By Robert Stewart, CVS-Life, FSAVE, PMP, PMI-RMP – Director of Education, SAVE International
The Value Methodology Body of Knowledge (VMBoK) Guide Committee has been working diligently and has produced over 125 pages of content in addition to the content in the Function Analysis Guide. The current plan is to have a draft document ready for review by the SAVE International membership by the time of the upcoming Value Summit in June.
The member review of the content will be organized using smaller, facilitated groups so that there can be ample time for meaningful dialog rather than just one-way feedback. The challenge facing the VMBoK Guide Committee is to focus on that information necessary for a CVS to know and to perform his or her functions as a value study facilitator effectively. The other challenge is to present the material in a way that makes it relevant to different types of VM applications, including projects, products, processes, services and organizations.
What we learned in the previous round of member comments related to the VMBoK Glossary was that most members are experienced in only one of these application areas. This is understandable as most practitioners tend to focus on a specific technical area with which they are most familiar (e.g., construction, manufacturing, etc.). The problem is that this creates significant blind spots for much of the membership with respect to relevant techniques and nuances of application. If anything, it has further underscored the need to develop this resource to broaden the understanding of the broad range of VM applications amongst its members in order to proliferate its use and raise general awareness of the power of this approach to value improvement.
In June, the VMBoK Guide Committee will be organizing sub-committees comprising SAVE members to review each section of the VMBoK. We will likely leverage a web-based platform such as GoToMeeting or WebEx to facilitate these sessions so that the sub-committees can discuss the content and offer input on how to improve it. It is extremely important that we engage the membership – we want the VMBoK to reflect the wisdom of our colleagues and your participation is critical. We will provide additional details on the structure and timelines of the VMBoK Guide draft review process at the Value Summit.
In the meantime, the VMBoK Committee has prepared a brief online survey to elicit member feedback with respect to content, specifically on the basic/essential techniques that a CVS should know. Please keep in mind that we are trying to keep this to what is “essential” recognizing that there are countless techniques, and related derivatives, applied by VM practitioners. An email containing a link to this survey was sent to all current SAVE members on February 28. Please look for this in your inbox – the survey will only be open for one week.
Everyone on the VMBoK Committee welcomes your input into this important resource. I hope to see you all at the 2019 Value Summit June 8-11 in Portland, OR!
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