Value Analysis
Value Analysis, also called value management, is a method used to optimize products, processes and services by making sure the product satisfies the needs of the stakeholders at best, at the lowest cost. Those two issues of the product are optimized at the same time: satisfaction of the needs by understanding the functions to do to fulfill the needs at the right performance level considering the life cycle cost of each of the functions. This approach includes a few steps, defined in a job plan, which has been standardize throughout the world. Martin Parrot is a world leader in value management and implements this approach with many clients. Our facilitators organize, manage and facilitate Value Analysis workshops to optimize products, services and construction projects, at any stage of their design, the best being as early as possible, at the concept phase. Learning about this approach is done through teaching the different steps to accomplish and doing it right away on a live project, to better understand and to confirm learning.
Our approach
On our first visit, Martin Parrot will evaluate your needs, with you:
- How many workshops will be required to optimize your project?
- How long will they last?
- Who should be present?
- What are the goals and objectives of the study?
- What are the limits, constraints and stakes?
- Should internal facilitators be trained?
- Is a basic training required for those attending the study?
When desired, Martin Parrot will support you on how to introduce the value methodologies in your company, including the various ways to approach this goal and who should be involved during the implementation of VM.
The Job Plan
Martin Parrot uses both European and American standards in the value methodologies. These standards describe the job plan as it should be used when an enterprise decides to use it to optimize its projects. This job plan consists of:
- Phase 1 – Organization phase
- Phase 2 – Information phase
- Phase 3 – Function analysis and cost analysis phase
- Phase 4 – Creativity phase
- Phase 5 – Evaluation phase
- Phase 6 – Development of value improvement proposals and report
- Phase 7 – Implementation phase
Value Management
Value analysis, when applied to organizational and business issues, is called value management. This approach will help any enterprise optimize the services and products it delivers to its clients or to the population in general, when talking about a government agency or ministry. Thus, an enterprise can identify which products or services the population needs to buy, and at what cost. Value management is a style of management which allows any enterprise to make decisions based on the value it creates with its products and services.
Needs analysis
Before designing a product, project, process or service, some good questions must be asked:
- What is the goal of this product?
- To whom will it be useful?
- What are the needs of these users and other stakeholders?
- What is the cost target?
Needs analysis (also known as Function analysis) is used to identify the functions a product must do to fulfill needs, organize these functions in a function tree, set the functions into a hierarchy, characterize the performance expected from each function with a level and a flexibility.
No design project should start without this approach which is one of the best project management practices to determine needs.
Product development
Our efforts aim to establish a product development process that involves the participation of all sectors, such as sales and marketing teams, industrial design, engineering, manufacturing, and after-sales service.
Everyone must share a single goal: customer satisfaction during product use, while maximizing the organization’s profitability.
Several optimization tools will be studied, including functional analysis, Failure Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) for both products and processes, and DFX.
Our approach
Our approach is one of learning in action. The first phase is training through a complete cycle of the product development process. During this phase, your organization will benefit from real tangible results since the learning will be done by using one of your products under development. The second phase will allow consolidation of the learning done previously. During this phase, with the help of Martin Parrot experts, your organization will finetune its product development process and master the different tools. The third phase is autonomy. During this phase, your organization will realize its projects using the personalized product development process, in an autonomous way. We will support you in this for as long as you need it. Work teams will always be multidisciplinary: each discipline involved in the new product or service will be represented, at various moments of the process.
Job Plan
Preparation Preparing to implement a service or product development process includes:
- Do some ground work before the change
- Training, information sessions, communication with the personnel
- Define the development process suited to you:
- Based on concurrent engineering principles
- Adapted to your own context, products and sector
- Respecting your constraints and your environment
Implementation
- Planning of the implementation according to your capacity
- Setting specific goals
- Transferring knowledge
- Coaching on skills and attitudes: what to do, how to be
- Going through a whole cycle of development
- Supervised trial of all the tools
- Preparing workshops with you
- Making sure everybody adheres to the new philosophy
Follow up
- Make sure all personnel knows and applies the new approach
- Supervise its use as the autonomy and confidence builds up
- Coaching to avoid strategic or tactic errors.
Certified Training
As mentioned above, Mrs. Parrot is able to give training sessions in any one of the methodologies explained here. Most of the teaching is done using a real live project to better learn these techniques. All training sessions can be adjusted to the expectations and the context of the client. Mrs. Parrot is a registered trainer with Emploi-Québec. The investments you will do on training of your personnel will fit in the context of the Loi favorisant le développement et la reconnaissance des compétences de la main-d’oeuvre du Québec (Law for the development and recognition of competencies of manpower in Quebec).
