QUALITY THROUGH INNOVATION:Theory of Inventive Problem

Solving

Gülser KöksalIndustrial Engineering Department

Middle East Technical University

2008

FAILURE OF NEW PRODUCTS

• 70-80% of new products do not survive

• Top companies get 39-50% of revenues from new products, while less successful companies get only 23%

• Leading cause of failure : Copying competitors’ new products

THEORY OF INVENTIVE PROBLEM SOLVING (TRIZ)

• G. Altshuller studied more than 1,500,000 world-wide patents.

• He extracted from these 39 engineering parameters that cause conflict.

• Her also extracted from these 40 inventive principles.

• He showed that over 90% of the problems engineers faced had been solved somewhere before.

LEVELS OF INVENTIVENESS

Level Deg. of invent. % of Know. Source # of solutions solutions to consider

1 Apparent solution 32% Personal knowledge 10

2 Minor improvement 45% Know. within company 100

3 Major improvement 18% Know. within industry 1000

4 New concept 4% Know. outside industry 100,000

5 Discovery 1% All that is knowable 1,000,000

Innovation and TRIZ

Could you reverse the fish by relocating four sticks sliding them parallel to their axes?

Could you reverse the fish by relocating three sticks sliding them parallel to their axes?

39 System Parameters

1. Weight of moving object 2. Weight of nonmoving object 3. Length of moving object 4. Length of nonmoving object 5. Area of moving object 6. Area of nonmoving object 7. Volume of moving object 8. Volume of nonmoving object 9. Speed 10. Force 11. Tension, pressure 12. Shape 13. Stability of object 14. Strength 15. Durability of moving object 16. Durability of nonmoving object 17. Temperature 18. Brightness 19. Energy spent by moving object 20. Energy spent by nonmoving object

21. Power 22. Waste of energy 23. Waste of substance 24. Loss of information 25. Waste of time 26. Amount of substance 27. Reliability 28. Accuracy of measurement 29. Accuracy of manufacturing 30. Harmful factors acting on object 31. Harmful side effects 32. Manufacturability 33. Convenience of use 34. Repairability 35. Adaptability 36. Complexity of device 37. Complexity of control 38. Level of automation 39. Productivity

The Most Frequently Used Ten Inventive Principles

35. Parameter changes (Transport oxygen or nitrogen or petroleum gas as a liquid, instead of a gas, to reduce volume)

10. Preliminary action (Pre-pasted wall paper)1. Segmentation (Modular furniture)28. Mechanics substitution (electronic voting)2. Taking out (Locate a noisy compressor outside the building where

compressed air is used15. Dynamics (Adjustable seat)19. Periodic action (Replace a continuous siren with a pulsed sound)18. Mechanical vibration (Destroy gall stones or kidney stones using

ultrasonic resonance)32. Color changes (Colormatic lenses)13. 'The other way round' (Walking stairs)

35. Parameter changes (Transport oxygen or nitrogen or petroleum gas as a liquid, instead of a gas, to reduce volume)

10. Preliminary action (Pre-pasted wall paper)1. Segmentation (Modular furniture)28. Mechanics substitution (electronic voting)2. Taking out (Locate a noisy compressor outside the building where

compressed air is used15. Dynamics (Adjustable seat)19. Periodic action (Replace a continuous siren with a pulsed sound)18. Mechanical vibration (Destroy gall stones or kidney stones using

ultrasonic resonance)32. Color changes (Colormatic lenses)13. 'The other way round' (Walking stairs)

Contradiction Matrix Solution: Short Car

Solution: Mercedes-Swatch made Smart Car

Contradiction:

Improving parameter: Length of moving object (3)

Worsening parameter: Harmful side effects (31)

Inventive principle: Another dimension (17)

Source: Popular Science, January 1998, p.82.

Source: Glenn Mazur www.mazur.net/triz

Example: How to redesign a beverage can to reduce the cost?

CONFLICT:

The can wall must be thinner

to reduce cost

(eng. parameter #4: length of a

stationary object)

and thicker to improve load

bearing capacity

(eng. parameter #11: tension,

pressure).

Inventive principles #1 segmentation, #14 spheroidality, and #35 change physical or chemical parameters can be applied.

SOLUTION: Corrugate the wall (segmentation), add a curve from can wall to top (spheroidality), and use a stronger metal alloy (chemical parameter).

Source: Glenn Mazur www.mazur.net/triz

Evolution Patterns of Technological Systems

Trend 1 - Technology follows a life cycle of birth, growth, maturity, decline (airplanes)

Trend 2 - Increasing ideality (evolution of computers)

Trend 3 - Uneven development of subsystems resulting in contradictions. (speed of computers vs. modem lines)

Trend 4 - Increasing dynamism and controllability (manual gearbox to CVT)

Trend 5 - Increasing complexity, followed by simplicity through integration (evolution of stereo music systems)

Trend 6 - Matching and mismatching of parts (automatic brake system)

Trend 7 - Transition from macrosystems to microsystems using energy fields to achieve better performance or control (cooking systems)

Trend 8 - Decreasing human involvement with increasing automation (clothes washing systems)

Trend 1 - Technology follows a life cycle of birth, growth, maturity, decline (airplanes)

Trend 2 - Increasing ideality (evolution of computers)

Trend 3 - Uneven development of subsystems resulting in contradictions. (speed of computers vs. modem lines)

Trend 4 - Increasing dynamism and controllability (manual gearbox to CVT)

Trend 5 - Increasing complexity, followed by simplicity through integration (evolution of stereo music systems)

Trend 6 - Matching and mismatching of parts (automatic brake system)

Trend 7 - Transition from macrosystems to microsystems using energy fields to achieve better performance or control (cooking systems)

Trend 8 - Decreasing human involvement with increasing automation (clothes washing systems)

S Curve

Growth

Birth

Maturity

Decline

Sales(System Characteristics)

Time

1. Manual attempts to fly fail. 2. Wright Brothers fly at 30mph in

biplane. 3. Military use in WWI. Financial

resources available. Speeds increase to 100mph.

4. Wood and rope frame aerodynamics reach limit.

5. Metal frame monoplane developed. 6. Several new types of airplanes have

been developed but limited use of biplanes still exists.

1. Manual attempts to fly fail. 2. Wright Brothers fly at 30mph in

biplane. 3. Military use in WWI. Financial

resources available. Speeds increase to 100mph.

4. Wood and rope frame aerodynamics reach limit.

5. Metal frame monoplane developed. 6. Several new types of airplanes have

been developed but limited use of biplanes still exists.

2

1

54

3

6

An Application of Trend 7 to dishwasher technology evolution

Segmentation of substances and objects

Using steam Using sound waves, microwaves

Washing with water

An Application of Trend 7 to dishwasher technology evolution

Surface segmentation

Using lotus effect surfaces in dishwasher walls and utensils

Current surfaces of dishwashers and utensils

CONCLUSION

• Since TRIZ can help engineers and developers solve technical contradictions and invent new technologies, it's use in New Product Development is very important.

• Combined with Quality Function Deployment (QFD), a company should be able to identify important customer requirements and then solve any technical bottlenecks that arise. TRIZ can also help identify new functions and performance levels to achieve truly exciting levels of quality.