SAVE International CVS - Certified Value Specialist

The correct answers are B and C . In the VM Job Plan, implementation support requires more than approving an idea; it requires a controlled plan for turning accepted VM proposals into real changes. SAVE’s Value Methodology Standard identifies Create Implementation Plan and Prepare Final Proposals as Development Phase activities, followed by Presentation Phase commitment and Post-Study implementation tracking. ( UW Courses )

A detailed implementation plan is essential because the standard specifically requires an implementation plan with a proposed schedule, implementation activities, team assignments, and management requirements. ( UW Courses ) This directly supports option B . A contingency plan is also appropriate because implementation must account for risk, uncertainty, schedule impact, resource availability, policy limits, and potential barriers. The Development Phase includes implementation requirements that consider risk and uncertainty, making contingency planning a logical implementation-control tool. ( UW Courses )

Option A may be useful background information, but it is not the primary tool for implementing approved proposals. Option D is incorrect because implementation should not proceed blindly without assessing current policies, procedures, constraints, and organizational requirements.

References/topics: Implementation Phase; Development Phase; Implementation Plan; Risk and Uncertainty; Post-Study Implementation.

The correct approaches are A, B, and D because the facilitator’s role in the Evaluation Phase is to keep the team in a structured, objective decision process rather than prematurely discarding ideas or resetting the workshop. SAVE’s Value Methodology Standard defines the Evaluation Phase as the point where the team uses a structured process to select ideas with value-improvement potential while considering project functions, performance requirements, and resource limits. ( ) When consensus is difficult, the facilitator should first clarify the idea. Modifying the idea title can remove ambiguity, improve shared understanding, and ensure the team is evaluating the same concept. Asking for more information is also appropriate because disagreement often reflects insufficient technical, cost, risk, or implementation detail.

The facilitator must also ensure that every team member has provided input, since VM relies on multidisciplinary team judgment and stakeholder expertise. The Standard identifies the team as a multidisciplinary group chosen for relevant expertise and experience, including different points of view. ( ) Removing the idea is premature unless it clearly fails criteria, and restarting the evaluation process is unnecessary unless the entire evaluation basis is invalid.

References/topics: Evaluation Phase; VM Facilitation; Team Consensus; Structured Evaluation; Idea Clarification.

The correct answer is D. Random Function Identification . In the Function Analysis Phase, the team first identifies and defines functions of the product, project, process, or service being studied. The function statement is normally written in the classic VM format: active verb + measurable noun . SAVE-related VM guidance describes this first step as identifying and defining functions using active verbs and measurable nouns, often referred to as Random Function Definition . ( UC Homepages )

This is why Random Function Identification is the best answer. It is the direct technique used to generate the initial list of functions before the team classifies, organizes, models, or evaluates those functions.

FAST is important, but it is not primarily the first technique for identifying individual functions. FAST is mainly used after functions are listed, to show logical How/Why relationships between functions and to build a function model. SAVE material describes FAST as a technique that illustrates relationships among functions. ( cdn..com )

Mind Mapping and Random Words are creativity tools, not the standard VM function-identification method.

References/topics: Function Analysis Phase; Random Function Definition; Function Identification; Verb-Noun Function Format; FAST Diagramming.

The correct answers are A. Presentation environment and location and C. The technical experience of the audience . In the Presentation Phase, the facilitator must shape the format so the VM results can be clearly understood by decision-makers and stakeholders. SAVE’s Value Methodology Standard states that the team leader develops a report and/or presentation that documents and conveys the adequacy of the developed alternatives and their associated value improvement opportunity. ( )

The presentation environment and location matter because format choices depend on whether the presentation is in-person, virtual, formal, informal, executive-level, workshop-style, or held in a room with limited display or discussion capability. The facilitator must ensure the setting supports clear communication, graphics, interaction, and decision-making.

The technical experience of the audience is also essential. Highly technical reviewers may need detailed assumptions, calculations, drawings, and risk explanations. Senior executives may need a concise value case, cost impact, implementation effect, and decision options.

Option B concerns presenter assignment, not presentation format. Option D is too narrow; PowerPoint is only one possible delivery tool and does not define the proper VM presentation format.

References/topics: Presentation Phase; VM Report and Presentation; Audience Analysis; Presentation Environment; Decision-Maker Communication.

The correct answers are B and D . An effective evaluation framework in Value Methodology must be structured, objective, and aligned with the subject’s purpose. The SAVE Value Methodology Standard describes the Evaluation Phase as the point where the team follows a structured process to select ideas with value-improvement potential while delivering required functions and considering performance requirements and resource limits. ( )

Therefore, the facilitator and team must first define clear objectives and success criteria that align with the study subject’s goals. Evaluation cannot be based on preference alone; criteria should connect to function, performance, cost, schedule, risk, quality, user needs, and implementation feasibility. Involving stakeholders is also appropriate because stakeholders help confirm whether the evaluation criteria reflect actual project, customer, owner, or user priorities. Their participation improves acceptance of selected ideas and reduces resistance during later development and implementation.

Option A is incorrect because the Creativity Phase is intended for generating ideas, not judging them. Introducing evaluation too early suppresses divergent thinking. Option C is incorrect because a “gut feel index” is informal and subjective, while VM requires disciplined, traceable evaluation methods.

