TRIZ is the science of creativity derived from all scientific and engineering solutions. TRIZ is 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 TRIZ 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.
TRIZ offers systematic innovation; by learning TRIZ and following its rules we can accelerate creative problem solving for both individuals and project teams. Companies that successfully apply TRIZ are using the success and knowledge of the whole world, and are not dependent on the spontaneous and occasional creativity of individuals, or groups of engineers, within their organisation. TRIZ is not just powerful for technical problem solving but is also successfully used on a wide range of management issues.
What can TRIZ do?
- It can help us solve problems
- It can help us think clearly, powerfully and see the wood for the trees when confronted with a complex problem situation
- It can help us be creative (invent new systems, find next generation systems, come up with lots of new ideas etc.)
- It can help us be innovative (find new ways of using and improving existing systems, existing technologies etc.)
- It can help teams work together to pool their brain power and experience, enhanced by the distilled world’s knowledge of the TRIZ tools
- It can help us improve existing systems and increase the ideality of systems by lowering costs, removing harms or increasing benefits
- It helps us use our resources: we can often find quick, cheap solutions to problems with TRIZ and it will help us turn harm into good
- It gives us quick solutions
- It gives us a structure to brainstorm around difficult problems – even with those unfamiliar with TRIZ
- It will help us structure and use our thinking time effectively - we know that we’ll be looking in the right direction and places
Why Learn TRIZ?
For good engineers TRIZ offers the best of all worlds, the individual tools are straightforward, the problem-solving process is systematic and repeatable, and when we move fast with TRIZ we can uncover all the possible solutions and keep our brains at their most creative. Engineers understand TRIZ better than anyone else because it comes from engineering success, it was developed by engineers for engineers, and it works best on engineering problems.
The TRIZ tool-kit and process directs us to the best solutions to fit our circumstances and constraints. Many problem solving methods offer problem understanding. TRIZ also offers us problem solving tools, by systematically taking us to a range of good and relevant solutions (a complete catalogue of good solution triggers) derived from the world’s patent database.
TRIZ is unique as the only problem SOLVING toolkit – other problem solving methods rely only on brainstorming to find concepts and solutions already known to us. The TRIZ process will direct us to the right places for relevant knowledge.