Use T.R.I.Z. to invent and innovate creative solutions to the problems you face
T.R.I.Z. is a method of inventive problem solving.
How do people and organisations come up with new ideas? What methods do they use for innovating? Can creativity be structured? If these are the sorts of questions that have crossed your mind then you might find TRIZ an interesting approach to problem solving and creativity. It began its life as a way to find solutions to engineering problems in a structured rather than haphazard way.
TRIZ is the Russian acronym for the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (Teoriya Resheniya Izobretatelskikh Zadach). Originally an idea that was developed in the former USSR by Genrikh Altshuller and a close group of associates.
Most of us are probably familiar with problem solving and generative idea methods such as brainstorming, six hats thinking, CATWOE, Is and Is Not and root cause analysis as ways to generate inventive solutions to problems. Usually these methods are free -wheeling and lack a structured approach to innovation. T.R.I.Z. helps us solve problems where difficulties are created by inevitable trade offs. By drawing upon the inspiration of past inventiveness, solutions to contemporary design, business, and administrative problems can be solved.
One of the key things to appreciate about problem solving is the way the mind works. This is because we are selective about what we notice in our enviroments. Psychologists explain this as the phenomenon of the Cogntive Miser. What this means is that what we notice determines how we frame or the define the problem in the first place and this also influences what we believe the best solutions are too.
Poor or mistaken framing of the problem leads to a poor solution. Every failure of implementation is a failure of formulation. This means that one of the biggest challenges facing anyone with problem solving is the very experience and skill that has made them good at their jobs in the first place. Their 'theories for success' become taken for granted and difficult to recognise and criticise.
Using TRIZ to help with problem solving means that problem solvers place their assumptions to one side. They avoid jumping to conclusions and seeing problems using the goggles of past solutions. As they say...the mind is like a parachute...it works best when it is open!
So, if you invent something amazing using T.R.I.Z. why not visit Invent Now and join a community of inventors to share feedback, ideas and suggestions.
TRIZ's Big idea
The insights of Gerich Alsthuller
Gerich Alsthuller used the insights he got from studying thousands of engineering patent applications to come up with a structured method that we can all use to come up with inventive solutions to design problems. More recemtly attempts have been made to extend these principles to management and education.
Individual engineering patent solutions could be grouped into 'families' e.g.
make lighter
make in separate parts
do it later
make use of waste created
make a deliberate mismatch
The key idea was to move from the 'specific' to the 'general' and then back to the 'specific'. This diagram explains how:
TRIZ - Structured Innovation
Crucially all design solutions have to deal with 'trade=offs'. Improving one aspect of a design invariably means something else gets worse.
e.g. my table becomes more stable as it gets heavier, but it then becomes less easy to move!
This led Alsthuller to create what is called the Contradiction Matrix The full matrix is free to obtain from links on this lens. The matrix is a huge grid that allows someone to characterise their design problem by defining 'what gets better' and 'what gets worse'. It looks like this:
The little numbers in the squares relate to the most frequent types of solution to that particular problem that Alsthuller found in his patent review. he gave each general solution a number and called these Inventive Principles and there are 40 of them.
Here is the full Triz Matrix
Because of the structured nature of this process we talk of it being an 'algorithm' or sequence of steps. The full matrix can seem overwhelming to a novice but you soon get used to it.
40 Principles of Invention
Little numbers with big impacts
Each solution has a name and a number. Here are the first 10 to give you an idea.
1. Segmentation
2. Taking out
3. Local quality
4. Asymmetry
6. Universality
7. Nested doll
8. Anti-weight
9. Preliminary anti-action
10. Preliminary action
When identifying the most approriate 'box' on the grid to get to these principles "Trizzies" are prone to show off their fluency.
"... aah! so that's clearly:
'loss of time'
versus
'ease of repair'
The principles also need learning. Here is the full list with examples and further explanation of the 40 principles
At first this can all seem very complicated and one of the biggest criticsms of TRIZ is that it is long-winded, and prone to jargon. That said many companies have used it to good effect.
Gimme An Example
The Boeing 737 didn't have enough ground clearance for bigger engines in the standard configuration. By characterising the problem a square on the Contradiction Matrix grid was identified (just like reading map co-ordinates) and then one of the inventive principles found in the box opened the door to a solution.
The solution was found in this case by thinking about principle number 4 - 'assymetry'
Another Big TRIZ Idea
Patterns of Evolution
A key idea is being aware of the natural evolution of technological developments. This means that future expectations can be seen well in advance.
