Theory of Inventive Problem Solving
(TRIZ)
New Product-Service and Business Development
by;
Burak COLAK
Sarah Ali HASSAN
Harika AKALIN
Caglar FIDAN
Nozir SHOKIROV
TRIZ – New Product-Service and Business Development
What is TRIZ?
TRIZ is a powerful disruptive
technology that demonstrates that
creativity and innovation skills can be
learned. This is paradigm shift of
immense importance to improve the
effectiveness
of
individuals
and
organizations in product development
and management. TRIZ does not compete
with or replace other quality methods but
can be used to enhance their weaknesses.
TRIZ is unique in that it was developed
from empirical data -- patent research.
Knowledge of TRIZ can benefit all
segments of the population.
All kinds of projects frequently reach
a point where as much analysis as
possible has been carried out, but the
way forward is still unclear. Progress
seems blocked, and if the project team is
to move forward, it must develop creative
solutions to the problems it faces.
You already know about techniques
such as brainstorming, which can help
with this sort of situation. However, this
type of approach, which depends on
intuition and the knowledge of the
members of the team, tends to have
unpredictable and unrepeatable results.
What's more, a huge range of possible
solutions can be missed, simply because
they're outside the experience of the
project team.
TRIZ is a
problem
solving
methodology based on logic, data and
research, not intuition. It draws on the
past knowledge and ingenuity of many
thousands of engineers to accelerate the
project team's ability to solve problems
creatively. As such, TRIZ brings
repeatability, predictability, and reliability
to the problem-solving process with its
structured and algorithmic approach.
About TRIZ
"TRIZ" is the (Russian) acronym for
the "Theory of Inventive Problem
Solving." G.S. Altshuller and his colleagues
in the former USSR developed this
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, and
these have been codified within TRIZ.
TRIZ is spreading into corporate use
across several parallel paths – it is
increasingly common in Six Sigma
processes, in project management and
risk management systems, and in
organizational innovation initiatives.
Generalized Solutions
TRIZ research began with the
hypothesis that there are universal
principles of creativity that are the basis
for creative innovations, and that
advance technology. The idea was that if
these principles could be identified and
codified, they could be taught to people
to make the process of creativity more
predictable. The short version of this is:
Somebody someplace has already
solved this problem (or one very similar
to it.) Today, creativity involves finding
that solution and adapting it to this
particular problem.
The three primary findings of the last
65 years of research are as follows:
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TRIZ – New Product-Service and Business Development
1. Problems and solutions are
repeated across industries and sciences.
By classifying the "contradictions" (see
later) in each problem, you can predict
good creative solutions to that problem.
2. Patterns of technical evolution
tend to be repeated across industries and
sciences.
3. Creative innovations often use
scientific effects outside the field where
they were developed.
Much of the practice of TRIZ consists
of learning these repeating patterns of
problems-solutions, patterns of technical
evolution and methods of using scientific
effects, and then applying the general
TRIZ patterns to the specific situation that
confronts the developer.
Some of the TRIZ Tools
The "General TRIZ Solutions" have
been developed over the course of the 65
years of TRIZ research, and have been
organized in many different ways. Some
of these are analytic methods such as:
 The Ideal Final Result and Ideality.
 Functional Modeling, Analysis and
Trimming.
 Locating the Zones of Conflict. (This
is more familiar to Six Sigma
problem solvers as "Root Cause
Analysis.")
Some are more prescriptive such as:
 The 40 Inventive Principles of
Problem Solving.
 The Separation Principles.
 Laws of Technical Evolution and
Technology Forecasting.
 76 Standard Solutions.
In the course of solving any one
technical problem, one tool or many can
be used. One of these tools, "The 40
Principles of Problem Solving" is the most
accessible "tool" of TRIZ.
