Testimonials
OFAVS, Working with people to liberate value!
This page contains testimonials about the work we have been doing inOFAVS
Re: Value Engineering on a $4 billion Oil and Gas project
Dr. Woodhead,
Allow me to extend my thanks and appreciation for your assistance in facilitating the Value Management "In Amenas" project. The 4 day workshop was a highly intense team effort consisting of representatives of BP Amoco, Sonatrach (Algeria) and BR Kellogg.
The key to the successful achievement of the project goals was the application of the VM discipline and developing a team culture and direction with company representatives coming into the workshop with their own (conflicting) agendas. The latest report I received from the project manager indicated that the team proposals are in the validation and implementation phases.
Again, thank you for your part in making this project a success.
Jerry Kaufman
www.valuemanagement.com
Re: UKCSA Marketing Strategy 9th May
Dear Roy
I wish to thank you on behalf of UKCSA for such an excellent workshop. I feel that all those present came away with new ideas and I feel sure more determination to progress the key matters discussed.
It is not always easy in an association to move as fast as we would like, however we are now armed with an outline programme to focus our efforts and we will be discussing our strategy in full at our next Executive meeting. I am sure we will be looking for your input again in about 6 months.
Once again may I personally thank you for such a well presented workshop.
Barrie March
Chairman
Cast Stone Association
This was a four hour workshop designed to identify marketing objectives
Re: UKCSA Marketing Strategy 9th May
Dear Roy,
Just a brief note to say how valuable I think the workshop on Tuesday was in clarifying the objectives and goals of the UK Cast Stone Association's Marketing Steering Committee.
As an Associate Member of the UKCSA, the British Cement Association is keen to assist and promote the use of all cement and concrete - related products. I was very impressed with the ways in which your 'value management' techniques helped in this group's decision-making process.
My sincere compliments on what was an excellent, enjoyable and above all fruitful workshop.
Jacqueline Glass
British Cement Association
Re: Value based Briefing.
Dear Roy,
Just a quick note to thank you for facilitating at our recent value audit workshop for the Waltham Forest Housing Action Trust. As you know HTA were involved in the first phases of this project when it began over 10 years ago, and have now been brought on board to complete the final phases. The value audit workshops were the ideal way to ensure that HTA were introduced to the other members of the existing design team and reintroduced to the client and tenants. The information gathered from the two workshops and focus group meetings which HTA attended has given us an excellent overview of the project and provided us with the brief on how to progress and improve the final phases. All in all, an ideal project briefing method!
Wendy Charlton
Architect
HTA Architects Ltd.
Re: Introduction to Facilitation Course.
Dear Roy,
Thank you for the opportunity to participate in the value management facilitation course, run by yourself and David Colbourne.
As a group member, the course gave me the opportunity to focus on studying my interaction with the other members. The style of the workshop, encouraged me to make explicit my reactions to particular exercises and situations. At times I was surprised by what I learnt.
As a facilitator, the workshop encouraged me to focus on demonstrating and examining my facilitation style. It was a unique opportunity to be given access to a room full of experienced facilitators who for a part of the workshop focused on helping me understand and improve my facilitation skills. The exercise revealed to me for the first time a numerous things about my facilitation.
Roy, you mentioned the term 'facilitator maintenance' on the day of the course. It is a term I now refer to regularly and I consider that your course is a valuable learning experience and a vital part of that maintenance process.
Jasna Dudic
Value and Risk Manager
O'Brien Kreitzberg
Re: Introduction to Facilitation Course.
Dear Roy,
I enjoyed the course that you and David Colbourne produced and delivered in such an enjoyable and professional manner.
It enabled all the participants to have the opportunity to learn from yourselves; the group members and perhaps most importantly ourselves.
I will certainly be recommending the course to appropriate colleagues to forward their skills in facilitation.
Dave Field
Engineering Information Manager
Chief Engineers Group
London Underground Limited
Keeping up-to-date with the latest developments in value management is a continuous exercise for active members of the VM community. That is why I find the courses run at Oxford Brookes University to be both timely and thought provoking. Timely because they are a step ahead of other course providers and thought provoking because they blend the latest academic research with practitioner orientated requirements. The courses run by Oxford Brookes help me deal with the rapidly changing and evolving environment that makes up today's business world.
Increasingly sophisticated clients expect a bespoke service designed to give them an edge over their competitors. To provide that service and keep that edge means I need to invest in regular skill updates. Such updates are not simply about attending training courses. There is a need to have access to both literature and people in between courses. If I want to discuss an issue outside a course Roy and David are there for me, how many course providers can say the same? Being involved with the discourse OFAVS stimulates through channels like VEAMAC gives you continued access to a wealth of information that is not readily available from any other source. I will continue to support their efforts because they provide me, and therefore my clients, with the skills and information needed to survive in today's business environment.
Dr. Steve Simister
Managing Director
Oxford Management & Research Ltd.
Many thanks for an excellent Facilitation Skills course. The day was a really good blend of individual exercises, general discussions and "mock" facilitation which gave us all numerous helpful hints and valuable practice. But, much more than this, we were able to learn a great deal from watching such an accomplished facilitator as David Colbourne, as well as how you and David worked so well together as a team. I don't think I will ever hear the expression "fly in the ointment" again without being reminded of that day! The fact that the whole day was good fun helped the learning process.
You stressed the significance of a good venue for facilitating a workshop and your own was an object lesson in this too. It was extremely pleasant. And the organisation in preparation for the course and the day itself left nothing to be desired.
Once again thank you very much.
R.J.Halls
Partner
Currie & Brown
The facilitator training course which you ran with David Colbourne earlier this year was an effective course in raising awareness on the demands placed on facilitators.
The course was also effective in identifying capabilities and facilitation skills which individuals attending the course should improve.
Experiential learning is an effective technique when it is combined with the communication of theory/principles through lecturing and tutorial discussion.
I enjoyed the opportunity to meet with fellow facilitators and compare approaches to facilitation.
Matthew B. Locke
Head of Value Management
Bovis Program Management
The Facilitation Skills course stimulated critical thinking about facilitation and how it can be applied to ones own style of running workshops. The course focused on self learning and 'doing it' in a group environment with the emphasis very much being on the practical aspects of facilitation.
Marcus Gronqvist
Co-Author of "Value Management Benchmark; A Good Practice Framework for Clients and Practitioners", Thomas Telford, London. 1998.