Patterns of Evolution
Triz Experts
TRIZ Links
Top organisations that can help you with TRIZ
- Oxford Creativity
- Oxford Creativity will show you how to be innovative and solve your problems systematically with TRIZ.
We will help you nurture, develop and sustain a culture of creative innovation with your organisation.
The future belongs to those companies that can adapt rapidly, with effective and practical changes to the products or services they offer and in the way they do business. We can help you make use of your company's greatest assets: the knowledge, expertise and latent creativity of your employees. We do this in ways that encourage an open, cooperative and multi-disciplinary approach to problem solving and innovation. - Altshuller Institute for TRIZ
- Officially authorized by Genrich Altshuller, creator of TRIZ.
- TRIZ Journal
- TRIZ is a problem solving method based on logic and data, not intuition, which accelerates the project team's ability to solve these problems creatively. TRIZ also provides repeatability, predictability, and reliability due to its structure and algorithmic approach. "TRIZ" is the (Russian) acronym for the "Theory of Inventive Problem Solving." G.S. Altshuller and his colleagues in the former U.S.S.R. developed the method between 1946 and 1985. TRIZ is an international science of creativity that relies on the study of the patterns of problems and solutions, not on the spontaneous and intuitive creativity of individuals or groups. More than three million patents have been analyzed to discover the patterns that predict breakthrough solutions to problems.
- MAZUR
- Following World War II, the high quality, technologically advanced products of the United States dominated world markets. With the oil shock of the 1970s, however, many of the economic advantages associated with cheap petroleum were lost and the recovered economies of Europe and Asia emerged as strong competitors in many product areas. The innovative technologies of the US could no longer insulate industries from the customer oriented approaches of European and Asian producers.
- TRIZ.org
- Technical Innovation Center, Inc. is one of the premier companies providing TRIZ training, consulting, and publishing services. A recent focus of the innovation center is developing of children's TRIZ education materials and curriculums.
- TRIZ.org.uk
- UK based company
- TRIZ Group
- US based company
- Innovation TRIZ
- Have you endured years of cost-cutting, downsizing, and quality improvement? These efforts alone are not enough to ensure long term survival.
You need an innovation partner who has both knowledge and practical experience with the latest innovation tools and processes. - European TRIZ Association
- The official website of the European TRIZ Association, where we inform public about our activities and events, and maintain a virtual venue for the ETRIA community to communicate and collaborate. Please note that many functions of the portal are only available to the registered members of ETRIA.
- TRIZ in Engineering Design
- The journal is published quarterly (March, June, September and December) by Togo Press LLC (Pittsburgh, PA).
The journal employs a double-blind peer review process for manuscripts in that both the reviewers and the authors remain anonymous to each other. This policy will reduce the influence of personal and other non-technical factors in the review process. - TRIZ for the real world
- This blog is an experiment in informal TRIZ discussions, about real situations and real problems using TRIZ. Ellen Domb is the editor of the TRIZ Journal, http://www.triz-journal.com, and a consultant and instructor in TRIZ,
http://www.trizpqrgroup.com - Ideation TRIZ
- Ideation's modern version of TRIZ is unique. It helps to crystallize the interplay of causes and effects between useful and undesired functions in any system, business or engineering effort, leading to an exhaustive set of solutions to sub-problems that, if implemented, increase system ideality.
- Google Books Triz
- This exciting new book presents the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ), a process that will provoke a breakthrough in your thinking patterns and the way you approach problem solving.
- TRIZ in Spanish
- Repasemos juntos los 40 Principios inventivos desarrollados por Altshuller a partir de más de tres millones de patentes a nivel mundial. En este artículo, se presentan los principios 1 al 5.
Estos Principios inventivos son una de las herramientas más útiles de TRIZ. - TRIZ
- Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) 1.0 Introduction Following World War II, the high quality, technologically advanced
products of the United States dominated world markets. - TRIZ Champion workshop
- Details of a one day course
- TRIZ as business principles
- Business applications of TRIZ
TRIZ on Wikipedia
TRIZ () is a romanized acronym for ('') meaning "The theory of solving inventors problems" or "The theory of inventor's problem solving". It was developed by a Soviet engineer and researcher Genrich Altshuller and his colleagues starting in 1946. It has been evolving ever since.
Today, TRIZ is a methodology, tool set, knowledge base, and model-based technology for generating innovative ideas and solutions for problem solving. TRIZ provides tools and methods for use in problem formulation, system analysis, failure analysis, and patterns of system evolution (both 'as-is' and 'could be'). TRIZ, in contrast to techniques such as brainstorming (which is based on random idea generation), aims to create an algorithmic approach to the invention of new systems, and the refinement of old systems.
