038_Creativity Tools

4
Solution Generating Tools
• Brainstorming
• Affinity Diagram
• Probing Questions
• TRIZ
Clarify Design Opportunity
Ideal Final Result (IFR)
Functional Analysis & Trimming
Zones of Conflict
9 Windows
40 principals
Separation principals
Effects
Solution Tree
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7
Process For Identifying Solutions
• No one process will:
consistently provide solutions to problems
assure identification of improvement solutions
provide factors for experimentation.
• We must use a variety of methods
Review the Voice
of Customer
(internal or
external).
Review
conversion of the
desires of
customer
requirements.
(Project Y’s)
•Brainstorming
•Affinity Diagram
•Asking Probing
Questions
•Applying TRIZ Tools
•Brainstorming
•Affinity Diagram
•Asking Probing
Questions
•Applying TRIZ Tools

10
Brainstorming Steps
1. Collect the team and any Subject Matter Experts.
2. Clearly identify the objective or topic of the Brainstorming
exercise. Post the objective so that all can see it during the
session. This helps keep the group focused on the objective.
3. Review the rules of brainstorming. (See the following slide for
rules.)
4. List all ideas generated. If possible post the ideas where
everyone can see them.
5. Clarify ideas:
• Make sure all ideas are understood by the entire team.
• Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each idea.
• Combine and consolidate ideas, if they represent the same
thought. It may be beneficial to use an Affinity Diagram during
this step.
• Add new ideas that are incubated during this period.
6. Vote on ideas.
7. Select ideas for further action.

13
Probing Questions
Challenge the Mindset that Limits our Creativity
• Purpose: Encourage free thinking with a group. Help
different members of the group to build on each others
thoughts and ideas.
• Collect the team and Subject Matter Experts.
• Discuss the problem and ask the team to image the world
without the problem. Begin questions with:
• Think about ….
• Imagine ….
• Consider ….
• If ….
• What if ….
• What about ….

16
Constraining Mindset Challenge
“That’s not my Area.” The broader your understanding the
richer the idea.
Be an explorer.
“Avoid Ambiguity.” Ambiguity provides opportunity and
flexibility, it challenges the mind and
fosters creativity.
“Don’t be Foolish – When in Rome, do
as the Romans do.”
Why? Innovations comes from outside
the box.
“To Err is Wrong.” “A man’s errors are his portals of
discovery”, James Joyce.
Learn from the errors, they expand
your knowledge.
“I’m not Creative.” Creativity is not something that is or
isn’t with you from birth. It is a tool to
be exercised. Use it!
Challenge The Mindset That Limits Our Creativity
Probing Questions
(continued)

19
Major Findings of TRIZ
• Most outstanding innovations share these
characteristics:
The applications of a very small number of
inventive principles and strategies
Complete resolution of contradictions, not
merely a trade-off and compromise on
contradictions
Transforming wasteful or harmful elements in
the system into useful resources
• Technological innovation trends are highly predictable

22
Clarify Design Opportunities
Step 1
40 Principles Prediction
Evaluate
Solutions
Type?
Separation
Principles
Inherent
How?
Contradictions Improvement
Tradeoff
Proceed
Solutions from Clarification
Solutions?
Yes
NoConvert to
Tradeoff
Contradiction
Solution
Tool
Solution causes
new problems?
NoYes
Useful
Don’t
Proceed
Not
Useful
Effects
Invention Machine Educational Services. (2002).
TechOptimizer Fundamentals,
Invention Machine Corporation, Boston, MA.
Start

25
What Is Ideal Final Result?
• Ideal Final Result (IFR) describes solution to a problem,
independent of
Mechanism of original problem
Constraints of original problem
• IFR describes (defines) an ideal system which delivers
benefit without harm:
Occupies no space,
Has no weight,
Requires no labor,
Takes no time
Requires no maintenance, etc.

28
• State the Ideal Final Result in the form:
• Then re-express in terms of actual circumstances of the
problem
• Example 1:
- “grass mows itself”
- “grass keeps itself at an attractive height.” (How can grass do
that? How do other biological systems do it?)
• Example 2:
- “data enters itself”
- “data stays accurate, current, and in correct form.”
“problem takes care of itself”
• “Itself” Method
Methods of Developing IFR

31
Why Use Functional Analysis
• Enhance the understanding of design functions of a
design (new or baseline)
• Explore opportunities to simplify design
• Determine interface relationships between design
elements and functional requirements

34
Functional Analysis Diagram Example
Medical Syringe
Patient's
Tissue
Needle
Hurts
Medicine Penetrates
Directs
flow of
Cylinder
Piston
Nurse's
hand
Moves
Contains
Guides
Positions
Positions
Moves

