The correct answer is D. To prioritize functions . The Function Analysis Phase includes several important activities: identifying functions, defining them in active verb/measurable noun form, classifying them as basic or secondary, organizing their relationships, and relating cost or worth where required. However, these activities are not the final purpose by themselves. Their purpose is to determine which functions deserve the team’s focused attention for value improvement.

SAVE’s Value Methodology guidance explains that during Function Analysis, the team defines project functions and reviews them to determine which need improvement, elimination, or creation to meet study goals. ( WSDOT ) The Study Guide also states that functions performed inefficiently or at more than expected cost become the focus of the VM team’s improvement effort. ( ) This means the ultimate output is a prioritized understanding of where value improvement opportunities exist.

Option A may occur in advanced function-cost analysis, but it is not the ultimate objective. Options B and C are necessary intermediate steps, but they support the larger goal of prioritizing functions for creativity, evaluation, and development.

References/topics: Function Analysis Phase; Function Definition; Function Classification; Function Organization; Function Prioritization; Value Improvement Opportunities.

The correct answer is D. The life cycle cost is reduced . In Value Methodology, life cycle cost analysis is used to compare alternatives over the full ownership period, not just by initial cost. Future costs such as operation, maintenance, replacement, repair, and disposal are converted to present value using a discount rate. When the discount rate is higher, future costs are discounted more heavily, meaning their present value becomes smaller.

This does not mean the actual future cash payment disappears; it means that, in present-value terms, money spent in the future is worth less today. Therefore, increasing the discount rate reduces the present value of future cost streams and normally lowers the calculated present-value life cycle cost, especially for alternatives with large costs occurring later in the study period.

Option A is incorrect because discounting is essential when costs occur at different times. Option B is incorrect because changing the discount rate directly changes present-value calculations. Option C is incorrect because a higher discount rate does not increase the present value of future costs; it reduces them.

References/topics: Development Phase; Life Cycle Costing; Economic Analysis; Present Value; Discount Rate; VM Proposal Development.

The correct answer is C. Higher order and basic functions . In FAST diagramming, the project scope is shown by vertical scope lines that define the portion of the function logic included in the value study. The left project scope line separates the broader reason for the study from the functions that are actually inside the study boundary.

The higher order function is placed outside the left scope line because it answers the “why” question for the basic function. It represents the larger objective or purpose that the basic function supports. FAST guidance states that highest-order functions appear outside the left scope line and to the left of the basic functions. ( )

The basic function is placed immediately to the right of the left scope line. It represents the primary purpose or mission of the subject under study. The FAST reference specifically states that basic functions immediately to the right of the left scope line represent the purpose or mission of the subject. ( )

Therefore, the left project scope line is located between the higher order function and the basic function .

References/topics: Function Analysis Phase; FAST Diagramming; Project Scope Line; Higher Order Function; Basic Function; How/Why Logic.

The correct answers are B, D, and E . An Implementation Form is used after VM proposals have been developed, presented, reviewed, and moved into disposition or execution tracking. Its purpose is to identify each accepted or pending value alternative clearly enough that management, the project team, and follow-up reviewers can track what proposal is being implemented, who developed or owns it, and how it will be handled.

The SAVE International Study Guide describes Implementation Activities as ensuring accepted value alternatives are implemented and that projected benefits are realized. It further identifies activities such as conducting an implementation meeting, determining the disposition of each value alternative, establishing action plans, obtaining commitments, setting timeframes, tracking value achievement, and validating benefits. ( )

Therefore, an implementation form normally requires traceable proposal identifiers: the VM proposal number , the title of the VM proposal , and the developer or originator/responsible party . These fields allow each proposal to be tracked from study recommendation through acceptance, rejection, modification, and completion. A creative idea list belongs to the Creativity Phase record, not implementation tracking. Risk impacts may support development or recommendation documentation, but they are not as fundamental as proposal identity and responsibility fields on the implementation form.

References/topics: Implementation Phase; VM Proposal Tracking; Action Plans; Follow-Up; Value Study Recommendation Documentation.

The correct answers are B, C, and D . In the Function Analysis Phase, the FAST diagram is used as a function-logic model, not as an activity schedule or work-sequence chart. The VM Guide describes FAST, or Function Analysis System Technique, as one of the most effective methods for classifying and organizing functions and as a powerful diagramming technique for analyzing the relationship of functions . It specifically states that FAST diagrams are used to show the specific relationships of functions, test the validity of functions under study, and help identify missing functions. ( pdfcoffee.com )

Therefore, C is correct because FAST visually illustrates how functions relate through How/Why logic. B is correct because the diagram tests whether identified functions are valid within the functional logic path. D is correct because gaps in the How/Why logic expose missing functions.

Option A is not the best answer because FAST does not primarily identify a chronological sequence of functions. Option E is incorrect because FAST focuses on functions, not required activities or tasks.

References/topics: Function Analysis Phase; FAST Diagramming; Function Logic; Missing Functions; Validity of Functions.

