A WEB-BASED VE SUPPORTING SYSTEM FOR VE FACILITATOR AND MEMBERS IN VE WORKSHOP

Transcription

1 Page 1 A WEB-BASED VE SUPPORTING SYSTEM FOR VE FACILITATOR AND MEMBERS IN VE WORKSHOP Heungmin PARK, CVS, IAM corporation (whcool@hanmail.net) Coauthor: Jong-Kwon LIM, CVS, Ph D., IAM corporation Coauthor: Sung-Hun KIM, IAM corporation Coauthor: Yong-Min Chon, CVS, IAM corporation Heungmin PARK has been in charge of the Value Analysis (VA) Program for Infra Asset Management Corporation since He is one of the most active experts for value engineering field of civil infra structures in Korea. PARK has been invited to lead VE workshop at various projects and seminars in Korea, and recently has been serving as Instructor to Korea University. PARK is an expert in integrating project management tools and value management tools. ABSTRACT: In order to bring best outcome of value engineering (VE) team, it is very important to maximize performance of VE team in a workshop, however it is not easy to control difference between team members in current VE workshop system. In addition, most of each phase in VE job plan need to work collaboratively but also it is not easy to improve collaboration. Efficient VE study can not be conducted in limited time without computersupported software (SW) system, because it takes time to gather information, collect ideas, and make decisions during value engineering process. Korean value team members and value facilitators, and team leaders want to reduce time loss of value workshop. Authors think international value experts have to deal with these difficulties. However, we did not find any good SW system for VE team members and VE team leaders. So, we have felt necessity to develop efficient VE supporting SW system for efficient activities of value facilitator and value team members. In the long run, Infra Asset Management (IAM) Corporation has developed a computerized system for VE team leaders and VE team members. We called this SW system as iamcvs. CVS is not certified value specialist but Computerized Value Supporter. The iam stands for trade mark of IAM corporation. The system developed by the authors, iamcvs, support a VE team leader or value facilitator and VE team members so that they can perform overall process of a standardized VE job plan (SAVE International 2007, Caltrans 2003a). The system, web-based management in VE workshop, will be very useful especially for team leaders. They can reduce time loss in getting information and collecting generated ideas by using the web-based system. A VE team leader of a workshop can get rapidly data from a group, handling these by online operation. We can accomplish collaborative performance between members through this computerized process. We also need to show visually and rapidly results during study to all participants of the workshop through VE study instantly in order to stimulate creativity of VE team members in VE workshop. The developed system will reduce time and efforts to make presentation for showing outputs. It can show outputs of VE study by automatic reporting function in very short time due to the System under web-based environment. Also this system could help in

2 Page 2 standardizing VE process in your organization with the developed system. 1. INTRODUCTION VE job plan, a systematic team approach, is comprised of 8 phases including preparation, information, function, speculation, evaluation, development, presentation, and implementation, as shown in Fig. 1 (Stewart 2006, Caltrans 2003a). The purpose of VE workshop is to derive creative ideas and value alternatives through team approach. The approach is very important to reach the consensus of all participants during the VE job plan. VE team leaders have tried to do their best maximizing outcomes of VE team and minimizing workshop duration, usually scheduled for 3~5 days. Table 1 represents the time consumed by each phase during general 5-day VE Workshop (Stewart 2006). However, most Korean value practitioners want to step all phases of workshop in 3 days. Public clients, especially, do not like to wait 5 days. They, in general, want to best results in very short time. So, we have been faced with challenges to lead effectively value engineering team stepping all phases and using all useful techniques in not more than 3 days. Fig 1. Standardized VE job plan The preparation and evaluation phases take much time as below table 1, and the information and function analysis phases also take a long time in the actual workshop. In other words, it is difficult to develop important ideas and alternatives within limited workshop period. This system was developed to eliminate this problem Table 1. General 5-days VE study model Job Plan Phase Number Hours per Study Value Type Construction Product Process Procedure Preparation Information Function Speculation Evaluation Development Presentation Oral Presentation Report Implementation Times will vary and depend on value study sponsor.

