Search

The article presents information on a participative research for propagating soft methodologies in value management practice. The research has demonstrated the potential relevance of soft operations research to the current practice of value management. The research strategy adopted has influenced the perceptions of experienced value management practitioners and, as a direct result, already has influenced the practice of value management. The participative workshops were especially successful in facilitating mutual learning between researchers and practitioners. The practitioners responded positively to the interpretation of value management as a means of group decision support, and also supported the need for more theoretically driven methodologies. However, they remained sceptical as to whether their clients would be interested in such methodologies. Of the three methodologies investigated, soft systems methodology and strategic choice have been found to be of most immediate relevance to value management practitioners. The evaluation techniques of strategic choice can be absorbed easily into the current model of value management, providing a ready alternative to the currently popular quantitative techniques which have their origins within decision analysis. Strategic choice could be presented just as easily as a new approach to risk management.