Some TRIZ is in the public domain. Some TRIZ resides in knowledge bases held by commercial consulting organizations. A complete and open TRIZ development process is not yet evident. Various camps vie for control of TRIZ and interpretation of its findings and applications.
TRIZ on Amazon
And Suddenly the Inventor Appeared: TRIZ, the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving
Amazon Price: $26.40 (as of 11/24/2009) 
Innovation Algorithm:TRIZ, systematic innovation and technical creativity
Amazon Price: $45.00 (as of 11/24/2009)
![40 Principles: TRIZ Keys to Innovation [Extended Edition]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51R9WS8BNTL._SL75_.jpg)
40 Principles: TRIZ Keys to Innovation [Extended Edition]
Amazon Price: $55.00 (as of 11/24/2009)
Innovation on Demand: New Product Development Using TRIZ
Amazon Price: $65.60 (as of 11/24/2009)
Engineering of Creativity: Introduction to TRIZ Methodology of Inventive Problem Solving
Amazon Price: $89.95 (as of 11/24/2009)
Creative Problem Solving
Alternative Approaches
Creative problem solving is the mental process of creating a solution to a problem. It is a special form of problem solving in which the solution is independently created rather than learned with assistance.
Creative problem solving always involves creativity. However, creativity often does not involve creative problem solving, especially in fields such as music, poetry, and art. Creativity requires newness or novelty as a characteristic of what is created, but creativity does not necessarily imply that what is created has value or is appreciated by other people.
To qualify as creative problem solving the solution must either have value, clearly solve the stated problem, or be appreciated by someone for whom the situation improves.
The situation prior to the solution does not need to be labeled as a problem. Alternate labels include a challenge, an opportunity, an improvable situation, or a situation in which there is room for improvement.
Solving school-assigned homework problems does not usually involve creative problem solving because such problems typically have well-known solutions.
If a created solution becomes widely used, the solution becomes an innovation and the word innovation also refers to the process of creating that innovation. A widespread and long-lived innovation typically becomes a new tradition. "All innovations begin as creative solutions, but not all creative solutions become innovations." Some innovations also qualify as inventions.
Inventing is a special kind of creative problem solving in which the created solution qualifies as an invention because it is a useful new object, substance, process, software, or other kind of marketable entity.
More TRIZ on Amazon
Inventive Thinking through TRIZ: A Practical Guide
Amazon Price: $71.97 (as of 11/24/2009)
Insourcing Innovation: How to Achieve Competitive Excellence Using TRIZ
Amazon Price: $42.36 (as of 11/24/2009)
Systematic Innovation: An Introduction to TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) (APICS Series on Resource Management)
Amazon Price: $50.36 (as of 11/24/2009)
Simplified TRIZ: New Problem-Solving Applications for Engineers & Manufacturing Professionals
Amazon Price: (as of 11/24/2009)
TRIZ: Through the Eyes of an American TRIZ Specialist
Amazon Price: $30.00 (as of 11/24/2009)
TRIZ Blog Posts from Google
- Students compete in marathon 24-hour challenge set by the European Commission
- The unique event is organised in the framework of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation 200...
- Creativity, innovation, and why both begin in school
- Creativity and innovation have important implications for two critical issues in the UAE that policy...
- 24-hour Challenge for Young Innovators
- European Innovation and Creativity Camp is a project in the framework of the European Year of Creati...
- All manner of human creativity on display
- Those elements--creativity, imagination, innovation--are also descriptions of an artistic worldview....
Key TRIZ Links
- Automated 40 Inventive Principles
- The TRIZ Matrix is a database of KNOWN SOLUTIONS (principles) able to OVERCOME CONTRADICTIONS.
I.e, You need a static object to be longer without becoming heavier. This is a contradiction. The improving feature is ' #4, length of stationary object ' and the worsening factor is ' #2, weight of stationary object '. Use the matrix to discover possible ways of solutions, the PRINCIPLES. - About the 40 Inventive Principles
- The matrix tells you which of the 40 principles have been used most frequently to solve a problem that involves a particular contradiction
- Innovation-TRIZ · TRIZ Introduction
- Innovation TRIZ providing breakthrough solutions to long-standing technical and organizational problems. We provide an organization with state of the art tools, including TRIZ, to solve tough problems as well as assisting in the assessment of the innovation climate within an organization.