3 Page 3 We have to reduce time to spend 5 phases information, speculation, function analysis, evaluation, and development among 6 phases during workshop using the System to satisfy clients and maximize value of VE study. This system digitalized the entire process from preparation phase to the development phase. Using web-based system, a VE team leader can reduce time for drawing up the outcome and making decisions to bring up the efficiency of the workshop. Also, the web-based system activates the communication between members and efficiently manages their collaboration to easily reach consensus. 2. System Outline 2.1 Development Concept This system was developed as Windows and web-based application, and the system architecture and hardware configuration are as shown in Fig. 2 Fig 2. System Architecture On the server side, the open source system, Apache, was used for the web server and database server to reduce loading time for the development and operation. PHP was used to develop application server. Especially, the system applied the Yii Framework, developed to suit Model-View-Controller structure that recently became quite popular for web application development to separately develop database layer, information management and business logic layer, and screen display layer. On the client side, the system allows members to use the application through the web browser. Most browsers can use functions from basic HTML, CSS, and Java Script. However, the team leader must use Microsoft Internet Explorer due to the use of the ActiveX required for preparing the function map. CodeGear s Delphi 2009 version was used to develop the ActiveX for preparing the function map.

4 Page 4 Fig 3. Hardware Configuration The hardware configuration for the development and operation of the system service is shown in Fig. 3. Most operating systems compatible with Apache, PHP, and MySQL can be used, but Microsoft Windows XP was selected as the basic operating system for the convenience in development and management for the system development. In this case, APM can be used in the form of Virtual Machine or APM environment ported to Windows. Developer and administrator can manage the server through RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol). Physical firewall is recommended for network security. In this case, Windows XP Server allocates internal private IP addresses for external internet through Network Address Translation (NAT) process. Unwanted access and malicious attacks can be blocked by physical firewall in this process. Database access is limited to virtual machine or local host to prevent unnecessary external exposure and possible data loss. The system configuration is shown in Fig. 4. Fig 4. iamcvs Configuration

5 Page 5 The iamcvs is a computerized SW system for overall VE process to support VE team leader and team members. The iamfast is a function analysis SW system specializing the functional analysis process. The iamfast is modulized for special users who want only the iamfast program. Internet connection is required, and each member of the team requires their own computer. Also, VE leader and members use this system through the computer to which each system is installed to. You can see the hardware environment of the iamcvs in Fig. 5. Fig 5. Access Environment of iamcvs 2.2 iamcvs Features The most outstanding function among a number of useful functions of the iamcvs is for members to share their information on computer environment and give feedbacks to each other s ideas. Especially, collecting and sharing data related with project information is necessary for the team approach. VE team members can easily upload the data that they collected to the server, handing out and sharing the data as the reference available at any time. This function can help VE team members to understand the project. This system also allows members to give feedbacks to each other in the performance evaluation, functional analysis, and idea development phases. It should be noted that the communication and consensus between members are important to improve team performance. Especially, it takes a little bit long time to determine performance evaluation items and weight of the target project during the workshop, and it also takes a quite long time to draw up outcomes in the FAST diagram especially for unskillful members. This system automated these series of processes that all members can share the outcomes as soon as ideas are generated. As a result, VE team members can invest sufficient time in developing alternatives and ideas to have more effective workshop and better outcomes. This system can maximize the effect of workshop by efficiently managing the time loss commonly taking place in existing workshop systems. 3. Major Functions 3.1 Preparation Phase 1) Start System

