Pass the SAVE International Value Methodology CVS Questions and answers with ExamsMirror

The correct answer is D. Identify how to modify behaviors in the context of the new situation . This question is testing the facilitator’s understanding of resistance to change during VM implementation or decision acceptance. When decision makers cling to familiar methods and reject all VM proposals, the problem is not necessarily the technical quality of the proposals. It is usually behavioral resistance caused by uncertainty, loss of comfort, perceived risk, or attachment to existing practices.

A VM facilitator should not simply repeat the study or replace the team. The facilitator should help decision makers understand how the recommended change can be adopted in practical terms. This includes showing what behaviors, processes, responsibilities, and decision patterns need to change under the new situation.

Option A is incorrect because identifying instability may increase concern rather than reduce resistance. Option B is inefficient and does not address the root cause. Option C is also weak because withholding information can reduce trust. The better VM facilitation strategy is to guide decision makers through the behavioral transition required for successful acceptance.

References/topics: VM Facilitation and Team Dynamics; Change Management; Resistance to Change; Decision-Maker Acceptance; Implementation Phase.

The correct answers are A, C, and D . In FAST diagramming, scope lines define the boundary of the subject being studied. They separate what is included in the VM study from functions that explain the larger reason for the study or the initiating input outside the study boundary. SAVE’s VM glossary explains that a FAST diagram includes scope lines and classified functions such as basic, higher-order, and lower-order functions. It also defines subject scope as the portion of the project, product, or process selected for the value study. ( )

Option A is correct because scope lines represent the limits of the VM study subject. Option C is correct because the basic function is placed immediately to the right of the left scope line; it represents the essential purpose of the subject within the study. Option D is correct because the higher-order function is placed to the left of the left scope line and explains the broader need or goal for which the basic function exists. SAVE defines the higher-order function as outside the scope of the subject under study. ( )

Option B is not selected because the key convention is boundary placement, not “solid line” style. Option E is incorrect because the lower-order function is outside the right scope boundary, not immediately left of it.

References/topics: Function Analysis Phase; FAST Diagram; Scope Lines; Basic Function; Higher-Order Function; Lower-Order Function.

The correct answers are A. Efficiency and D. Scalability . In the Evaluation Phase, the VM team uses structured criteria to screen and rank creative ideas based on their ability to improve value while still delivering the required functions. SAVE’s Value Methodology Standard defines VM as a systematic process used by a multidisciplinary team to improve value through function analysis, and it confirms that VM applies not only to products and construction projects but also to business procedures, services, manufacturing processes, and business plans . ( )

For a business process study , typical evaluation criteria focus on how well an alternative improves process performance. Efficiency is a primary criterion because business-process alternatives are commonly judged by cycle time, resource use, duplication reduction, workflow simplification, and productivity. Scalability is also typical because the improved process should remain effective as transaction volume, users, locations, or organizational complexity increase.

Environmental impact may be valid in sustainability-driven studies, construction, or product/process engineering, but it is not a typical core criterion for a general business-process VM study. Maintenance is more typical for physical assets, facilities, equipment, or technical systems. The Evaluation Phase specifically selects ideas that offer value improvement while considering performance requirements and resource limits. ( )

References/topics: Evaluation Phase; Business Process Study; Evaluation Criteria; ; Scalability; Value Improvement.

The correct answer is C. Before the VM study begins . Customer information must be acquired during the Preparation Phase , also called the pre-study effort, because the VM facilitator needs accurate project knowledge before the formal study session starts. This includes the customer’s objectives, needs, constraints, priorities, budget concerns, schedule requirements, performance expectations, risk issues, and definition of success. Without this information, the VM team may begin the study with an unclear scope, incomplete data, or incorrect assumptions.

The customer’s input also helps the facilitator select the right team members, prepare the agenda, identify required documents, define study boundaries, and confirm the decision-making framework. By the time the team enters the Information Phase, the study should already be organized and supported by relevant background data.

Option A is weaker because waiting until the study begins reduces efficiency and may waste team time. Option B is incorrect because the final presentation is for communicating recommendations, not collecting basic customer requirements. Option D is incorrect because conceptual development occurs after functions and ideas have already been analyzed.

References/topics: Preparation Phase; Pre-Study Activities; Customer Requirements; Study Scope; VM Job Plan; Information Readiness.

The correct answers are A. Proposals that provide the greatest benefit and B. The relative risk of each proposal . During the Presentation Phase, the VM team must communicate recommendations that are strong enough to justify management action. SAVE’s VM guidance states that developed alternatives should include cost, performance data, implementation cost, and consideration of risk and uncertainty . It also identifies performance benefit analysis as part of developing alternatives before presentation. ( UW Courses )

When time is limited, the facilitator should guide the team toward proposals with the highest value contribution, not simply the easiest or cheapest ideas. A proposal with the greatest benefit is most aligned with VM’s purpose: improving value by achieving required functions more effectively. Risk is also essential because decision makers must understand whether the recommendation is practical, credible, and acceptable for implementation.

