Functional Performance Specifications

Knowing What You Need

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has introduced an innovative Value Engineering technique that helps stakeholders communicate their requirements to designers called "Functional Performance Specifications" (FPS). This technique, which has recently been used successfully by the ministry on several projects, produces a report that clearly defines project requirements to the designer without limiting the solutions. Originally developed for the manufacturing sector in France and used extensively in the government sector in Quebec, these MTO initiatives mark the first use of FPS in Ontario.

An FPS report results from a facilitated workshop in which project stakeholders identify their requirements as functions, an active verb and a measurable noun. Each function is characterized based on criteria (how the function is accomplished), level (the acceptable result for each criteria), and flexibility (how much a level can be negotiated) as shown in the car-buying example in Figure 1.

Function: Select car Criteria Level Flexibility

Number of passengers 5 passengers F0 (no flexibility)

Style type SUV F3 (Very Flexible)

Fuel efficiency 12 litres/100 km F1 (minimal flexibility)

Price $15,000 F2 (medium)

MTO first applied FPS in the planning of the Traffic Volume Information System II (TVIS II), a software database that will store and provide information about traffic volumes on provincial highways to traffic professionals. The use of FPS allowed MTO to clearly define the features and goals of the software database project prior to development of the database.

Building on the effectiveness of using FPS to define database requirements, a three-day FPS study characterized required functions for a prototype concept for a truck inspection building. The designers used the FPS to develop architectural concepts for building and the prototype was quickly approved because it met stakeholder needs.

MTO also applied FPS to determine criteria for the installation of Fixed-Automated Spray Technology systems (FAST - see Road Talk, November 2002). "By following the FPS process, we were able to quickly define, as a group, the requirements and performance criteria for investing in Fixed-Automated Spray installations," said Area Engineer Mike Pearsall.

MTO has found FPS to be a very efficient technique in working with stakeholders to define their requirements on a variety of projects.

In projects where the needs are not clear, FPS can be of benefit because the process favors dialogue between stakeholders, owners, and suppliers. FPS is an excellent procedure for establishing performance criteria including technical, staffing, societal and regulatory criteria. FPS is also useful early in a project life where supplier innovation is an advantage. FPS lends itself to defining requirements for new products or services, changing business requirements, projects with multiple stakeholders and to clarify fixing business requirements prior to IT development.