- The Institute of Mechanical Engineers
- Answers to the most commonly asked questions on TRIZ.
Invention Reading Resources
Reading resources for your invention help.
How to License Your Million Dollar Idea: Everything You Need To Know To Turn a Simple Idea into a Million Dollar Payday, 2nd Edition by Harvey Reese
http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html%3FASIN=0471 more...0 points
Information Sources in Patents (Guides to Information Sources) (Guides to Information Sources) by Stephen R. Adams
The completely new edition of this well respected more...0 points
Links for Inventors
- UK Patent Office
- Intellectual property (IP) can allow you to own things you create in a similar way to owning physical property. You can control the use of your IP, and use it to gain reward. This encourages further innovation and creativity.
- US Patent Office
- The U.S. Department of Commerce's U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on November 15, 2007, released record breaking year-end numbers that reveal historic improvement in the quality of patent and trademark reviews and subsequently the quality of issued patents and registered trademarks.
- European Patents Office
- The European Patent Office (EPO) provides a uniform application procedure for individual inventors and companies seeking patent protection in up to 37 European countries. It is the executive arm of the European Patent Organisation and is supervised by the Administrative Council.
- Australian Patents Office
- Australia's economic well-being depends on capturing the benefits of increased innovation and creativity. IP Australia's role is to provide a strong intellectual property system which promotes innovation, investment and trade.
- New Zealand Patents Office
- This New Zealand Government website provides information on patents, trade marks and designs. Here you can search the registers, pay renewal fees, file trade mark applications, and find forms and guides on intellectual property in New Zealand.
- Indian Patent Office
- The Indian Patent Office is administered by the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks (CGPDTM). This is a subordinate office of the Indian government and administers the Indian law of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks.
- Japanese Patent Office
- The aim of industrial property (IP) system (general term for patent, utility model, design, and trademark systems) is to contribute to the nation's industrial development through adequate protection and effective utilization of inventions and other forms of intellectual creations. To help promote science and technology, the IP system is expected to play an increasingly important role in Japan in the 21st century.
- Patent Offices on the Internet
- LInk directory
- Invent Now
- Register as an InventNow.org Inventor and get access to all the great stuff at this site.
You'll be able to share your inventions, get patents, comment on other inventions and much more!
Innovation Twitter Storm
I think T.R.I.Z. is a rare and supreb innovation methodology
I say...
What others are saying...
Innovation Blog Posts
- Obama Today | Following Barack Obama » Blog Archive » Encouraging ...
- President Obama said the key to meeting the world's greatest challenges ?will be reaffirming and strengthening America's role as the world's engine of scientific discovery and technological innovation. And that leadership tomorrow ...
- Would ObamaCare Kill Medical Innovation? | Cato @ Liberty
- In this new Cato study, Glen Whitman and Ray Raad show that the United States leads the world in medical innovation ? and that President Obama's health plan would likely reduce such innovation, to the detriment of the entire world. ...
- Reason.tv: Would ObamaCare Kill Medical Innovation? - Hit & Run ...
- As health care reform inches closer to reality, a massively important question becomes even more pressing: Will ObamaCare kill the sorts of medical innovation that makes the United States.
- Hot Air » Blog Archive » Reason TV: Will ObamaCare kill medical ...
- What about those who argue that profits drive medical innovation? ?I think that's kind of sick,? declared another protester, who wants the U.S. to be more like Canada, where government policy keeps drug prices, and drug company profits, ...
Innovation
- Innovating To Win
- Observations from the front line on building the high performance innovation organization
- Endless Innovation
- "There is a grandeur in this view of life... from so simple a beginning, endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being evolved. - Charles Darwin
- Guerilla Innovation
- creative + unconventional + interventionistic
- Innovation Zen
- Innovation management and business strategy
Other Problem Solving Tools and Methods
- Idiagram: The Art of Insight and Action
- The Art of Insight and Action
- Mind Tools
- Cause and Effect Diagrams help you to think through causes of a problem thoroughly. Their major benefit is that they push you to consider all possible causes of the problem, rather than just the ones that are most obvious.