Basic Principles of TRIZ
TRIZ presents a systematic approach
for analyzing the kind of challenging
problems where inventiveness is needed
and provides a range of strategies and
tools for finding inventive solutions. One
of the earliest findings of the massive
research on which the theory is based is
that the vast majority of problems that
require inventive solutions typically
reflect a need to overcome a dilemma or
a trade-off between two contradictory
elements. The central purpose of TRIZbased analysis is to systematically apply
the strategies and tools to find superior
solutions that overcome the need for a
compromise or trade-off between the
two elements.
One of the important branches of
TRIZ is focused on analyzing and
predicting trends of evolution in the
characteristics that existing solutions are
likely to develop in successive
generations of a system
1. TRIZ process for creative problem solving
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TRIZ – New Product-Service and Business Development
Essentials of TRIZ
Before going into the essentials of
TRIZ there are some terms we have to be
familiar with, which are;
Ideal final result (IFR) - the ultimate
idealistic solution of a problem when the
desired result is achieved by itself;
Administrative
contradiction
contradiction between the needs and
abilities;
Technical contradiction - an inverse
dependence
between
parameters/
characteristics of a machine or
technology;
Physical contradiction - opposite/
contradictory physical requirements to an
object;
Separation principle - a method of
resolving physical contradictions by
separating contradictory requirements;
Level of invention;
Standard solution - a standard
inventive solution of a higher level;
Laws of technical systems evolution;
Algorithm of inventive problems
solving (ARIZ), which combines various
specialized methods of TRIZ into one
universal tool;
Contradictions
Contradiction between two or more
elements is the heart of some inventive
problems. For example, "If we want more
acceleration, we need a larger engine; but
that will increase the cost of the car," that
is, by improving something we might
worsen other characteristics. This is called
technical contradiction.
More of one thing and less of the
same thing may both be desired in the
same system. For instance, a higher
temperature may be needed to melt a
compound more rapidly, but a lower
temperature may be needed to achieve a
homogeneous mixture. This is known as
physical contradiction also called inherent
contradiction.
An inventive situation which
challenges us to be inventive, might
involve several such contradictions.
Conventional solutions typically "trade"
one contradictory parameter for another;
no special inventiveness is needed for
that. Rather, the inventor would develop
a creative approach for resolving the
contradiction, such as inventing an engine
that produces more acceleration without
increasing the cost of the engine.
Inventive principles and the matrix
of contradictions:
Altshuller screened 200 000 patents,
out of which 140 000 were inventive, in
order to find out what kind of
contradictions were resolved or dissolved
by the invention and the way this had
been achieved. From this he developed a
set of 40 inventive principles and later a
matrix of contradictions. Rows of the
matrix indicate the 39 system features
that one typically wants to improve, such
as
speed,
weight,
accuracy
of
measurement and so on. Columns refer
to typical undesired results. Each matrix
cell points to principles that have been
most frequently used in patents in order
to resolve the contradiction. (Appendix
X).
ARIZ - algorithm of inventive
problems solving:
ARIZ also a Russian acronym as TRIZ
translated as Algorithm of Inventive
Problems Solving is a list of about 85 stepby-step procedures to solve complicated
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invention problems, where other tools of
TRIZ alone are not sufficient. ARIZ is the
central analytical tool of TRIZ and it
provides solution for complex problems.
Contradiction Matrix
The contradiction matrix, one of the
first tools of TRIZ, remains one of the
most popular. The matrix itself, and the
40 principles of problem solving to which
it refers can be downloaded from the
July, 1997, issue of The TRIZ Journal. The
same issue has a tutorial article on how to
use the matrix and the 40 principles.
Contradiction Matrix has 2 different axes.
One barrier to using the matrix has been
the very brief statements of the features
that are the lists of improving and
worsening features.
Firstly, we should know the
definition of contradiction. Each of the
following conditions shows a physical
contradiction:
1. When property located in a
system having two opposite situations,
2. A feature, component, element,
etc.. If both should not both be.
