The function of value engineering

Abstract: "Value Engineering (VE) techniques based on function have been the means to improved products and processes for several decades. It is a social design methodology that is usually episodic in application and often confused with narrow interests, such as cost cutting. This paper addresses the role, or function, of VE in a larger model of design practice to give insight into its use, non-use and misuse. The model identifies three levels of design practice, with a dual functional activity at its center. The process of innovative design shows tension between these functions. We conclude that VE is neither a different nor a sufficient way to design compared with more conventional analytical and synthesis techniques. It is rather a parallel and necessary process with different inputs and outputs.