37
• Four different approaches, which can be used independently:
Ideal Final Result
Functional Analysis and Trimming
Finding "Zones of Conflict" and Resources of Problem
9 Windows

40
What Resources Are Available?
• Material Resources
- System elements
- Inexpensive materials
- Modified materials
- Waste
- Raw materials
• Time Resources
- Parallel Operations
- Pre/post work
• Information Resources
• Field Resources
- Energy in system
- Energy in environment
• Space Resources
- Empty space
- Another dimension
- Nesting
• Function Resources
- Harmful functions that can
be converted to good
- Enhance secondary effects
of functions
What resources are available to solve problem?
A resource is any object available in the design or its
environment that has the ability to perform additional
functions

43
9 Windows System Operator
Past
(preventive)
Present Future
(corrective)
Sub-
System
System
Super-
System
Encourages thinking in both time and space

46
Matrix and 40
Principles
Effects Solution
Tree
Evaluate
Solutions
Type?
Separation
Principles
Inherent
How?
Tradeoff
Proceed
Solutions from Clarification
Solutions?
Yes
No
Convert to
Tradeoff
Contradiction
Solution
Tool
Solution causes new
problems?
NoYes
Useful
Don’t
Proceed
Not
Useful
When clarification
does not solve
problem
If Clarifying the opportunity did not
solve the problem

49
Two Types Of Contradictions
• Tradeoff Contradictions
Something gets better,
something else gets worse
Sometimes called technical
contradictions
Use 40 Principles to solve
• Inherent Contradictions
Opposite properties are required of a design
- Hot / cold
- Soft / hard
- Time consuming / instant
- Present / absent
Use Separation Principles to solve

52
Separation Principles
1. Separation in time:
- Ask: do we need this parameter all of the time or only
some of the time?
2. Separation in space:
- Ask: do we need this parameter everywhere or only in
certain places?
3. Separation based on different conditions:
- Ask: does this parameter have to exist under all
conditions?
4. Separation between the whole system and its parts:
- Ask: does this parameter apply to the entire system or a
part of the system?

55
Contradiction Matrix

58
Syrup Bottle Exercise
• A candy company wants to make chocolates shaped like a bottle and
filled with a syrup. The process is to first mold the chocolate, then pour
syrup into the mold.
• Bottle is difficult to fill quickly since syrup is thick
• To speed up the process, engineers try to heat the syrup to allow for
faster pouring – but that melts the chocolate bottle and distorts its
shape.

61
What Are “Effects”?
• Established rule or principle from a wide range of disciplines
• “Effects” used as a general label for many kinds of phenomena in
various fields of study
- May also be referred to as laws, rules, or principles, etc.
Examples: Newton’s Laws
Archimedes Principle
Maslow’s Hierarchy
Hawthorne Effect
Physics Rheology Chemistry
Biology Geometry Engineering
Tribology Acoustics Information
Psychology Education Motivation

64
Example – Min/Max
• A fastener manufacturer & distributor agree to collectively
reduce operating costs
• Purchase order and inventory management are key target
areas
• Look for ways outside of conventional ordering to maintain
stock levels at distributor without the use of PO’s.
• Solution: health research has shown that people who are
able to maintain relatively constant caloric levels throughout
the day are healthier than those who eat 3 meals a day.
Therefore, manufacturer should ship parts when
levels fall to a minimum and continue shipping until
stock levels reach a maximumThis document is a partial preview. Full document download can be found on Flevy:

67
Prediction
• Also called “Solution Tree”
• Generates many concepts
• Combines "76 standard solutions" with patterns of
technology evolution
Matrix and 40
Principles
Effects Prediction
Type?
Separation
Principles
Inherent
How?
Tradeoff
Solutions?
No
Convert to
Tradeoff
Contradiction
Solution
Tool

70
Solution Tree Practice:
Action - Physical System
• Re-write each sentence on Solution Tree worksheet for your
problem
- Don't reject any on first pass
- Add details as appropriate
• Example
- You may change action __________ by introducing
a new substance into ________________.
A “does _____ to” B = Goo melts chocolate
melts
chocolateThis document is a partial preview. Full document download can be found on Flevy:

73
Solution Tree Practice:
Measurement – Service Case
• Re-write each sentence on Solution Tree worksheet for your
problem
- Don't reject any on first pass
- Add details as appropriate
• Example
- You may measure
______________________________________ of
__________________ by introducing a mark into
___________________.
Measure property P ______ of A _____ =
Measure accuracy of answers to customer
questions of retail sales clerks
accuracy of answers to customer questions
retail sales clerks
retail sales clerks

Tools
40 Principles.doc
Solution Tree.doc
Functional analysis.xls
Contradiction Matrix.xls
TRIZ Analogy Worksheet.xls
79

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