Option C may be attractive, but ease of implementation alone does not prove high value. Option D is incorrect because low cost impact may produce limited value improvement and may not justify presentation priority. The Presentation Phase seeks concurrence and commitment from decision makers to proceed with implementation of recommendations. ( UW Courses )

References/topics: Presentation Phase; Development Phase; VM Proposal Selection; Risk and Uncertainty; Performance Benefit Analysis.

The correct answers are A, C, D, and E . Pareto’s law of distribution, often expressed as the 80/20 principle , is used in Value Methodology to focus team attention on the “vital few” items that create the greatest effect. In a VM study, this principle helps the team avoid spreading effort equally across all issues and instead concentrate on the limited number of elements that drive most of the project impact.

It can be applied to time , because a small number of activities often consume most of the schedule or create major delay exposure. It can be applied to quality , because a limited group of defects, failures, or performance gaps may account for most quality problems. It can be applied to risk , because a small number of risk events often carry the largest probability-impact burden. It is also highly applicable to costs , because VM studies commonly use cost models and cost distribution to identify high-cost elements for function analysis and value improvement.

Standards are not normally treated as Pareto-distributed variables; they are requirements or constraints. Performance is important in VM, but Pareto application is more directly tied to measurable distributions such as cost, time, quality problems, and risk exposure.

References/topics: Information Phase; Pareto Analysis; Cost Modeling; Risk Identification; Quality Drivers; Schedule Drivers.

The correct answers are C. Break problems into sub-problems and D. Utilize mind-mapping techniques to visualize connections . In the Creativity Phase, the VM team generates alternative ways to perform the selected functions. SAVE’s VM guidance describes this phase as a quantity-focused idea-generation activity where ideas are developed without judgment, habit, assumed restrictions, or premature feasibility screening. ( UW Courses )

Discursive creativity techniques are structured, logical, and systematic. They help the team move through the problem deliberately rather than relying only on spontaneous brainstorming. Breaking problems into sub-problems is appropriate because it allows the facilitator to separate a complex function, process, or constraint into smaller idea-generation targets. This improves coverage and prevents the team from treating the problem too broadly. Mind-mapping is also appropriate because it visually organizes relationships among functions, causes, ideas, constraints, and possible solution paths.

Option A is incorrect because focusing on the most feasible ideas belongs to the Evaluation Phase , not Creativity. Option B is a useful facilitation rule, but it is not specifically a discursive creativity technique.

References/topics: Creativity Phase; Discursive Creativity Techniques; Idea Generation; Function-Based Alternatives; Evaluation Phase Boundary.

The correct answers are A and B . During the Development Phase , the VM team is converting selected ideas into value alternatives, so any new information that affects assumptions, cost, risk, performance, stakeholder impact, or feasibility must be evaluated before the proposal is finalized. SAVE’s Study Guide explains that each Job Plan phase provides information needed for the next phase and that, as the team gains additional knowledge, a previous phase may be revisited. ( ) Therefore, the facilitator should first assess the information with the VM team to determine whether it changes the rationale, calculations, risk profile, or viability of any proposal.

The facilitator should also discuss the information with the study subject program manager because the information may affect scope, owner requirements, baseline assumptions, implementation constraints, or management expectations. In the Development Phase, value alternatives must be clearly written with supporting assumptions, calculations, vendor information, cost comparisons, and other information needed to convey the alternative. ( )

Option C is premature because new information does not automatically require a new proposal. Option D is incorrect because disregarding relevant information undermines proposal credibility and informed decision-making.

References/topics: Development Phase; Value Alternative Development; Facilitator Responsibilities; Proposal Validation; VM Team Coordination.

Step 1 — Identify the major deliverables

Step 2 — Identify major supporting activities and tasks

Step 3 — Organize and structure the deliverables

Step 4 — Assign responsibility for deliverables

Step 5 — Verify the work breakdown structure

The correct sequence begins with identifying the major deliverables because a Work Breakdown Structure is deliverable-oriented. The team must first define what must be produced before it can break the work into manageable parts. After the major deliverables are clear, the next step is to identify the major supporting activities and tasks required to complete each deliverable.

The third step is to organize and structure the deliverables into a logical hierarchy. This converts the project scope into a structured framework that can be planned, estimated, tracked, and controlled. The fourth step is to assign responsibility for deliverables , because the WBS must support accountability. Each work element should have clear ownership so that implementation actions do not remain vague or unmanaged.

The final step is to verify the work breakdown structure . Verification confirms that the WBS is complete, logical, non-duplicative, and aligned with the intended scope. In VM practice, this supports implementation planning by connecting proposals, deliverables, responsibilities, and follow-up control.

References/topics: VM Programs; Implementation Planning; Work Breakdown Structure; Deliverable Breakdown; Responsibility Assignment; Project Control.

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.