Overcome barriers

From a practical point of view, there are two major barriers for TRIZ and CAI beginners: a technical and a psychological one. One should not forget to think about the problems and barriers people had when implementing CAD into technical construction.

First of all, a modern CAD working station does not help at all, if the user doesn't know how to work with it. Absolutely the same is valid for computer-aided innovation that doesn't start in front of a computer, but with the learning of TRIZ basics and a new style of working.

Second, TRIZ asks for an unconventional contradiction-oriented way of thinking. One has to forget the traditional "trial and error" method when solving technical problems. The problems in changing their traditional way of thinking that engineers in construction and development face here are comparable to the ones one has to face, when changing from a drawing-table to a CAD working station.

Industrial Experience

A great number of users confirm that the TRIZ Methodology is much too extensive to be successfully introduced parallel to the usual business and daily work.

Therefore, a systematic support by experts in the field of the TRIZ methods can be very helpful in the starting phase. Firstly, it helps to integrate the TRIZ techniques into the working processes of the company and secondly, it builds up competence within the company through the training of a team of TRIZ experts.
 

In-house Training
The desire to give one’s own management and development teams the necessary knowledge about the methods of systematic and inventive problem solving often conflicts with busy schedules and the general shortage of time during the working day.

A special training programme for business and industry helps to overcome this conflict. Through this training companies get the chance to:

• train their own TRIZ experts through the participation in all levels of the programme.
   

• have a greater number of employees trained through a rotation-system.

The contents, number and duration of the levels are tailored to match the requirements of the company. This way, the complete training cycle can be completed within 2 to 12 months depending upon the time available.

Gaining TRIZ competence

Depending on requirements, TRIZ knowledge can be conveyed through practical training or, even more effectively, by conducting pilot projects for solving actual tasks. The recommended distribution of TRIZ knowledge within a company is illustrated below. The basic knowledge, such as “contradiction-oriented ways of thinking” should be widely spread throughout all company levels.

The use of special TRIZ tools or software applications should be restricted to a limited number of specialists within the company. It is also advisable to carefully choose how you advance from the simple methods to the more complex methods and tools in order to prevent disappointment in applying TRIZ.
 

Platform for innovation and quality management

In comparison to the well-known methods of quality control and product development such as QFD, FMEA, DFMA, Taguchi and many others, TRIZ, as a complex innovation technology and consisting of various methods and tools, has to be highly rated. It helps to create an expandable internal platform for innovation and quality management in the companies. With dynamically growing global competition, a rapid implementation of TRIZ might not only invigorate and strengthen a company, it might just save it.

Author: Dr. Pavel Livotov