ABSTRACT
There is a method that offers a key to open the door to creativity. The key is function analysis, and it is the main element in the Value Engineering (VE) management system. Function definition and function analysis are the main elements that set VE apart from all other management systems. VE was originally called Value Analysis (VA), but as skill in its use and understanding of the method grew, the application of the method broadened. The theory and philosophy of function definition and analysis is simple but the application is difficult. It has already been emphasized that functions must be properly defined to achieve maximum benefit. In a complex project, system or organization analysis, over a hundred functions may be defined. The handling and analysis of these functions through the process of function definition, cost-function analysis and value determination to find the poor value functions is complex and laborious.