The correct answer is A. Consider participant access restrictions . In the Presentation Phase, the facilitator’s objective is to ensure that the VM results are clearly communicated to the correct decision makers and stakeholders. SAVE’s Value Methodology Standard defines the Presentation Phase as the point where the team leader develops a report or presentation that documents and conveys the adequacy of the developed alternatives and their associated value improvement opportunity. ( )

In a virtual environment, the facilitator must manage communication barriers that are less prominent in an in-person meeting. This includes participant access limitations, platform permissions, screen-sharing ability, security restrictions, audio/video capability, file access, and whether outside stakeholders can view presentation materials. If key participants cannot access the meeting platform, graphics, proposal write-ups, or shared documents, the presentation may fail even if the technical VM content is strong.

Option B is more related to virtual workshop planning or team exercises, not specifically delivering the final presentation. Option C is too narrow because “remote access” is only one part of broader participant access restrictions. Option D is not a required VM presentation adjustment and is not a core Presentation Phase requirement.

References/topics: Presentation Phase; VM Results Presentation; Stakeholder Communication; Virtual Facilitation; Participant Access and Engagement.

The correct answer is C. Recommended alternatives, list of information reviewed, and function analysis . A value study report must document the technical basis of the VM study and provide management with enough objective information to make implementation decisions. The Presentation Phase requires the VM team to prepare presentation/supporting documentation, compare conclusions to success requirements from the Information and Function Analysis Phases, ensure management has full objective information, and prepare a formal report. ( )

Recommended alternatives belong in the report because the Development Phase converts selected ideas into clearly written value alternatives, supported by assumptions, sketches, calculations, cost comparisons, and implementation considerations. ( ) A list of information reviewed is also appropriate because the Information Phase gathers project data, key documents, cost data, quality data, marketing information, process flow charts, and other baseline material. ( ) Function analysis is essential because it records the functional basis of the study, including identified functions, function models, cost drivers, performance attributes, and value-mismatched functions. ( )

Option A is administrative and incomplete. Option B includes a stakeholder survey, which is not a standard core report element. Option D is weakened by “VM presentation,” because the presentation is separate from the report deliverable.

References/topics: Presentation Phase; Value Study Report; Information Phase; Function Analysis Phase; Development Phase; Recommended Alternatives.

The correct answer is D. demonstrate that the VM team understood objectives of the VM study . At an Implementation Meeting, the decision-makers are not primarily looking for a training session on Value Methodology or a review of the VM Job Plan. They need confidence that the VM study results are grounded in the actual project objectives, constraints, required functions, and success criteria.

A five-minute presentation must be concise and decision-focused. The facilitator should quickly show that the VM team understood the study scope, owner goals, performance needs, cost drivers, risks, and implementation expectations. This builds credibility before decision-makers review the disposition of VM proposals.

Option A is incorrect because the Job Plan explains the process, but implementation decision-makers need results and alignment, not a phase-by-phase lecture. Option B is also too broad for a five-minute implementation presentation. Option C is inappropriate because the meeting is not about individual team-member recognition. The strongest presentation is one that links the VM recommendations back to the study objectives and shows that the team’s proposals support those objectives.

References/topics: Implementation Phase; Implementation Meeting; VM Proposal Disposition; Study Objectives; Decision-Maker Confidence.

The correct answers are A and B . A VM program can fail when it is placed too narrowly inside one department because Value Methodology must operate as an organization-wide management process, not as the property of a single functional group. When VM is positioned inside one department, other departments may view it as that department’s agenda rather than as a neutral, cross-functional decision-support process. This weakens participation, reduces ownership of recommendations, and limits executive visibility.

An undefined implementation and change management process is also a major failure factor. VM studies produce recommendations, but the program succeeds only when those recommendations are reviewed, approved, assigned, tracked, and integrated into normal project or business controls. Without a defined implementation path, even technically strong VM proposals can remain unused. Change management is necessary because VM recommendations often alter scope, design, delivery approach, cost allocation, or stakeholder expectations.

By contrast, management support and tracking VM study results are success factors, not failure factors. Executive support gives authority and resources, while tracking verifies savings, value improvement, and accountability.

References/topics: VM Programs; Program Organization; Management Support; Implementation Process; Change Management; Tracking VM Results.

The correct answers are A and B . In FAST-based Function Analysis, lower-order functions are also known as assumed or causative functions because they represent the initiating input that causes, enables, or “turns on” the project, product, process, or service. SAVE’s Value Methodology glossary defines a lower-order function as the function selected to initiate the project, product, or process and identifies it as an input outside the subject scope. ( ) The SAVE glossary also states that lower-order functions are not part of the VM study scope and are inputs for the project, product, process, service, or organization.

In a FAST diagram, the study scope is bounded by scope lines. The subject scope lies between the higher-order and lower-order functions; therefore, lower-order functions are positioned outside the study boundary on the input side, conventionally beyond the right scope line. ( ) They are not an output of the VM Study; rather, they are boundary-condition inputs used to establish the function logic path. They are also not generally determined by the customer; customer needs are more closely associated with higher-order functions and value requirements.

References/topics: Function Analysis Phase; FAST Diagramming; Lower-Order Functions; Assumed/Causative Functions; Scope Lines.