- Ishikawa Fishbone Diagram
- The brainchild of Kaoru Ishikawa, who pioneered quality management processes in the Kawasaki shipyards, and in the process became one of the founding fathers of modern management
- Design Thinking
- Design thinking is a process for practical, creative resolution of problems or issues that looks for an improved future result
- Edward de Bono official site
- Originator of six hats thinking
- Algorithm of Inventive Problem Solving - Mycoted
- Algorithm of Inventive Problem Solving From Mycoted Jump to: navigation, search A to Z of Creativity Techniques
- Six Sigma Trends: Six Sigma Leadership And Innovation Using TRIZ
- Many current Six Sigma roadblocks can be eliminated with the use of TRIZ and I-TRIZ, the Russian acronym for the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving. Integrating TRIZ and Six Sigma can lead to greater efficiency, effectiveness, avoided expense and incrased RTY.
- 5 Whys
- A question-asking method used to explore the cause/effect relationships
Right Brain ? Left Brain?
Is it right to rely on the creativity of others
In its favour TRIZ can claim that it does invent new solutions by facilitating the 'abstracting from the specific to the general and allowing the person with the problem to situate the solutoin in their specific context.
What is implied by TRIZ is that there are archetypal forms of problem with archetypal solutions, so echoes of Jungian psycho analysis there. Not only that it is often tempting to think that our problem is the only one like it in the universe and therefore it demands a unique solution. TRIZ demonstrates that patterns can be seen in complexity and these patterns can be 'chunked' up into families to provide generic solutions.
Applying TRIZ to Social Science might be another matter altogether. If you hold a Positivist outlook then you might be tempted to use TRIZ to sort out that management negotiation, or that 360 degree review process. If you are mor into interpretatoin then using TRIZ become a bit more tenuos.
Nevertheless there are alot of articles that attempt to use proxies for the TRIZ principles in a social science context and some particularly interesting work has been done on course design in the educational area.
It's a moot point wether there is ever anything as an original idea.
Success With TRIZ
So, does it work in reality
Problem solving is no good if its just a theory, there has to be a practical output.
The Wolfgang Puck self-heating coffee can is a recent TRIZ success story
Here are some FAQs from the UK's Institute of Mechanical Engineers.
IME faqs
They point that "Companies are reluctant to release case studies to the public for several reasons, many are still in the process of applying for patents,they don't want to draw attention to a method which could make their competitors as successful as they are,they like to keep their image of being clever: they don't want anyone else to think they could come up with the same ideas as them."
Reader Feedback
-
Reply
- reasonablerobinson reasonablerobinson Jul 24, 2009 @ 1:48 am | in reply to Stazjia
- I'm pleased it was clear. TRIZ can seem very arcane and complicated at first.
-
Reply
- Stazjia Stazjia Jul 23, 2009 @ 8:50 am
- Well done. I actually understood what you were saying. Thank you for explaining it so clearly.
-
Reply
- reasonablerobinson reasonablerobinson Feb 11, 2009 @ 1:29 pm | in reply to CarlDyke
- Thanks for the positive feedback Carl. I hope you find it useful
-
Reply
- CarlDyke CarlDyke Feb 11, 2009 @ 8:56 am
- This is a great resource. Generating good ideas and solving problems will be a key skill in 2009. Great work. I'll add this lens to my favorites.
-
Reply
- CarlDyke CarlDyke Feb 11, 2009 @ 8:55 am
- This is a great resource. Generating good ideas and solving problems will be a key skill in 2009. Great work. I'll add this lens to my favorites.
-
Reply
- dc64 dc64 Oct 8, 2008 @ 3:10 pm
- So far, this is interesting, but if I keep reading I'll be late to work! I'll definately return and 5* for what I've read so far!
-
Reply
- enslavedbyfaeries enslavedbyfaeries Aug 12, 2008 @ 12:32 pm
- Nicely done and very interesting information!
-
Reply
- businessonapage businessonapage Jul 25, 2008 @ 7:43 pm
- Your site appears to be a thorough resource on the TRIZ methodology. I aim to link it to my lens about ideas and look forward to returning and reading more.
by reasonablerobinson
I'm really interested in what makes people tick. Hobbies include the piano, water... (more)
Explore related pages
Ideas, Ideas, How to Create More Ideas- What are Ideas, where do they come from, how can we have more Ideas? This lens e...
Creativity and the Creative Paradox- This a lens to honor Gordon MacKenzie the author of one of my favorite books on...
Use Creative Thinking to Help Your Online Business Grow- Creative thinking techniques can make your online business a success Use Creativ...
How to Mind Map- Mind Maps are diagrams that work the way you think. They make it easy to underst...
Latest Technology News | Recent Inventions- Get updates from the latest technology news and recent inventions in world. Find...
Personal Innovation, Creative Thinking and Problem Solving
- Whether you're experiencing a personal or a professional challenge, the ability...
