to the pre workshop, the workshop itself and post workshop. She will highlight how a co-facilitator simplifies the life of the facilitator and all the participants of the study.

 
Author : Tom Fletcher, CVS
Description : Big can mean different things to different projects, processes for each proponent. One of the BIGGEST potential impacts on a project occurs at the conceptual phase.  This usually means that decisions are being made on the direction and budget for the project when the least amount of information is available to  make recommendations. It is also the stage of the project that carries the largest risk in terms of schedule, cost and satisfaction of needs. 

Our clients are polled after the VM/VE study is completed on what they would change if they were doing the project again. The major regret is not “Introducing VM/ VE earlier ”in their process if they had understood VM/VE better at the onset and build in an allocation for additional workshops.

Fortunately, VM/VE is a very effective methodology at any stage of a project.  VM/VE is viewed by many as an “event” rather than as part of a “continuous improvement” process. 

This needs to change to be able to provide a more comprehensive and effective solution for clients to enable “Getting Big Things Done. This presentation discusses some of the means to achieve these goals.

 
Author : Hein de Jong
Description : Project owners, whether in corporate or non-profit sectors, must orchestrate a symphony of value with diverse experts. How do you achieve harmony in diversity? "Revealing Optimal Value" explores the intricacies of purposeful investments, likening the journey to harmonizing resources with core objectives. Nine essential questions illuminate this path, urging us to delve into intention, alternatives, risks, and stakeholder participation. Tailoring these questions to projects empowers innovation, echoing Socratic reasoning's depth. This method, a cornerstone of value engineering, navigates uncertainties and enhances creativity. As we traverse this landscape, our quest is to nurture optimal value, guided by purpose and the collective pursuit of meaningful impact. This is one of the essentials in ‘Getting big things done’. 

 
Author : Andréanne Martin
Description :

L’utilisation de l’AV peut se faire autant en tout début de projet, à l’étape concept, que plus tard, à l’étape plans et devis, préférablement aux deux. Par contre, il faut comprendre que l’accent n’est pas mis à la même place et que le questionnement n’est pas orienté de la même façon selon la phase où est rendu le projet. La présentation démontrera à l’aide d’exemples que l’analyse de la valeur peut être utilisée à n’importe quelle étape, pourvu qu’elle soit bien orientée et que les bons participants soient identifiés.

Author : Steve Taylor
Description : Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are key to developing best value solutions for any project, process, service or product. Yet it can be difficult to meaningfully involve a diverse group of stakeholders in an inclusive process where every participant feels part of the solution. A facilitated value study seeks to enable participants to understand project goals and needs through the language of functions. Function Analysis moves the focus away from the expected solution and places the focus on the required needs (values). To achieve an equitable solution that is fit for purpose the needs of all stakeholders must be understood. Value Planning and World Café workshops enables participants from any background to share their perspectives in an inclusive process. Project examples will be given of using Value Planning and World Café workshops to understand the needs of non-technical stakeholders including community groups, the public, indigenous groups, students, and the visually impaired. Workshop techniques adapted for a facility study for the Canadian Armed Forces involving working level through to senior command were highlighted.

Download a PDF copy of the Presentation.
Author : Stuart Sokoloff P.E., CTS Group
Description :

One intrinsic element of a VE Study is an identification of costs for the various elements of the project. The very definition of Value is Function/Cost. It is common practice that the Owner and/or the Engineer will provide an in progress cost to the VE team for information along with other contract documents including drawings, specifications, reports, analyses, etc. The VE Team then bases its Study on these documents as a “Base Case” to which all idea & recommendations are compared. How the denominator “Cost” element is addressed will vary reflective of the Facilitator’s perspective. Are costs to be “reconciled”? Are “cost corrections” to be offered? Will the Engineer’s cost be “validated”? So the question is: To what extent has the VE Team (Facilitator AND Team Members) assumed liability for the costing of items and can they be held responsible for any cost errors/inaccuracies of some implemented project recommendation that negatively impacts the financial viability of the project?

