Introduction The Use of Rubrics Questions to Ponder Cost Improvement Scenario Situation Objective Action Results Aftermath A Brief Overview of Value Engineering Product Life Cycle What Is Value? Cost Improvement Challenge Cost Avoidance Cost Reduction Profit Improvement Green and Corporate Stewardship Are the Same The Case for Cost Reductions Planning for and Managing a Value Improvement Project Project Concept Project Information Project Business case Conclusion Saving Money with Homegrown Ideas Rubric for Homegrown Ideas Questions to ponder Cost Improvement Scenario Situation Objective Action Results Aftermath Your People Matter Laboratory Equipment Production Equipment Production Test Equipment Logistics Material Engineering Marketing Accounting/Finance Procurement A. Financial Determination Brainstorming Product, Process or Service Preparation for Critique Numbers Count Suspend Judgment Build on Ideas Mind Mapping Selection Method Weighted Matrix such a Pugh Matrix Majority Decision Voting Decision Consensus Rating Delphi Method Nominal Group Technique Group Passing Technique De Bono and his Thinking Hats Advocacy and inquiry Strategic Assumption Surfacing And Testing (SAST) Team Syntegrity Facilitation ARBITRARY COST DOWN APPROACH Rubric for Costing Down Questions to Ponder Cost Improvement Scenario Situation Objective Action Results Aftermath Why the Arbitrary Cost Down Approach Cost Down Process Cost Management Cycle When to Use The Greedy Approach Cost Generators Generators and Cost Cutting The Isuzu Approach to Tear Downs Rubric for Tear Downs Questions to Ponder Cost Improvement Scenario Situation Objective Action Results Aftermath What is the Isuzu approach Dynamic Tear Down Cost Tear Down Material Tear Down Matrix Tear Down Process Tear Down Static Tear Down Why use this technique Tear Down Example Design for Assembly Value Analysis Contribution to the Tear down Process Value analysis Tear down and Improvement/Innovation Value analysis Tear down Method and its Components Recognizing Parts Suppliers Competitive Capability Collecting New Suggestions for Improvement Case Study The DOD Approach Rubric for DoD Approach Questions to Ponder Cost Improvement Scenario Situation Objective Action Results Aftermath Benefits Function Worth Cost Value Effective Value Engineering Programs Cost Analysis Variance Analysis Ratio Analysis Trend analysis Management analysis Classical Value Analysis / Value Engineering Techniques Rubric for Classical Techniques Questions to Ponder Cost Improvement Scenario Situation Objective Action Results Aftermath Benchmarking Is Benchmarking Valuable? Performance Benchmarking Benchmarking Process Classical Techniques Rubric for FAST Approach Questions to Ponder Cost Improvement Scenario Situation Objective Action Results Aftermath FAST introduction Creating a FAST model Saving Money with Six Sigma Projects Rubric for Six Sigma Projects Questions to Ponder Cost Improvement Scenario Situation Objective Action Results Aftermath What is Six Sigma? How Does Six Sigma Relate to Value Engineering? The Phases of Six Sigma Choosing Six Sigma Projects Costing Six Sigma Projects Using Design for Six Sigma Rational Expectations From Six Sigma Enterprise Process Management and Metrics Define Measure Analyze Improve Control Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) Frameworks and Methodologies Saving Money with Lean Manufacturing Rubric for Lean Manufacturing Questions to Ponder Cost Improvement Scenario Situation Objective Action Results Aftermath What Is Lean? Production Organization or 5S Lead Time Reduction Kanban Demand Segmentation Production Scheduling Inventory Reduction Lean Six Sigma Lean Six Sigma Overview Lean Six Sigma Goals LSS Project Management Team Organization & Dynamics Defining Opportunities Measurement Techniques Analysis Techniques Improvement Techniques Control Concepts Design Improvement Saving Money with Optimization Rubric for Optimization Questions to Ponder Cost Improvement Scenario Situation Objective Action Results Aftermath Operations Research Approaches Evolution of Operations Research in Academics Origin, History, and Developments Operational Research Activities The Operations Research Approach Significance of Operations Research Operations Research in Manufacturing The Operations Research Experience in the US Growth of Operation Research in Different Sectors Challenges in Operations Research Future Trends Conclusion Genetic Algorithms Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) Ant Path Optimization Simulations Regaining Money with Cost Recovery Rubric Questions to Ponder Cost Improvement Scenario Situation Objective Action Results Aftermath What is Cost Recovery? When to Use Cost Recovery Benefits of Cost Recovery Steps to Cost Recovery Two-way Cost Recovery Other Methods Rubric for Other Methods Questions to Ponder Cost Improvement Scenario.