Foreword by Charles Bytheway. A Value Analysis book disguised as a novel, Basic Function, is told through the eyes of Michelle Jamison, a recent engineering college grad who begins her career with Alarum Aerospace in her home town of Chicago. When she arrives on her first day she is confronted with chaos and animosity that is nothing like the public image of the company culture. The economy has been rough on the aerospace business and especially at the iconic firm. The company's reputation takes another blow when one of their valves fails in flight for the second time in the same month with the same customer. Dean Davis, the larger than life vice president, decides to take action. After an internal effort fails to yield necessary financial and customer results he calls in an outside expert to guide the design team through the Value Analysis job plan. Is this too little too late? Could Value Analysis, a 50 year old methodology, alter the team's results? Could it be enough to save the company? Could it change the paradigms, attitudes and behaviors of individuals of the design team and the company as a whole?
About the Author: James Guyette combines industry experience - having spent the first decade of his career in progressive levels of responsibility with The Boeing Company - with 14 years of operations and engineering management consulting experience helping global multinational corporations implement performance-improving sustained change. He held the position of Executive Vice President and Partner responsible for North American Operations where he led and managed a diverse group of implementers and advanced thought leadership in the field of value engineering. During his Boeing career he held positions in many facets of the business; finance, industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, DCAC/MRM, training & development and manufacturing management. He helped launch SOP for 777-200 as a PATG team leader. As a young member of the 747-400 final assembly management team he was honored by selection in Boeing's EXPO (Executive Potential) program. Currently he serves as Managing Director of North America at 4OpEx, Inc., a firm dedicated to leading small teams to big results. He works mainly in heavy industry (aerospace, agriculture & automotive) and transportation (airlines, asset based 3PL's and railroads). The assignments have ranged from simple design engineering projects to complex systems integration programs, including complete product portfolio redesign, multi site merger integrations, plant turnarounds, global procurement & supply chain, operational due diligence and operational strategy alignment. He holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from St. Mary's College of California and an MBA in Engineering and Technology Management from City University of Seattle. He's completed Harvard Business School's executive education programs in Leading Professional Service Firms and Turnaround Management and he has been accepted for their O/PM program. Having worked extensively throughout Europe, Australia, Africa and North and South America, he can relate to a wide variety of people at all levels of an organization. He enjoys rapidly deploying collaboration efforts throughout multinational corporations with cross-functional and cross-cultural teams. Active in the community, both civic and professional organizations, he volunteers his time to World Sport Chicago, CARA, Union League Boys & Girls Clubs, Knights of Columbus, Order of Malta, Executives' Club of Chicago and SAVE International.