Unit 15 Creative problem Solving Approach: TRIZ

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Unit 15Creative problem Solving Approach TRIZ

• CSEM04 Risk and Opportunities of Systems Change
  in Organisations
• Dr Lynne Humphries
• Prof. Helen M Edwards

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Overview

• Background
• History of TRIZ development TRIZ Development,
  TRIZ Teaching
• What is TRIZ?
• TRIZ and other Problem-Solving Toolkits
• How TRIZ works
• The TRIZ Domain
• TRIZ Process
• The use of some of the techniques of TRIZ
• TRIZ Contradictions
• 10 Techniques used in TRIZ
• Smart Little People
• Resources Used

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Background

• We heard about the beginnings of TRIZ when we
  looked at the 9 boxes approach
• The approach originated in Russia
• It was developed by a patent engineer named
  Altshuller, starting in the 1940s.
• It started being used in the Western World since
  the 1990s.
• For example it has been taught in the UK for the
  last 7 years by Oxford Creativity (Karen Gadd and
  Henry Strickland) and others.

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What is TRIZ?

• TRIZ is a system of several powerful tools for
  problem analysis, understanding and solution in
  any scientific, technological or administrative
  field.
• ARIZ, the algorithm of inventive problem solving,
  may be used as a guide through a problem solving
  process showing how and when to apply the TRIZ
  tools.
• However, each of the tools can be applied
  separately according to the problem situation.
• Bauer-Kurz, I (1999) A Comparison of the
  Global-8D-Process and TRIZ.The Triz Institute.
  Online article at
• http//www.triz-journal.com/archives/2000/07/c/

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History of TRIZ development
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Altshuller and the patent office

• Altshuller worked in the Soviet Navys Patent
  Office.
• He was in a position to recognise
• the duplication in effort of the thousands of
  technologists and scientists who filed patents
• Each was working in a specialised area
• and did not know of solutions that existed to
  similar problems but in different disciplines
• This insight was innovative
• even now some inter-disciplinarity is welcomed
• but largely researchers work within their own
  disciplines

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An innovator in a hostile environment

• Altshuller published a paper and wrote to Stalin
• he said could bring about an end to the chaos,
  duplication and ignorance in the Russian
  approaches to invention and innovation.
• He said he had uncovered theories which would
  help any engineer and
• could lead to a revolution in the technical
  world.
• Altshuller was arrested and charged with
  inventors sabotage
• after torture and interrogation he was sentenced
  to 25 years in prison in Siberia.

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Categorisation of the principles of successful
innovation

• Altshuller set out to
• categorise all the solutions in the design
  patents to identify all the innovative ways to
  solve any problem.
• Altshuller hoped
• To prove his theory
• So that he could get scientists and engineers to
  work together,
• without duplication, and
• end the growing practice of each discipline
  toiling in their own silos

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TRIZ Development

• The TRIZ tools were developed in Russia by
  engineers with thousands of man-years of work
  (and many women-years).
• Over 200,000 patents were analysed
• However, TRIZ was banned from the 1970s onwards
  in Russia.

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TRIZ development

• In the 1990s many TRIZ scholars left Russia and
  began to successfully introduce TRIZ to the rest
  of the world,
• Something Altshuller was aware of before he died.
• Alsthuller died in 1998 having suffered from
  Parkinsons disease in his latter years.

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TRIZ Teaching

• Russia 30-50 years ago had a very different
  culture to our own and time was not of the
  essence for them.
• to learn TRIZ the Russian way takes at least 3
  months.
• The method is rigorous, requires great
  application of thought and lots of worked
  examples.
• This approach is not practical in the Western
  World.
• Other approaches to training have been developed
  for this context.
• For example Oxford Creativity has created TRIZ
  courses which
• do not compromise the thoroughness or rigour of
  TRIZ
• but will give an understanding and use of the
  best TRIZ tools in two courses which last 5 days
  in total .
• Oxford Creativity has 4 stages to TRIZ
  qualificationTRIZ Aware, TRIZ Tyro, TRIZ
  Champion and TRIZ Problem Solver.
• Helen and Lynne are both TRIZ Champions

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What is TRIZ?
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What is TRIZ?

