Domain

Explanation

I know monkeys can climb trees, but TRIZ?

• Then, what's the difference between hour & our?
• Many words sound similar, but with wildly varying meanings & usage
• TRIZ is an acronym for Russian teorija rezhenia izobretatelskih zadach

English, Doc?

• It means "theory of inventive problem solving"
• Basically,
• It is a method of understanding & approaching problems

Inventive?

• Problems are met everyday
• They need to be reduced or solved continuously
• In order to avoid exhaustion & catastrophic accumulation of problems
• An example as follows:
• Some people have to cross a ravine
• They can either build a bridge (go over), build a tunnel (go under), walk around the ravine (go sideway) or fill up the ravine with earth (go even)
• Yet,
• These "solutions" do not represent the entire feasible solution set
• In other words, my skills & experiences limit my approach to tackling this problem
• When any problem is beyond the perspectives, skills & experiences of people,
• That is, beyond the scope of one's capacity for this specific problem solving, it is known as
• Inventive problem solving
• Tackling an issue or a need beyond one's capacity involves two domains:

1. People: decision-makers in the process; relies on the intuition, creativity & innovation (out-of-the-box thinking); corresponds to McGregor's Theory Y, humanized soft model & Christopher Freeman science-push; flexibility aspect; assumes that the capacity for problem-solving is internal; works on realization of inherent capabilities
2. Methods-Tools: strategies, techniques, implementations & operations in the process; relies on focused, directed, rational control & management; corresponds to McGregor's Theory X, rationalized hard model & Christopher Freeman demand-pull; firm aspect; ; assumes that the capacity for problem-solving is external; works on realization of the environment & the system in question

• On the other hand,
• Inventive problem solving, or TRIZ, works on the understanding that is intrinsic within both domains

• TRIZ can be considered the Firm-Flexible approach

What?

• TRIZ does not ask:
• What is the difference between creative & uncreative people or organisations?
• TRIZ ask:
• What is the difference between good & bad ideas, solutions & products?
• TRIZ seeks the sources of creativity in the objects or systems to be improved in the outer world, not in the psychology of the people or the organisation doing the work

So it's not brain-washing us or how we do things?

• Nope
• It works on ideas, linkages & connections between the rationalized & humanized approaches
• TRIZ is scientifically managed problem solving

TRIZ central concepts?

• TRIZ aims to have the gist of the problem and to produce good solutions
• Gist of problem: a piercing insightful understanding of the real problem, not the syndrome, sign, effects or aftermath
• Hence, this involves a criterion set that tells us:

1. Whether the problem is reduced or the solution is workable
2. Whether the problem is solved or the solution is good

• The criterion set would tell us objectively whether we have reached the ideal final result
• All good solutions evolve from good ideas
• In TRIZ,
• Good ideas have the following attributes:

1. Resolves contradictions, i.e. trade-off, compromises, balance, conflict
2. Increases ideality, i.e. has all desirable benefits with minimal detriments, harmful effects or costs
3. Uses idle, easily available resources, i.e. things in ourselves or the environment that have been overlooked, ignored or assumed; in other words, our perceptual blind-spots

Doesn't sound too difficult

• Precisely what a good idea should be - clean, clear, concise
• However,
• Note that this is a much simplified TRIZ - a generic approach
• There are many versions of TRIZ to cater to different situations
• No need to bother about them if you don't need them

Anything to help me remember TRIZ?

• A simplified TRIZ model is presented here:
• Problem arose due to interactions between Objects & Tools
• E.g. an axe (tool) chops wood (object); remember object-oriented programming
• The interactions produce Contradictions
• Resources: information, energy, properties etc. available for solving contradictions; they are often invisible because we are not accustomed to seeing them when we look at the problem situation
• Ideal Final Result: the ideal solution that resolves the contradictions without compromise; resources are used to go from the contradiction to as perfect a solution as possible
• Patterns of evolution: changes in system features, patterns & laws; transition from macro-level to micro-level & vice versa; they support tools for problem-solving, help to get solutions directly & can be used for the prediction of future features of technology
• Innovative principles: some 40 TRIZ principles give cues for finding ideas; can be used as independent tools or to support other methods
• Other tools: ARIZ (Algorithm for inventive problem solving, step-by-step guide); Standards (Altshuller 76 standards for transforming the system); Effects (database of physical, chemical, biological, geometrical phenomena useful for TRIZ); Software (TRIZ-based software)

U might like to explore further …

• The TRIZ Journal
• The Altshuller Institute
• Management links