Problem: A presentation of the stick
following features must be conflicting:
 It should be long
 It should be small
Solution: if we want to make
presentation of the stick longer, it means
we should improve length of stationary
object. However, it affects to increase the
volume of stationary object. The
improving feature is length of object and
the worsening features is volume of
object. We should find a solution when
the presentation of stick is longer with
the same volume. We can look at the
contradiction matrix. It will be our
solution where the intersection of these
two features. Fort his example our
solutions are: 4, 7, 17, and 35.
Field’s TRIZ is being used:
TRIZ is one of the most important
innovative ways that lots of companies
use in their factory. You can find the
companies using TRIZ and which
departments related to TRIZ all over the
world
Chemical Industry
 Chemical Process and Plant
 New
chemicals
in
their
development
Heavy Equipment and Vehicles
 Crane Design
Automotive Industry
 Brake system
 Door design
 Cable Applications
Medical Industry
 Surgical equipment design
Oil Industry
 Production control
Material Industry
 Plastics
 Packages and packaging
Fluid Systems
 Pumps
 Waste materials to be pumped.
Commercial products
 Cleaning products
 Foot massages equipment’s
 Electric shaver design that
 Hair care
 Combs, hair dryer, hot tongs
Capital markets
Political Science
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TRIZ – New Product-Service and Business Development
Global Companies Using TRIZ
Automotive Industry Firms
• GM
• Ford
• Toyota
• Chrysler
• Eaton
• Dana Corporation
• Rockwell Int'l Automotive
• TRW Automotive
• ITT Automotive
• Jaguar
Medical Industry Companies
• Johnson & Johnson
• Cardiovascular
• LA Roche
• Bristol Myers
• Zeneca
Electronics / Electrical Industry
Firms
• Motorola
• Philips Electronics
• Hitachi
• ITT
• Attaché
• Visteon
• Northern Telecom
• Solarex
• Helix
• Toshiba
• Sony
• LG Electronics
• Honeywell
Oil Industry Companies
• Exxon
• Mobile
• Amoco
• Shell
Aviation Industry Firms
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Boeing
Pratt & Whitney
Aero by Tec spa
Honeywell
Allied Signal
Rockwell International
Rolls Royce
McDonnell
Douglas
Aerospace
• NASA
• Hughes Aircraft
• TRW
• BF Goodrich
• Litton
Chemical Industry
• Dow
• Amoco
• DuPont
• Conoco
• Solutia
Domestic Companies using TRIZ
These are companies in Turkey
using TRIZ:
• Arcelik
• Castle
• Silverline
• Tempo Timay
• AGT
• Vikon
• BMC
From the 1950s to the present day step
by step developing Turkish industry still
cannot get rid of the major problems at
the beginning of high value-added hightech does not produce. On the other
hand, industrial production is still in the
western and some eastern Asian
countries made technology transfer
dependence on is continuing. South
Korea can perform like a Turkey's own
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TRIZ – New Product-Service and Business Development
innovation TRIZ innovation as a tool
needs to believe that. If today the South
Korean company Samsung can do alone
exports $ 150 billion in 2001 launched
TRIZ owes moves. South Korean Samsung
company uses TRIZ three years has
increased the number of patents and
exports increased in 2 times. 1000 was
close to heed engineer TRIZ training.
In our country and the world's major
companies VIKO Innovation journey
continues with TRIZ. Beginning in 2011
with TRIZ innovative companies for
excellence in work to make it felt in many
receive. All newly hired employees in the
first six months must pass 50 hours of
TRIZ training.
TRIZ and Our Earnings
These are some examples about
earnings of using TRIZ.
 Samsung Electronics: Euro 1.5
billion, more than 3,000 patents.
 Ford, brake systems.
 Boeing Corporation Euro 1 billion
in value added.
 Intel Company declared “TRIZ is
an Intel's innovation platform of
the 21st century”.
Approaches which are modifications/
derivatives of TRIZ
1. Systematic Inventive Thinking
(SIT):
SIT is a thinking method developed in
Israel in the mid-1990s. Derived
from Genrich ltshuller’s TRIZ engineering
discipline, SIT is a practical approach to
creativity, innovation and problem
solving, which has become a well-known
methodology for Innovation. At the heart
of SIT’s method is one core idea adopted
from Focusing not on what makes
inventive solutions different - but on
what they share in common - is core to
SIT’s approach.