 
This presentation will explore the extent of VE Team liabilities/responsibilities and the potential ramifications of the Team offering an idea is that not in the project’s best interest.
Title : Right Sizing VE Studies (PDF | 2008 | MEMBER-ONLY | #223)
Author : Brian Ruck
Description :
Author : Tom Fletcher, P. Eng., CVS
Description :
Author : Scot McClintock
Description : Each VA Study is unique, from the project being studied to the VA Team members to the Owner, design team, and project stakeholders. In planning the approach to a given VA Study, the facilitator must choose the right tools from his/her VA toolbox. In addition, the facilitator should be open to modifying the selected VA tools as needed to best fit the unique VA Study, either while planning the study approach or in the heat of the workshop. Through the use of examples from actual VA Study workshops, the author demonstrates the successful modification of VA tools to fit real workshop situations.
Author : Dr. Michael Mladjenovic and Thomas Fletcher
Description : Functional Analysis and Performance Specification (FPS), can be employed during the early stages of new product introduction (NPI) process in order to articulate user’s needs. The key benefits of their early application is a structured team creativity and increased effectives in developing and selecting preferred solutions. During the session, progress in developing innovative approach of integrating: VA/VE/VM process, Mind Mapping and Functional uncertainty modeling will be presented
Author : Holly Parkis
Description : Value Analysis exercises are often completed very successfully as standalone one-off workshops with a completely separate team. However, that approach has some downsides which may include disruption to the project schedule, risk of extensive design rework, designer resistance, or inability to implement some suggestions. Integrating value analysis into the design lifecycle with a series of smaller sessions held at key points and involving members of the design team is an alternate method that can help address some of these issues. Additional benefits include integration of Value Methodology principles and function-based thinking throughout the project, better control of implementation, and the ability to quickly target a Value Analysis study for key decision areas.
Author : Scot McClintock, PE, CVS-Life, PVM, FSAVE
Description : As a value practitioner for almost 40 years, I have led VM Studies on hundreds of projects in which the goals and objectives of the client are not met by 30% design and, in some cases, 60% design. How does that happen? Fortunately, a VM Study can often use those goals and objectives to get the project back on the right track. However, that usually involves redesign with potential schedule delays. What happens to such projects with no VM intervention? They will often end with quality issues, delays, required redesign, performance that does not meet client objectives, cost overruns and unhappy clients. An innovative (in North America) approach using VM can avoid these outcomes.
Author : Hussien T. AL-Battaineh, Ph.D., P.Eng., CVS®
Description : Prior to the pandemic, the delivery of Value Engineering studies was steady and predictable, with a strong reliance on face-to-face workshops and travel. Life was good! Then, literally overnight, everything changed. Restrictions and lockdowns forced reimagining of how to connect with and serve clients. At first, it felt as though the Value Engineering world has been challenged with a serious blow. However, it has proven true that creativity can spring from a crisis situation. Working from home, remote communication, and virtual platforms have become indispensable necessities for many industries, and Value Engineering professionals have adapted to this new reality well. This presentation will focus on lessons learned from virtual facilitation and the ways in which EHan Engineering has adapted its methods to not only maintain but improve upon the quality of the Creativity Phase in its Value Engineering workshops.
Author : Anna M. Bremmer, CVS, LEED AP
Description : In construction, the contract structure/project delivery method defines the owner-designer-contractor relationship.  The Value Methodology is a tool to bring all the parties together to develop a common understanding of the project and find ways to optimize design, make the project easier and faster to construct, reduce risk, and avoid cost—all while maintaining needed functionality.  In this context, function analysis can be done by 1) combining construction process functions with project functions or 2) separating these functions to further analyze the construction management process.  Active participants in this webinar will have the opportunity to analyze identified construction management process functions, identify additional functions, and work together build a FAST diagram.
Author : Hisaya Yokota & Kayo Uchida
Description : This paper summarizes four effective Short-Time VE techniques, which have been developed and practiced in Japan. VE workshops in Japan are much shorter in duration than in North America. Three case studies illustrate “4-Meeting VE” and “5-Step VE. 
Author : Hussien Al-Battaineh
Description : This paper describes a methodology for improving the evaluation phase through integration of the Analytical Hierarchy Process model and expert input. By resorting to the present methodology one can quickly resolve all the inconsistencies, in part through the expert advice. As a result, the transparency of this approach allows improving the evaluation phase and the overall value engineering program enabling the participants to better justify the options that are selected as having the highest value.
Author : Renee L. Hoekstra
Description : This paper is about improving facilitation skills by better understanding the roles and responsibilities as well as the many of the skills required. Facilitation skills are critical skills to leading VE teams. To ensure quality outcomes from VE studies and teams, much depends on the effectiveness of the facilitator/ team leader. This includes work that must be accomplished by the facilitator in the pre-workshop phase, not just the workshop phase. The facilitator/team leader role is a very important role to the success of any study, however, it is also very important to continue to grow the viability of value engineering.
Author : Shamsi Shishevan
Description :

Effective prognosis is not possible without effective diagnosis. The smooth running of a workshop can be confounded by the realization that critical assumptions and data are incorrect.
 
So often it transpires that data is provided to the VM team without the due diligence normally expected. To pre-empt such an occurrence, there should be some probing of the sources and reasonableness of a) assumptions, b) accuracy of data for developing simple models of cost, time, energy, production or losses, c) historical statistics and projections; along with information for dimensioning of the FAST diagram.
 
Depending on the stage of the program or project life-cycle, the diagnostic tools and techniques may differ. E.g. for optimization of existing operations, versus strategic / master planning, versus concept definition, versus program / project execution. Selection of the most appropriate analytical technique is vital.
 
The purpose of this presentation is to discuss increase preparedness for workshop deliberations and how this will influence the likelihood of successful study outcomes.

Author : Scot McClintock
Description :

Link to presentation

 

COVID-19 has forced a lot of changes upon us all and many of us have adapted accordingly. We hold meetings with folks spread around the world using technology being perfected as we go. We hold successful VE Workshops following the VE Job Plan without the client or the environment paying the price for transporting parties in, housing them in hotels, and feeding them. Is it ideal? No. Is it more sustainable? Without a doubt! What about our projects? We can shine the value light on any subject. It’s time to shine it on sustainability as part of our value equation. Sustainable projects can provide better value over their life cycle, doing their part to save the world around them.

Title : Delivering VE success virtually. (mp4 | 2020 | MEMBER-ONLY | #538)
Author : Renee Hoekstra
Description :

Tips and Techniques to lead virtual VE studies, maintain the energy of the team and create connections. 
Link to presentation

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