An Introduction to Value Assurance

Book excerpt: Here is an easy-to-read and brief, yet very informative, guide to improving performance and outcomes for executives and senior managers. Value Assurance (VA) is an overarching, business and functional performance improvement process. It is particularly effective for guiding business change initiatives, such as new systems to increase performance, as well as complex capital endeavors that will bring about significant or rapid change. So often, many programs and major projects (including products, systems and services) have failed to produce their expected performance. This can be due to a combination of ill-defined expectations, flawed planning and absence of appropriate controls, along with shifting managerial direction and waning stakeholder support. Despite a whole array of available management processes, tools and techniques, there is a general need for better coordination of the use of the various, accepted approaches to program, project, risk and value management. VA is a navigational and decision-enabling aid that establishes strategic direction and optimizes use of corporate resources as well as maximizing performance gains, shareholder returns and wider stakeholder satisfaction. It ensures balanced solutions and is applicable to both "hard" and "soft" types of endeavours. VA provides an integrated approach to developing and controlling programs, projects, products, systems, or services. The process is applied for the entire duration of a program from inception, through development and installation, to operation and final disposition. This is accomplished particularly through better coordination of the use of various accepted methods such as program, project, risk and value management, as well as other related tools and techniques. VA guides the setting of realistic targets and focuses on aspects that are most worthwhile, especially in terms of time, resources and return on investment. It provides a pro-active, holistic and systematic way of guiding team consensus-building and driving best value, through an end-to-end program / project delivery, planning and assurance mechanism. Key components of VA are strategic alignment, concept engineering, risk management, decision analysis, stage readiness assessments, value profiling & indexing, value improvement, program/project assurance, change management and systems optimization, along with other management tools as appropriate. This booklet introduces a creative/opportunity-based approach derived by integrating various management methods. Its purpose is to inspire a pro-active, holistic and systematic way of group thinking for driving best value, - through an end-to-end program/project planning, delivery and assurance mechanism.