References/topics: Evaluation Phase; Evaluation Criteria; Stakeholder Engagement; VM Job Plan; Structured Idea Screening.

The correct answer is B. Thorough understanding of the study subject . The Information Phase is designed to ensure that the VM study team understands the project, product, process, or service before performing function analysis or generating alternatives. SAVE’s Value Methodology Standard states that the objective of the Information Phase is to complete the value study data package started during Pre-Study, receive briefings from the project sponsor or designer, ask questions, complete site visitation where needed, confirm improvement targets, and review the scope statement for adjustment.

Therefore, the expected output is not yet a proposal or a final value recommendation; it is a reliable, shared understanding of the study subject, including baseline requirements, constraints, costs, performance expectations, schedule factors, and stakeholder objectives. Option A is more closely related to the Function Analysis Phase , where cost-to-worth comparison identifies value improvement opportunities. Option C is also Function Analysis, because functions are defined after the team understands the subject. Option D belongs to the Development/Presentation Phases , where selected ideas become formal value improvement proposals.

References/topics: Information Phase; VM Job Plan; Study Subject Understanding; Data Package; Scope Review.

The correct answer is Customer FAST . In Value Methodology, FAST is used in the Function Analysis Phase to model how functions relate to each other and to clarify what the project must accomplish from a functional perspective. The customer-oriented version of FAST is specifically designed to reflect that the customer determines value in the function analysis process. The SAVE study guide describes the Customer-Oriented FAST model as a variation that adds customer-focused support functions such as “attract users,” “satisfy users,” “assure dependability,” and “assure convenience.” ( )

This makes Customer FAST the best tool when the study team wants to show customer satisfaction as part of the value logic. Quality Function Deployment can capture or translate the voice of the customer, but the question asks for a tool to show customer satisfaction within the VM function structure. A quality management plan is a project quality control document, not a VM function model. A resource model addresses inputs or resource use rather than customer-perceived value. Therefore, Customer FAST is the most technically precise answer.

References/topics: Function Analysis Phase; FAST Diagramming; Customer-Oriented FAST; Customer Attitude; Function Modeling.

The correct answers are A and D . When a VM study team struggles to complete a FAST diagram, the facilitator should guide the team through questioning, not take control of the technical work. Asking whether a function is missing is an appropriate facilitation technique because a break in the How/Why logic often means the team has skipped a needed function, used an unclear verb-noun statement, or failed to connect a supporting function to a higher-order function. This keeps ownership with the team while helping them complete the logic chain.

Reviewing the level of abstraction is also correct. FAST diagramming requires functions to be placed at the right level: not too broad, not too detailed, and consistent with the project scope. If one function is stated at a strategic level and another at a component-detail level, the FAST diagram becomes difficult to organize.

Option B is incorrect because the facilitator should not reorganize the functions for the team; that weakens team participation and ownership. Option C is incorrect because not every identified function must appear in the final FAST diagram. Only functions that support the logical function model should be used.

References/topics: Function Analysis Phase; FAST Diagramming; Facilitation; Function Logic; Level of Abstraction.

The correct answers are A and B because both are facilitator responsibilities performed during the Pre-Workshop / Preparation Phase . The SAVE study guide defines this stage as the point where the team must “Plan and organize the Value Study” and asks the fundamental question: “What has to be done to prepare for a Value Study?” Its listed activities include obtaining project data, collecting key documents such as scope definitions, drawings, specifications, reports, estimates, gathering customer/user information, distributing information to team members, developing the study schedule, and determining dates, times, location, and logistical needs. ( cdn..com )

Therefore, compiling information for use in the Information Phase is a proper facilitator task. Likewise, developing a high-level agenda or schedule and reviewing it with the client for concurrence is consistent with the preparation requirement to establish scope, objectives, timing, logistics, roles, responsibilities, and management expectations before the workshop begins.

Option C is incorrect because Implementation occurs after the workshop when accepted alternatives are reviewed, action plans are assigned, and changes are tracked. ( cdn..com ) Option D is incorrect because identifying project functions is principally a Function Analysis Phase team activity, not a facilitator pre-workshop decision. ( cdn..com )

References/topics: Preparation Phase; Pre-Workshop Activities; Information Phase Readiness; VM Facilitation and Team Dynamics.

The correct answer is D. Describe the project . During the Information Phase, the VM team must gain a shared and factual understanding of the project before performing function analysis or generating alternatives. The designer’s role is to explain the current design, project background, design intent, major assumptions, technical criteria, constraints, drawings, specifications, cost basis, and reasons behind key design decisions. This helps the VM team understand what has been proposed, why it has been proposed, and what limits or requirements must be respected during the study.

Option A is not the best answer because defining expectations is usually led by the sponsor, owner, or VM facilitator during planning and study setup. Option B belongs primarily to the Preparation Phase, where the study scope, participants, agenda, and logistics are established. Option C is incorrect because identifying functions is the responsibility of the VM team during the Function Analysis Phase, not the designer’s primary role in the Information Phase.

The designer provides the technical baseline; the VM team then analyzes that baseline objectively. Without a clear project description, later phases may address the wrong problem or challenge valid requirements incorrectly.

References/topics: Information Phase; Designer Role; Project Background; Design Intent; VM Job Plan.