What you’ll learn
- What a "function" is, in the simplest possible words
- How to write any function in exactly two words: active verb + measurable noun
- Every type of function, one by one, with everyday examples and simple tests
- How a FAST diagram is built, shown step by step
- A library of verb–noun functions to borrow from
- The function–cost matrix, worth, and the Value Index
What you’ll produce
By the end of this module you’ll have a FAST diagram and a function–cost matrix that shows where to look. Free templates:
From the module
What is a function?
Look at the pen on your desk. Most people see a thing: a tube, a spring, a clip, some ink. A value engineer sees jobs: the ink makes marks, the spring stores energy, the clip secures the pen to a pocket. A function is the job a thing does, not the thing itself.
Customers pay for jobs done. Nobody wants a heating element; they want hot water. Nobody wants six screws; they want two parts held together. Describe the product as jobs and you can ask: "what else could do this job, better or for less?"
Short narrated video in this module
Continue reading in Module 4, or read the related guide: Function Analysis & FAST.