By Anthony Dunams, PE, CVS – Editor, Value World
I am always challenged about what to tackle every two months for this piece but I did take the chance to review what I wrote in the September/October 2023 issue regarding the future of the Value Methodology (VM) in the eyes of our younger generation. The future is bright for VM if we make the push to support young engineers and practitioners in their pursuit of a VM career. I hope all take a chance to re-read that article from the last issue – I thought it was a good one.
I want to focus this article on function analysis and sustainability. VM is a sustainable practice incorporating all the aspects of sustainability. Our studies incorporate asset management, life-cycle costing, environmental sustainability, reliability-centered maintenance approaches, etc. all to incorporate and respond to our projects that include environmental concerns, social equity issues, economic viability, efficiency, resiliency, stakeholder engagement, innovation, ethics and a circular economy – all these elements are aspects of sustainability and are typically addressed during a VM study. Sustainability to me is also sharing what we do and what we know with other VM practitioners, for we should have moved far away from the past “keys to the castle” mentality that was rife within our organization many years ago.
So be sustainable, share what you know with others – and this brings me to function and function analysis. I have a colleague that I have leaned on and like to work with, and we discuss what works and does not work when we engage in the function phase of a project. Function analysis is more art than science, so I believe it helps me and helps her and we have talked about doing this more in the future although we work for separate firms. I hope others who work in small practices have the opportunity to brainstorm function with other colleagues. In the end it will make each of us better stewards of the VM.
Enjoy this issue, lots of exciting things happening with USAV Day on November 16 and getting ready to 1) advertise your firm in the 2024 Consultant Directory, and 2) work on a presentation for SAVE International’s 2024 Value Summit in Nashville, TN.
Stay safe out there everyone!
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