By Ahmed Maged Ali, CVS – Africa/Middle East Regional Director, SAVE International
As an experienced Certified Value Specialist (CVS) in the Saudi Arabian market, I have witnessed the development of Value Engineering (VE) in Saudi Arabia and its significant impact on many institutions over the last decade. Institutions such as ARAMCO, RCJY (Royal Commission in Jubail and Yanbu) and NWC (National Water Company) have greatly benefited from the Value Methodology (VM) and have even reached a level of maturity in the Value world, that they have developed their own standards and manuals for Value Analysis (VA)/VE. Such level of development enhanced the VE knowledge in the region, which in return improved the Value learning curve.
In 2021, the RCJY alone saved up to 320 million SAR by applying the VM on nearly 90% of its projects. As the VE Consultant of RCJY (one of the leading authorities in applying the VM in the middle east), I would like to share with you the outcomes of a webinar on value improvement practices in Saudi Arabia organized by the RC in June 2022.
By experience, the VE outcomes are tied significantly to the team itself; therefore, the webinar focused on five secrets to build an effective, high performing VE team:
- Assemble a Team Familiar with the VE Job Plan – A team with strong VE basis will be able to actively contribute to the generation of many ideas and alternatives during the creativity phase of the workshop by using various VE models and unique tools (FAST diagram). VE professionals can amazingly use their experience in the advanced stages of the workshop through evaluation and development activities.
- Build a Team that Appreciates Value – The team should strategize to think differently. VE teams must interpret their competencies into analytical problem-solving and communication skills through unconventional thinking processes. Character is also an essential skill within the VA team to convince clients that the team’s decisions and actions are based solely on value. If clients trust your abilities and character, anticipate their willingness to implement your recommendations.
- Set the Spirit of Team Work – Team members must be confident that their collaborative, coordinated efforts will produce more valuable and unique results than their individual efforts. All practitioners should embrace the concept that VM is a combination of team activities and clearly defined goals that are the responsibility of the team leader. Empowerment is therefore an essential feature of teamwork, and the boundaries of this empowerment must be fully understood by each team member.
- Look for Members Up-to-Date in Technology Solutions – Members of the VE team are highly encouraged to stay up to date on the latest product designs and research that discuss new outcomes that may add value. The members must have good knowledge on marketing research and changing customer demands. Members of this type can make a difference and lead the way for increasing project value by achieving maximum cost savings and ensuring better quality parameters.
- Expertise is Not Mandatory – Expertise in the field of study and its specific domains is important, but should not be mandatory. The experience itself can bring its own drawbacks, such as being unable to deviate from the way things were done or giving yourself the opportunity to make changes that definitely stifle your creativity. An outsider who has worked in business, technology, or finance can be a valuable addition to your team as they bring a different perspective.
Careful selection of your VE team with the above tips in mind will definitely boost your creativity and actually enhance your project with many key recommendations. Finally, handpicked team members through a well-established process following a specific procedure can achieve impressive results.
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