SIT deals with two main areas of
creativity: Ideation of new ideas, and
problem solving.
The difference between TRIZ and
SIT in this respect is that in SIT the Closed
World condition is the most important
principle. This is particularly applicable
when the template approach is applied to
problem solving. The first step in using SIT
for Problem Solving is to define the
problem world. Once defined, the
problem solver knows that all the building
blocks for the solution are right there in
front of him and that the solution simply
requires the reorganization of the existing
objects. This adds great focus and power
to the method. It also turns every real
problem into an amusing puzzle.
The benefits of the SIT method are
firstly the structure that moves you
through the process and continues
throughout, so that at each step of the
process you see progress. Secondly, it
leads you to create virtual products in
your mind that you would have never
come up with on your own. The breadths
of the ideas that come out are very
impressive.
2. Advanced Systematic Inventive
Thinking(ASIT)
ASIT is founded by Roni Horowitz.
Actually, he found TRIZ extremely
powerful but difficult for non- experts.
As a reminder, TRIZ's 40 principles
were reduced to ASIT's five ideaprovoking tools by: eliminating principles
that are too problem-specific; eliminating
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TRIZ – New Product-Service and Business Development
principles that are not used very often;
grouping similar principles together.
There is a short summary of ASIT's five
tools:
1. Unification: Solve a problem by
assigning a new use to an existing
component.
2. Multiplication: Solve a problem by
introducing a slightly modified copy of an
existing object into the current system.
3. Division: Solve a problem by dividing
an object and reorganizing it parts.
4. Breaking Symmetry: Solve a problem
by changing a symmetrical situation into
an asymmetrical one.
5. Object Removal: Solve a problem by
removing an object from the system
Applying each tool is a five-step process.
In the first step we define the problem
world by listing the problem objects and
the objects in the environment. In the
second step we prepare for the
application of the tool by collecting
relevant data and making a few simple
decisions. The third step is where we
actually apply the tool and where the
idea is born. In the fourth step the idea is
captured in one sentence, and in the fifth
step it is expanded and elaborated into 4
- 5 sentences.
3. Unified Structured Inventive
Thinking (USIT)
USIT is a structured, problem solving
methodology for finding innovative
solution concepts to engineering-design
type problems. Historically, USIT is
related
to Systematic
Inventive
Thinking (SIT). It differs from TRIZ in
several ways, but most importantly it is a
simpler methodology, which makes it
quicker to learn and easier to apply. It
requires no database or computer
software.
The goal of USIT is to enable a
problem solver to invent multiple solution
concepts in as short a time as possible for
real-world problems (day-to-day technical
problems in all fields). Key to this
methodology is its ability to establish,
quickly, unusual perspectives of a
problem situation. Innovative results are
achieved using tools (heuristics) designed
to elicit complementary contributions
from
both cerebral
hemispheres,
generating logical and creative concepts.
USIT tools and methods began their
development
in
the Ford
Motor
Company Research Laboratory in a
training
program
called structured
inventive thinking that continues to be
taught and applied in Ford Motor
Company
worldwide
engineering
locations
Since 2000, USIT has been taught
outside of the company to non-Ford
interests. It has been introduced to
individuals, companies, and institutions in
Africa, Asia, the Americas, Australia, and
Europe. A newsletter containing minilectures on USIT is sent to 43 countries
and is translated into three languages.
4. TRIZICS
TRIZICS is a structured, problemsolving
methodology
for
finding
innovative
solutions
to
technical
problems. TRIZICS is derived from TRIZ.
TRIZICS differs from TRIZ and its
common derivatives by providing the
problem-solver with additional (non-TRIZ)
problem-solving tools and a framework
that allows classical TRIZ tools to be
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TRIZ – New Product-Service and Business Development
applied systematically and sequentially to
technical problems classified by four
problem types. Instead of diminishing the
tools of TRIZ, TRIZICS adds a framework
and additional tools to TRIZ which
simplifies its use
The method known as TRIZICS was
created between 2007 and 2011. The
purpose of developing TRIZICS was to
simplify the use of TRIZ without losing any
of its content.
