Free SAVE International CVS Practice Exam with Questions & Answers | Set: 4

The correct answer is D. Recognition of VM study contributors . The Presentation Phase is intended to communicate the developed VM recommendations to decision makers in a way that supports approval, concurrence, and movement toward implementation. SAVE’s Value Methodology Standard states that the team leader develops a report and/or presentation that documents the adequacy of the developed alternatives and the associated value improvement opportunity.

Therefore, recommended proposals are central to the presentation. The VM study scope and goals are also appropriate because decision makers need to understand the boundaries, objectives, assumptions, and basis of the study. Expected implementation decisions are also relevant because the presentation should help management determine whether alternatives should proceed, require more information, or be rejected. The Presentation Phase is specifically tied to obtaining concurrence and commitment to proceed with implementation recommendations.

Recognition of contributors may be professionally courteous and can appear in a report appendix, closing remarks, or acknowledgments section, but it is not essential technical content for decision making. Compared with scope, goals, recommendations, and implementation decisions, it is the least appropriate core information for the VM presentation.

References/topics: Presentation Phase; VM Report; Recommended Proposals; Implementation Commitment; Decision-Maker Communication.

The correct answers are B, C, and D . Effective VM facilitation depends primarily on the facilitator’s ability to guide a multidisciplinary team through a structured process, not on personally solving the technical problem. SAVE’s VM Standard Reference defines VM as a systematic process used by a multidisciplinary team, led by a qualified VM facilitator , to improve value through function analysis. It also states that a VM study is facilitated by someone competent in VM techniques, ideally a CVS®.

Therefore, the facilitator must have belief in the group and its possibilities because VM relies on team intelligence, cross-functional input, creativity, and consensus-building. The facilitator must also have familiarity with facilitation concepts and methods , including managing participation, conflict, divergent thinking, convergence, and decision flow. Finally, the facilitator needs a practiced ability to plan appropriate group processes , because each VM phase requires the right method, timing, participation structure, and output control.

Option A is incorrect because disruptive behavior should be managed objectively, not treated as personal. Option E is not a core facilitation requirement; technical knowledge belongs mainly to subject-matter team members, while the facilitator protects the VM process.

References/topics: VM Facilitation and Team Dynamics; Facilitator Competence; Group Process Planning; Team Participation; VM Study Leadership.

The correct answer is A . Brainwriting is an idea-generation technique in which participants first develop ideas individually and silently in written form before the ideas are shared, reviewed, or expanded by the group. This fits the Creativity Phase because the purpose of that phase is to generate a quantity of ideas related to alternative ways of performing required functions. The SAVE Study Guide identifies the Creative Phase purpose as generating “a quantity of ideas” and asks the fundamental question: “How else may the functions be performed?” It also emphasizes establishing rules that protect the creative environment and using group idea-stimulation techniques. ( )

Option B describes verbal brainstorming, not brainwriting. Option C is incorrect because feasibility screening belongs later in the Evaluation Phase; limiting ideas during creativity suppresses innovation. Option D contains a partial brainwriting concept, because some brainwriting methods allow participants to build on others’ ideas, but the wording “instead of developing their own” is too restrictive and does not represent the core method. Brainwriting begins with silent individual idea capture.

References/topics: Creativity Phase; Idea Generation; Creativity Ground Rules; Group Idea-Stimulation Techniques; Brainwriting.

The correct answers are B and D . A risk register is used to document, organize, and evaluate risks so that the VM team can understand how uncertainty may affect proposed alternatives. The two essential risk-register elements shown in the choices are probability of occurrence and impact on the scope . Probability identifies how likely the risk is to happen. Impact identifies what the consequence will be if the risk occurs, including possible effects on scope, cost, schedule, quality, performance, implementation, or stakeholder acceptance.

In the VM Job Plan, risk thinking becomes especially important when ideas move from creativity into evaluation and development. At that point, alternatives are no longer just possibilities; they must be tested for feasibility, consequences, and implementation exposure. A risk with high probability and high impact demands more attention than one with low probability and minor impact.

Option A, performance criteria , is related to evaluation criteria, not a core risk-register field. Option C, function of the risk , is not a standard risk-register element. Functions belong to Function Analysis and are normally expressed in verb-noun format, while risks are documented as uncertain events or conditions.

References/topics: Evaluation Phase; Development Phase; Risk Register; Risk Probability; Risk Impact; VM Proposal Screening.

The correct inputs are VM study subject information , List of participants , and VM proposals . The Presentation Phase is designed to communicate the VM study results to decision-makers and stakeholders so they can understand, challenge, and act on the team’s recommendations. SAVE’s VM Standard describes this phase as the point where the VM study team presents its recommendations to the decision-making body and seeks approval or direction for further information. ( UW Courses )

VM proposals are essential inputs because they are the developed recommendations carried forward from the Development Phase. VM study subject information is also required because the audience must understand the baseline condition, scope, objectives, cost, schedule, risk, and performance context before judging the proposals. List of participants is an input because the presentation must be planned around the correct stakeholders, decision-makers, technical reviewers, sponsor, facilitator, and team members.

Disposition decision is not an input; it is a decision outcome related to acceptance, rejection, or further action on proposals. The written VM study report is also not the best input here because the Presentation Phase develops or finalizes the report to document alternatives, supporting data, and the accepted implementation direction. ( UW Courses )

References/topics: Presentation Phase; VM Proposals; VM Study Subject Information; Participant List; VM Study Report.

