IVMS - AN INTERACTIVE SYSTEM FOR IMPROVING VALUE MANAGEMENT STUDIES IN CONSTRUCTION

摘要

Value Management (VM) is an organised function-oriented systematic team approach directed at analysing the functions and costs of a system, supply, equipment, service or facility, for the purpose of enhancing its value, through achieving the required functions specified by the customers at the lowest possible overall cost, consistent with requirements for performance. Because of its strong potential in improving value for money for construction projects, client organisations in both the public and private sectors are using VM increasingly in their projects. However, a recent study has suggested that the special characteristics of using VM in Hong Kong, such as the large number of participants and short duration, have presented some unique difficulties in implementing VM studies. These difficulties also prohibit further applications of VM in the territory. One way to overcome these identified difficulties is to develop an interactive group decision support system that can facilitate the decision-making process in VM studies. This paper introduces such a system, entitled the Interactive Value Management System (IVMS), which is designed to improve the implementation of VM studies. It gives a detailed description of the structure and characteristics of the system and the support that it can provide, including information, communication and analysis. This is followed by the functionalities of the modules inside the system. Finally, the potential benefits and limitations of the system are discussed. It is concluded that IVMS is a very useful tool for improving VM studies in construction.