Application of TRIZ with examples.
The main purpose of TRIZ is same
function but ideal better, more innovative
solutions. TRIZ provides us with logical
thinking new service-product.
2 Simple TRIZ examples:
-Transportation
of
beef:
a beef producer from south America will
carry their products to America with
refractors, but producer wants to
transport more beef because of decrease
transportation cost. Thanks to logical
thinking, producer learn that if a plane is
25.000 feet in height, plane's cabin
temperature will be like a refrigerator.
RESULT: with no extra cost, using
available resources, system has been
reached shape which is desired.
-airplane's landing gear
Landing gear is very important
part of plane, but it provides to plane
disadvantage where after plane taking off
gear's surface friction with air and this
causes decreasing of speed plane.
Solution: after taking off, pull the
gears inside and prevent the friction.
FUNNY STORY RELATED TO TRIZ
One day a professor and student
goes to poles and they see a bear running
them, suddenly student wear sport shoes
and start to run away. Professor is
surprised and tell the student "stupid you
cannot be faster a bear" and student
respond his professor "my problem is not
run away bear; my problem is being
faster you."
This story shows us opposite of a
problem we have found a real problem.
Finding real problem gives us a solution!
PİZZA DELIVERY EXAMPLE
A firm which produces pizza is
taking complaints from the customers.
Customers want hot and crunchy pizza.
How to solve this problem? By being
faster? NO. They cannot reach a standard
time because some circumstances always
not to be performed. So apply to TRIZ.
-design a perfect box according to
Altshuller's law
-both save pizza's hot and crunchy
(even if order reach to customers after
many hours)
-sustain freshness
SAILING BOAT EXAMPLE
We are preparing a project for a
sailing boat. We want to increase volume
of sail and increase length of pole. But
this cause exceeds tolerances of boat's
weight. So we apply TRIZ. Go to
contradiction matrix. Action will be length
of stationary Reaction will be weight of
stationary. so matrix of 39 engineering
parameters intersection is 35-28-40-29.
These numbers from Althuster's
principles mean that
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TRIZ – New Product-Service and Business Development
Mechanics substitution
Pneumatics and hydraulics
Parameter changes
Composite materials
EXAMPLE OF BOEING (how to increase
passenger capacity?)
A TRIZ problem solving team was
called to the Boeing factor in Seattle,
Washington to see how the capacity of
the Boeing 737-100 could be increased.
The airplane engine is the moving object.
We would need the engine air intake and
the fuel injection casing to be larger so
the improving feature is engine volume.
the but if we increase the volume of the
engine it will decrease the clearance
distance between the bottom of the
engine and the ground (worsening
feature). The improving feature is number
7. “Volume of moving object (engine) and
the worsening feature is “3. Length
(diameter) of the moving object
(clearance).
Solution to Boeing 737:
The engine intake area and the
cowl with the fuel lines make up the
engine volume, thus an improving feature
will be the “7. Volume of the moving
objects” and the worsening feature again
“3. Length (engine diameter, i.e.,
clearance).” This intersection gives
4. Asymmetry
1. Segmentation
7. Nested Dolls
35. Parameter Changes
We note the 737-200 engines are
circular in the intake area and the area
plus the casing.
Now let’s look at Atlshuler
Principle
1. Segmentation.
We have the engine air intake
area and the area of the casing
surrounding the intake. The intake area
must be circular because of the spinning
blades inside the engine.
Now let’s look at the principle
number 4. Asymmetry.
Does the intake area plus the
casing need to be symmetric? No it does
not
Let’s look at number 7. Nesting.
Could the symmetrical blades and
moving parts be “nested” inside an
asymmetrical casing?
