VMA Exam Dumps : Value Methodology Associate

The Value Methodology (VM) Job Plan, as outlined in the VMF 1 course and SAVE International’s Value Methodology Standard, consists of six phases: Information, Function Analysis, Creative, Evaluation, Development, and Presentation. This was established in Question 1, where the VM Job Plan was confirmed to have six phases. The last four phases, therefore, are: Creative, Evaluation, Development, and Presentation. However, the options include “Implementation,” which is not a formal phase in the standard VM Job Plan but is often considered a post-study activity (e.g., in the post-study phase, where recommendations are implemented). For the purposes of the VMA exam, which focuses on the VMF 1 curriculum, Implementation is sometimes treated as an extension of the Presentation Phase, where the team ensures stakeholder buy-in and facilitates the transition to implementation.

Thus, the correct sequence of the last four phases, interpreting Implementation as the post-Presentation activity, is:

Creative(third phase, but the first of the last four).

Evaluation(fourth phase): Assess ideas for feasibility and value improvement.

Development(fifth phase): Refine selected ideas into actionable proposals.

Presentation(sixth phase): Present recommendations to stakeholders for approval and implementation.

Implementation: Follows Presentation as a post-study activity to execute the recommendations.

Option A (Development, Presentation, Evaluation, and Implementation) is incorrect because Evaluation must precede Development—ideas are evaluated before being developed into proposals.

Option B (Evaluation, Development, Presentation, and Implementation) is correct, as it follows the VM Job Plan’s sequence and includes Implementation as the post-study step.

Option C (Evaluation, Development, Implementation, and Presentation) is incorrect because Presentation (delivering recommendations) must occur before Implementation.

Option D (Development, Evaluation, Presentation, and Implementation) is incorrect because Development cannot precede Evaluation in the VM Job Plan.

The Function Analysis System Technique (FAST) diagram is a key tool in Value Methodology’s Function Analysis phase, as taught in the VMF 1 course (Core Competency #2). FAST diagrams map the relationships between functions, with the horizontal axis showing the “how-why” logic (critical path) and vertical lines called scope lines defining the study’s boundaries. According to SAVE International’s Value Methodology Standard, “the left vertical line in a FAST diagram is a scope line, and the function immediately to its right is typically the higher-order function, which represents the overarching goal or need for the system.” The functionto the leftof the left scope line is outside the study’s scope and often represents an even broader objective or external assumption that drives the higher-order function. However, in standard FAST diagramming, thehigher-order functionis the closest function to the left scope line within the scope, and functions to the left of the scope line (e.g., P in the diagram from Question 30) are external.

In the context of the VMA exam and VMF 1, the question likely tests the understanding of the higher-order function’s position relative to the scope line. As established in Question 18, Function E (just inside the left scope line B) is the higher-order function. Functions to the left of the left scope line (e.g., P) are typically external assumptions or broader objectives, but the options provided (A, B, C, D) refer to standard function classifications within the FAST framework. Thehigher-order function(C) is the most relevant choice, as it is the function closest to the left scope line within the study’s scope, and the question may be interpreted as asking for the function type associated with that position.

Option A (Basic Function) is incorrect because the basic function is typically more central on the critical path, not at the far left.

Option B (Secondary Function) is incorrect because secondary functions are vertical (supporting the critical path), not on the main path near the left scope line.

Option C (Higher Order Function) is correct, as the higher-order function is located just to the right of the left scope line (e.g., Function E), and the question may be interpreted in this context based on standard FAST conventions.

Option D (Lower Order Function) is incorrect because lower-order functions are to the right of the basic function, representing more specific outcomes, not near the left scope line.

SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) is a tool sometimes used in Value Methodology, particularly during the Information Phase or Evaluation Phase, to assess the context of a project or product, as taught in the VMF 1 course (Core Competency #3: Value Methodology Job Plan). According to SAVE International’s Value Methodology Standard, “SWOT analysis evaluates internal and external factors: Strengths and Weaknesses are internal attributes of the system or organization, while Opportunities and Threats are external attributes from the environment.”

Strengths: Internal, helpful attributes (e.g., strong design team).

Weaknesses: Internal, harmful attributes (e.g., high production costs).

Opportunities: External, helpful attributes (e.g., market demand).

Threats: External, harmful attributes (e.g., regulatory changes).

This framework helps the VM team identify factors that could impact the study’s success, such as external opportunities to leverage or threats to mitigate.

Option A (Strengths and opportunities are internal attributes) is incorrect because opportunities are external, not internal.

Option B (Threats and strengths are harmful attributes) is incorrect because strengths are helpful, not harmful.

Option C (Strengths and weaknesses are helpful attributes) is incorrect because weaknesses are harmful, not helpful.

Option D (Opportunities and threats are external attributes) is correct, as both are external factors in SWOT analysis.