Above: A Value Engineering (VE) study, sponsored by the USACE Portland District and facilitated by VMS, was conducted for the US Moorings Replacement Dock in Portland, Ore. The VE team’s proposed design modifications were accepted, which reduced construction costs, enhanced maintainability, and reduced long-term environmental impacts.
An introduction to Value Engineering
by Jodie Puzio (BS 08)
After graduation, I entered the world of large capital project management. From my experiences in contractor’s offices as a business and project controls engineer, in the home office leading engineer recruiting efforts and cross-functional initiatives, to the field as a project engineer, I have a wide range of project experience. I was both leveraging my technical engineering skills and furthering my skills as a strong leader and communicator.
Soon after relocating to the Pacific Northwest with my husband, I joined Value Management Strategies Inc. (VMS) as an Assistant Value Manager – a position that plays to my strengths, experience and interest. As a consultant, I focus on improving the value of our clients’ projects, products and processes using Value Methodology. Value Methodology is a process commonly and effectively used in both the private and public sectors to analyze and improve design and construction projects, manufacturing products and processes, and business and administrative processes. Through this systematic and structured approach, value is optimized for projects resulting in improved performance, decreased cost and schedule, reduced risk and enhanced customer satisfaction.
What sets Value Methodology apart from other management practices is the analysis of functions – two-word (verb-noun) generic descriptions on what components of the project do. VMS delivers its value enhancing services with pre-study preparation, facilitating a multidisciplinary team value study, and post-study documentation and implementation. The value study includes the following phases:
- Information Phase: Gather information to better understand the project.
- Function Analysis Phase: Analyze the project to understand and clarify the required functions.
- Creative Phase: Generate ideas on all the possible ways to accomplish the required functions.
- Evaluation Phase: Evaluate and select ideas that offer the potential for value improvement.
- Development Phase: Develop the selected ideas into alternatives with a sufficient level of documentation to allow decision makers to determine if the alternative should be implemented.
- Presentation Phase: Present the value improvement recommendations to the project stakeholders.
Since joining the team, I have received my Value Methodology Associate certification and have participated in 13 value studies, which include value engineering/analysis workshops, risk assessments and function analysis design charrettes. I support the successful facilitation and completion of deliverables for our clients through onsite support and accurately documenting the results of each study. My studies have included highway and transit projects in California and New York, civil works and navigation projects for the US Army Corps of Engineers in various cities, and military facilities in Alaska and Hawaii.
I have had the opportunity to work for various clients in the public and private sector, on a wide variety of projects, and with some incredible team members – adding value all over the country!
For more information, visit value-eng.org, the website of SAVE International®, the international professional society devoted to advancing and promoting Value Methodology.