What if we were to make the air
intake area symmetrical but make the
casing plus intake area asymmetrical so as
to flatten the bottom and thus leave a
great clearance?
If you look at the engines of the
new 737s you will notice this solution was
implemented.
Conclusion
Benefits of TRIZ
Approach to problems
 TRIZ Provides a structured
approach to problem solving
 TRIZ
prevents
erratic
brainstorming and search for
solution
 TRIZ helps identify and clarify
problems and provide good
solution hints
Idea generation
 TRIZ helps to generate more
innovative ideas
Innovatıon and new solutıons
 TRIZ
provide
breakthrough
innovation and solution
Speed
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TRIZ – New Product-Service and Business Development
 The resolution of problems and
arriving at innovative solutions
was achieved in shorter times
Future view
 TRIZ provide respondents with a
view of how technologies would
evolve in the future and be put
into consideration while planning
for the future
Team work
 TRIZ appears to have an effect of
improving the effectiveness of
teams
 It provides a common language for
problem solving within the group
Application fields of TRIZ
TRIZ was originally created to deal
with engineering problem solving.
However it has been extended to
applications in many other nonengineering and management fields. The
application of TRIZ helps to encourage
organizational problem solving as well as
creative thinking which is useful for
analyzing systems and operations,
identifying and defining problems. TRIZ is
a systematic approach to innovation
which can be used to formulate processes
to improve products, services, and
systems.
Siemens, Phillips, LG, and hundreds more.
TRIZ is applicable to every industry and in
every environment for the acceleration
and innovation of problem solving.
Because of Soviet Unions closed
economy the World has heard about TRIZ
recently (after 1991). This is the reason
many people are unaware about such a
powerful tool.
Modern TRIZ should not only be
seen as a methodology for solving
engineering problems or a new product
development process; main ideas behind
TRIZ become a powerful tool for
managing knowledge and solving
problems that contain contradictions in
many areas
Large and small companies are using
TRIZ on many levels to solve real,
practical everyday problems and to
develop strategies for the future of
technology. TRIZ is in use at ABB, Bosch,
Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Kraft,
Motorola, Procter & Gamble, Samsung,
Eli Lilly, Jet Propulsion Laboratories, 3M,
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TRIZ – New Product-Service and Business Development
Question and Answer
Question1. What is TRIZ?
Answer: TRIZ is a problem-solving, analysis and forecasting tool derived from
the study of patterns of invention in the global patent literature.
Question2. What is the difference between technical and physical contradictions?
Answer: Technical contradictions are when more of something desirable also
brings more of something less desirable, or less of something else also desirable, but
in physical contradictions - more of one thing and less of the same thing may both be
desired in the same system.
Question3. Name at least three modifications/derivatives of TRIZ?
Answer:
1. SIT (systematic inventive thinking)
2. ASIT (advanced systematic inventive thinking)
3. USIT (unified structured inventive thinking)
4. JUSIT (Japanese version of unified systematic inventive thinking)
5. TRIZICS (A methodology for the systematic application of TRIZ)
6. TrizIT (Triz modified for information technology)
Question4. If TRIZ is these much powerful tool, why it is not so well-known?
Answer: Because of Soviet Unions closed economy the World has heard about
TRIZ recently (after 1991). This is the reason many people are unaware about this
powerful tool.
Question5. What are the tools of TRIZ ?
Answer: The TRIZ tools are;
- 40 Principles
- Contradiction Matrix
- ARIZ
- 76 Standards
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Bibliography
1. Cambridge Dictionaries Online. (n.d.). Retrieved 10 9, 2012, from
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/business-english/continuous-production
2. Camp, J. M. (1920). The Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel. In J. M. Camp, The
Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel (p. 614). Carnegie Steel Company.
3. Youtube Videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQh7CwCqXwY
4. TRIZ - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: https://www.google.com/#q=TRiZ
Appendix X
2.TRIZ 39 Engineering Parameters
3. Contradiction Matrix - http://www.triz40.com/aff_Matrix.htm
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3.TRIZ 40 Inventive Principles
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