6 Page 6 Once a VE study is organized by a VE team and a VE team leader is determined for the study, The leader will start the system. Started screen is shown in Fig. 6. Users could be a VE team leader and VE team members. They need a ID and Password to log in the system. The VE team leader can generate and distribute them to VE team members. These activities will be conducted at preparation of the VE study. Fig 6. Start VE process 2) Share Project Information All participants for the VE study can see and upload themselves all related project information such as photographs of site, drawings, draft reports, issues on a same screen, if they are allowed to log in. Team members can freely access the database and share previously uploaded project information such as cost, scope, schedule to understand baseline design concept. Once various Microsoft files and text files are uploaded to the server, this system graphically shows the information of uploaded files required by the user in fixed formats. Fig 7. Share Project Information 3.2 Information Phase VE team leader should define performance attributes during workshop in order to calculate project value for each alternative. It is quite difficult to reach the consensus due to great difference of private opinions between members. A team leader can use simple paired comparison, weighted paired comparison or AHP technique (Saaty 2008), if necessary, so that

7 Page 7 he could easily reach team consensus. When members send the information about the weight of each item to VE leader on the same screen, and the leader integrates the information and the system automatically calculate final weight. Quite broad difference can be calibrated by the team leader using the system. Fig 8. Define Importance of Performance Attribute Users may use existing performance attributes used for a similar reference project from database. 3.3 Function Analysis Phase The iamfast specialized the functional analysis phase in the iamcvs. It works based on the functional analysis phase of VE job plan. Users may use only iamfast. Drawing up a FAST diagram using Post-It takes a little bit time and it is not easy to rapidly reflect the functions generated from members directly, especially for not well-experienced experts. This automated system can resolve this problem. Functions defined by team member are automatically sent to computer screen of VE leader. The team leader can directly draw FAST diagram. Members can also check the completed FAST diagram in their own systems. A sample screen is shown in Fig.9. Fig 9. FAST Diagram in iamfast 3.4 Speculation and Evaluation Phase It also takes little bit time to collect and organize the ideas of members. This system integrates automatically ideas for each function developed by members through system

8 Page 8 controlled by the VE team leader. Each member will directly evaluate the list of integrated ideas. If necessary, VE team members directly can add new ideas on the idea list. So, much time could be reduced using the system. Members will be able to simultaneously access the evaluation results for further discussion, and the system collects members opinions about idea evaluation more easily and derives the result through the statistical process. Fig 10. Idea evaluation 3.4 Development Phase Furthermore, VE team members may use user interface to develop alternatives. The system will make a standardized and general form for development of alternative concept. There is a specification for form that must be made by regulation of Korea. The system automatically generates the form so that VE team leader can easily collect value alternatives. The system also easily calculates present value of life cycle cost (LCC) for each alternative. VE team members, who are not familiar with LCC theory, can easily develop alternatives. Once LCC for each alternative is calculated, value of each alternative automatically calculated. The system supports the team leader to quickly evaluate and integrate overall value, combining value of final value alternatives. 4. Conclusion It is essential to effectively perform VE and bring best results during a VE workshop. However, it is quite difficult to accomplish the outcome due to the limit of time and space. iamcvs was developed to mitigate this problem. The menu of the computerized system is made according to the standardized job plan defined by VE so that even the VE leader who is not familiar with workshop can easily carry out VE according to the processes provided by the system. The system facilitates a team leader and team members to reach consensus so that team performance can be maximized at each phase. Since the developed system quickly shows the outcomes at each phase to members, VE team leader can reduce the time consumed in the course of the workshop. As a result, VE team leader using the developed system can satisfy clients. It is stated that the developed web-based VE supporting system will be very useful for better communication, consensus and team performance between decision makers and VE team members in case of complicated projects. This system is expected to maximize VE outcomes by enabling systematic and efficient VE workshop. References 1. Caltrans (2003a), Value Analysis Report Guide. 2. Caltrans (2003b), Value Analysis Team Guide.

9 Page 9 3. Saaty, T(2007). Group Decision Making, Socio-Economic Planning Sciences 4. Stewart, R. B. (2006), Fundamentals of Value Methodology, Xlibris Corporation 5. Stewart, R. B. & Hunter, G. (2001), Moving Beyond the Cost Savings Paradigm - The Evaluation and Measurement of Project Performance, 2001 AASHTO Value Engineering Conference Proceedings 6. WSDOT (2008), Value Engineering Tools, Performance Measures. ( 7. SAVE International, 2007, Value Methodology Standard