The correct answer is B because the Information Phase is the point in the VM Job Plan where the study team establishes a shared factual understanding of the project before moving into function analysis or idea generation. SAVE’s Value Methodology Standard describes the Information Phase as the phase in which the team reviews and defines current project conditions and identifies the goals of the study . ( wsdot.wa.gov ) This means the team examines available drawings, costs, constraints, owner requirements, user needs, scope, assumptions, performance expectations, schedule conditions, and other baseline project information.

Option A is incorrect because determining alternative solutions belongs primarily to the Creativity Phase , where ideas are generated after functions are understood. Option C is not the main objective; an information workbook or data package may support the phase, but it is a tool or deliverable rather than the fundamental purpose. Option D is also incorrect because selecting or adding VM team members is normally addressed during Preparation / Pre-Workshop planning , not during the Information Phase.

The Information Phase creates the factual platform for all later phases. Without a clear understanding of project information, function analysis, creativity, evaluation, and development cannot be performed reliably.

References/topics: Information Phase; VM Job Plan; Project Data Review; Current Conditions; Study Objectives.

The correct answers are Maintenance, Production, and Engineering . In the Preparation Phase, the VM Facilitator must ensure that the right stakeholders and technical participants are involved before the study begins. SAVE describes Value Methodology as a systematic process performed by a multidisciplinary team led by a qualified facilitator to improve value. ( Value Engineering ) The selected participants should represent the areas directly affected by the subject under study.

Because the new product affects the current manufacturing process , the most relevant input must come from those who understand the physical process, equipment, workflow, capacity, and technical requirements. Production provides knowledge of daily operations, labor flow, throughput, bottlenecks, quality issues, and feasibility on the shop floor. Maintenance provides input on machine reliability, downtime risk, service access, preventive maintenance needs, and equipment limitations. Engineering contributes design, tooling, process capability, specifications, manufacturability, and technical integration.

Marketing may help define customer demand or product positioning, but the question specifically focuses on manufacturing-process impact. Human resources may support staffing or training later, but it is not one of the primary technical input sources for process change.

References/topics: Preparation Phase; Team Selection; Stakeholder Involvement; Multidisciplinary Team; VM Facilitation.

The correct answers are B, D, and E . The VM study report is a formal communication tool prepared after the study to document the study process, findings, developed proposals, expected benefits, implementation considerations, and decision-support information. Therefore, the status of the VM study subject must be considered because the report should reflect the current condition, design stage, project phase, constraints, assumptions, and decisions affecting the subject.

The report must also focus on the typical audience of stakeholders and project managers . These readers need clear, usable information to understand the value opportunities, proposal rationale, cost/performance impacts, and implementation requirements. The report should support management action, not simply record technical discussion.

Option E is also correct because the report should be understandable to people who were not directly involved in the VM study . A good VM report allows future reviewers, decision makers, implementation teams, and auditors to understand what was studied, what alternatives were recommended, and why.

Option A is incorrect because “non-study focus groups” are not a primary consideration in preparing the study report. Option C is incorrect because excessive technical language can reduce clarity; the report should be clear, concise, and audience-focused.

References/topics: Presentation Phase; VM Study Report; Stakeholder Communication; Proposal Documentation; Decision Support.

The correct answer is D. Describe the project . During the Information Phase, the VM team must gain a shared and factual understanding of the project before performing function analysis or generating alternatives. The designer’s role is to explain the current design, project background, design intent, major assumptions, technical criteria, constraints, drawings, specifications, cost basis, and reasons behind key design decisions. This helps the VM team understand what has been proposed, why it has been proposed, and what limits or requirements must be respected during the study.

Option A is not the best answer because defining expectations is usually led by the sponsor, owner, or VM facilitator during planning and study setup. Option B belongs primarily to the Preparation Phase, where the study scope, participants, agenda, and logistics are established. Option C is incorrect because identifying functions is the responsibility of the VM team during the Function Analysis Phase, not the designer’s primary role in the Information Phase.

The designer provides the technical baseline; the VM team then analyzes that baseline objectively. Without a clear project description, later phases may address the wrong problem or challenge valid requirements incorrectly.

References/topics: Information Phase; Designer Role; Project Background; Design Intent; VM Job Plan.

The correct “How” direction follows the classical FAST logic path from the broader purpose toward the dependent means of accomplishment. SAVE defines FAST as a graphical representation of dependent relationships between functions and states that a Classical FAST model displays function interrelationships using how-why logic . In this eyeglasses example, Improve vision is the higher-order purpose: it explains why the basic function exists. The basic function is Correct vision , because prescription eyeglasses exist primarily to correct the user’s vision. Moving in the “How” direction, the system corrects vision by Position lenses and Secure lenses ; the frame, bridge, arms, and nose pads exist to keep corrective lenses in the proper relationship to the eyes. The farthest “How”/lower-order decision is Select eyeglasses and Select contact lenses , representing the selected means or alternative correction approach.

The distractors are not on the critical function logic path. Secure position and Resist damage are supporting or secondary dependability functions. Complement appearance is a sell/aesthetic function, because it improves user acceptance but does not define the primary functional logic. SAVE’s glossary distinguishes higher-order, lower-order, and secondary functions and explains that secondary functions support the basic function through a specific design approach.

References/topics: Function Analysis Phase; FAST Diagramming; How-Why Logic; Critical Function Logic Path; Basic, Higher-Order, Lower-Order, and Secondary Functions.