• The science of creativity 
• derived from all scientific and engineering
  solutions.
• A problem solving toolkit the principal TRIZ
  tools direct us
• to find all the ways of solving a problem,
• to find new concepts and
• the routes for developing new products.
• TRIZ has simple general lists of how to solve any
  problem
• these solution triggers are distilled from
  analysing all known engineering success.
• There are also tools for
• problem understanding,
• for system analysis and
• for understanding what we want.

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TRIZ in the UK

• TRIZ offers a systematic process for stimulating
  innovation
• The aim is to accelerate creative problem solving
  for both individuals and project teams by
  following the TRIZ approach and following its
  rules
• Why is this process desirable?
• Companies that successfully apply TRIZ are not
  dependent on
•  the spontaneous and occasional creativity of
  individuals,
• (or groups of engineers, within their
  organisation).

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TRIZ and other Problem-Solving Toolkits

• TRIZ has
• tools for understanding what we want and
• system tools for everything from invention to
  improving.
• TRIZ can complement other problem solving
  toolkits.
• It has been used as a valuable addition to
• Six Sigma, Lean Sigma, KT, Value Engineering etc.
  
• This is especially valuable when you need
  innovation, and to find powerful solutions.

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How TRIZ works

• TRIZ is a set of powerful tools which help us
• Understand, list and prioritise what we want (all
  our requirements)
• Understand, analyse and map the right systems
  (and locate the right systems) for delivering
  what we want
• Identify the problems (the gaps between our
  requirements and the system)
• Solve the Problems to get the right system for
  our needs and get the system working right

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The TRIZ Domain
System Which delivers What we want
What we Want
Problems The gaps between What we Want and the
System
TRIZ Problem Solving Tools E.G 40
Principles, Standard Solutions
From Oxford Creativity Ltd
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TRIZ Process
From Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ).
http//www.mazur.net/triz/
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10 Techniques used in TRIZ
Thinking in Time and Space Nine Boxes ?
8 Trends of Technical Evolution
Contradictions ?
40 Principles ?
76 Standard Solutions
Resources ?
Concept of Ideality ?
Functional Analysis
Smart Little People ?
Size-Time-Cost

• From IMechEng TRIZ site www.imeche.org.uk/manufact
  uring/triz.asp
• N.B. techniques with ? have been introduced in
  this module

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The use of some of the techniques of TRIZ
Diagram from http//www.triz-journal.com/whatistri
z/index.htm
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TRIZ Contradictions

• TRIZ recognizes two categories of contradictions
• Technical contradictions
• classical engineering trade-offs.
• The desired state cant be reached because
  something else in the system prevents it.
• when something gets better, something else gets
  worse. Classical examples include
• The bandwidth increases (good) but requires more
  power (bad)
• Service is customized to each customer (good) but
  the service delivery system gets complicated
  (bad.)
• Physical contradictionswhere one object has
  contradictory (opposite) requirements. E.g.
• Software should be easy to use, but should have
  many complex features and options.
• Coffee should be hot, for enjoyable drinking, but
  cold, to prevent burning the customer
• Training should be thorough and not take any time

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TRIZ Contradictions

• TRIZ research (analysis of patents) has
  identified
• 40 principles that solve the Technical
  contradictions
• The TRIZ patent research classified 39 features
  for technical contradictions.
• Once a contradiction is expressed in the
  technical contradiction form (the trade-off) the
  next step is locate the features in the
  Contradiction Matrix.
• 4 principles of separation that solve the
  Physical contradictions.

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Contradiction Matrix
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Using Contradictions

• Many problems can be stated as both physical and
  technical contradictions. In general
• the most comprehensive solutions come from using
  the physical contradiction formulation,
• the most prescriptive solutions come from using
  the technical contradiction.
• In terms of learning,
• people usually learn to solve technical
  contradictions first,
• since the method is very concrete,
• then learn to solve physical contradictions,
• then learn to use both methods interchangeably,
  depending on the problem.

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Resolve physical contradictions

• Four approaches
• Separation in time
• Separation in space
• Phase transition
• Solid - liquid - gas - plasma
• Paramagnetic -Ferromagnetic
• Others-ferroelectric, superconducting, crystal
  structure,
• Move to the super-system or the sub-system (use 9
  boxes)

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Smart Little People

• A creativity tool for breaking the psychological
  inertia caused by specialist terminology/knowledg
  e
• Helps in analysing systems at the micro-level.
• It is especially useful in brainstorming
  sessions.
• Using Smart Little People (SLP) you imagine
• the system you are analysing consists of many
  clever, ingenious small objects or people,
• These can make decisions
• individually and
• as a group.