Training Plan
Martin Parrot can give you all the training you need to become autonomous in value management and the development of products, services, processes and construction projects. This training can be customized to suit your needs, in a training plan established with you. A training plan includes:
- Title of the training activity
- Duration
- Beginning and end date
- Location
- Number of participants
- Problem to solve
- Goals and content
- Training methodology
- Pedagogical tools
- Evaluation method and recognition
With such a plan, it is possible for you to search for subsidies and/or to include this in the training government regulation of 1%.
Available training
Value Design Training
New dates: Fall 2026: 26-27 October, 2-3, 9-10, 16-17 November 2026 Winter 2027: 25-26 January, 1-2, 8-9, 15-16 February 2027 This original distance learning certification course offers self-study, Q&A, exchanges and individualized support. Based on a project, this training helps you find the solution that brings you the most value, i.e. that best meets the needs of all stakeholders, at the lowest cost. This course enables participants to put value analysis into practice by applying the phases of needs analysis (FNA functional needs analysis) and the search for value-maximizing solutions, with the help of associated tools. The original, iterative approach of the PEIX cycles (Problematization, Elicitation, Ideation, eXploration) will be at the heart of the learning process. This course complies with European standards EN 17952:2024 – Functional Analysis and EN 12973:2020 – Value Management. At the end of the 32-hour training course (8 half-days), an exam will enable you to obtain the international VDF® Value Design Foundation certification (level 1) issued by the Value Design Institute.
For more information, please contact Lucie Parrot, Eng. CVS-Life.
Certified basic training in house (Value fundamentals 1)
For more information, please contact Lucie Parrot, Eng. CVS-Life.
Advanced value analysis training
This advanced value analysis training is intended for people who have already completed several workshops and who wish to obtain a certification as a value analysis practitioner.
For more information, please contact Lucie Parrot, Eng. CVS-Life.
Risk management training
This training focuses on failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis (FMEA). It covers how to conduct product FMEAs from the preliminary product development phase through the detailed engineering phase. The training also covers process FMEA. The training lasts 8 hours.
For more information, please contact Lucie Parrot, Eng. CVS-Life.
Function analysis training (needs analysis)
This training covers how to conduct functional analyses in order to prepare a functional requirements specification and support the successful development of any product or process. The various techniques used to identify, organize, characterize, prioritize, and assess the value of the functions of a new product are presented. The training lasts 16 hours.
For more information, please contact Lucie Parrot, Eng. CVS-Life.
Value analysis certification
Martin Parrot gives many training sessions, either public or private. The training sessions are announced on the web site. These training sessions are part of a certification process.
CANADIAN CERTIFICATION
Value analysis Canada is developing a Canadian certification program. This process will be available soon. Please visit www.valueanalysis.ca for the latest news.
Mrs. Parrot is an agreed trainer delivered by Emploi-Québec.
EUROPEAN CERTIFICATION
A new certification is now available: Value Design certification. It comprises 2 levels:
1. Value Design Foundation for the first level of certification
2. Value Design Professional for the advanced level of certification
These courses comply with European standards EN 17952:2024 – Functional Analysis and EN 12973:2020 – Value Management.
U.S. CERTIFICATION
For those interested in certifying, the process has a few steps: (this is the American certification process as carried out by SAVE International):
- Follow VMF1 course, 32 hours which gives a VMA (Value Methodology Associate) certification
- Gain some experience in VM
- Follow VMF2 course, 32 hours
- Write a paper on value analysis
- Write exam and other requirements which gives the CVS (Certified Value Specialist) certification
For those interested, the SAVE certification program is described on their website: www.value-eng.org.
The training sessions that Martin Parrot gives are certified by SAVE International.
Training VMF1
Provider : Martin-Parrot inc.
Phone : 514-683-3437
Email : lucie@martin-parrot.com
Dates : New dates to come
Price : 1330 CAD, 10% discount for the 2nd employee of the same organization.
Location : Training online, in French
Description: This training is the certified SAVE international training class and leads to the VMA certification, when the attendee passes the exam. There are fees of 185$ US for the exam, consult the website.
Date: 8 half days of 4 hours (8hAM till noon).
strong>Instructor: Lucie Parrot, eng. M.eng. CVS-life, FSAVE
Client support
Martin Parrot can support you on your value analysis or product development activities. It is not always easy to be self sufficient in this field, when acquiring new skills and it is always reassuring to know that Martin Parrot can help you here and there when using some of the more complex tools.
The book provides an introduction to value analysis and the requirements for becoming a facilitator. It explains the different phases of the value process and offers advice on implementing a value program in your organization, including the best time to do so and how to develop maturity in this area. Numerous examples are presented, along with a comparison with other approaches. Finally, new developments in value management are highlighted.
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To Contact Us
Lucie Parrot, ing. M.ing., CVS-Life
514-683-3437
lucie@martin-parrot.com