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Smart Little People (SLP) looks at the micro-level

• SLP is helpful to understand the problem on a
  micro-level and to identify the zone of conflict.
  
• Why does the varnish not cover heater parts at
  certain spots?.
• The knowledgeable engineer may answer The
  varnish does not stick to the metal surface if
  the surface is dirty.
• This is a sign that the cleaning bath is not
  effective.
• This aspect leads us to redefine the problem
• The bath for cleaning heaters before coating
  becomes dirty and ineffective, instead of
• the quality control shows defects in varnish of
  heaters

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Case study from Bauer-Kurtz (1999)

• What is the problem?

• Ideality
• The formulation of the ideal final result for the
  case study is
• Every heater is evenly coated with varnish all by
  itself.

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SLP Modelling
The modelling shown in the figure Figure 6 from
the paper may also suggest that an imperfect
surface structure is partially responsible for
the varnish defects.
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Technical contradictions
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Some solutions from the contradictions matrix

• Apply the 40 standard solutions, as suggested in
  the contradiction matrix, to the problem VARNISH
  DEFECTS
• these are presented in order of their number of
  occurrences since the principles recurring the
  most often are considered most likely to solve
  the problem.
• 4 x No 10 Preliminary Action. E.g
• a preliminary cleaning step if the parts are
  sandblasted or rinsed with pressurized water
  before the chemical cleaning bath, the bath does
  not deteriorate as fast, or
• measures taken not to make the heater parts dirty
  in the first place to prevent the parts from
  getting dirty, the workers should use only
  suitable hand crème or wear clean gloves when
  touching the parts.
• 4 x No 28 Mechanics Substitution. E.g
• the varnishing is done electrostatically can the
  cleaning be done in a similar manner? Can the
  cleaning solution be an electrolyte solution
  using charged particles to separate dirt
  particles from metal surfaces, and transport and
  deposit the dirt to a waste deposit surface?

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continued

• 4 x No 35 Parameter Changes. E.g
• The cleaning solution would be easily recyclable
  if it evaporated after cleaning, leaving the dirt
  at the vessel ground as solid residue. Is dirt,
  especially grease, more easily solvable at higher
  temperatures? If so, it is well worth heating the
  metal parts or the cleaning bath.
• 3 x No 1 Segmentation. E.g
• The degree of fragmentation of the production
  process is increased by introducing a stage of
  pre-cleaning of the heater parts. This solution
  leads to a similar action as suggested already
  with the solution principle Preliminary Action,
  and also similar to the G8D solution alternative
  6.
• 3 x No 18 Mechanical Vibration. E.g
• Can cleaning be done with ultrasonic devices? Can
  vibrational motion of the part or in the cleaning
  bath enhance the efficiency of the bath?
• 2 x No 22 Blessing in Disguise. E.g
• Could the chemical waste of the cleaning process
  be used to produce something? Could the metal
  pieces left over from the production of heater
  parts be recycled?

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Systems Analysis/ Problem Solution

• Thinking of the system like this helps make sure
  everyone really understands how the system works,
  
• Its a very good way of explaining complex
  situations
• as they can be broken down into smaller, more
  digestible parts.
• Once you have analysed your problem context with
  SLP,
• You think of ways they could solve your problem,
  by acting alone or as a group,
• ie what they would have to do to solve the
  problem.
• This is then translated into a feasible solution.

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Resources Used

• Bauer-Kurz, I (1999) A Comparison of the
  Global-8D-Process and TRIZ. The Triz Institute.
  Online article at http//www.triz-journal.com/arc
  hives/2000/07/c/
• Domb E (2000), Managing Creativity for Project
  Success. www.triz-journal.com Originally
  published in the Proceedings of the 7th Project
  Leadership Conference, June, 2000
• Gadd K (ud) TRIZ currently unpublished book,
  Oxford Creativity Ltd.
• IMechEng (ud) TRIZ - Theory of Inventive Problem
  Solving. www.imeche.org.uk/manufacturing/triz.asp
• Mazur, G (1995) Theory of Inventive Problem
  Solving (TRIZ). www.mazur.net/triz/