Innovation Tools

Enrique,

TRIZ is what you should look for. It is mainly a thinking tool, which helps you to

• anlyze a difficult problem (inventive situation)
• identify directions to strong solutions (scenarios)
• realize strong concepts with available resources (transfer).

There are quite some sites about TRIZ available on the Internet today; those with a more practical background are, for example:

• http://www.gnrtr.com/
• http://www.mprv.biz/iwb

but there are many more available.

Applying TRIZ within the Six Sigma framework does make much sense to me, e.g. to:

• improve analysis during DMAIC
• identify strong, free concepts during DMAIC
• forsee tomorrows disasters today to prevent them now
• improve customer focus.

TRIZ works because it helps you to apply innovation strategies of successful inventors to your specific situation.

Example:

Initial Situation: I burn my fingers at a hot cup of coffee.

Mechanism: hot_coffee /\/\/\-> finger   =>   hurt_finger

• the hot_coffee is the active device, so to say
• it performs a harmful action, symbolized by /\/\/\->
• the victim is a finger
• the result (=>) is a hurt finger

We can even spot very precisely, when and where the harmful action takes place - and when not or where not.

Directions: in similar situation inventors found a strong solution by applying one of these innovation strategies:

1. insulate hot_coffee from finger
2. compensate the harmful action completely
3. attract the harmful action towards a safety substance
4. modify the hot_coffee
5. modify the finger
6. modify the interaction between hot_coffe and finger

in such a way that the harmful result "hurt_finger" is completely eliminated.

Transfer: the exact solution depends on your available resources; but here are a few examples, how aboves directions can be translated into strong concepts; read it as scenarios, e.g. for #2 "it can not be prevented that the hot coffee harms the finger, BUT we can compensate the harm completely":

1. insulate: a) improve insulating properties of the cup; b) introduce a void, like air, e.g. a double well insulation; c) attach a long holder d) wear gloves etc.
2. compensate: a) cool the finger continously, e.g. by providing a wet surface; b) precool the finger, e.g. by water; c) provide ice
3. attract to a safety substance: a) "can you please hold my cup?" b) provide a heat-sink (heat pipes etc.)
4. modified hot_coffee: a) modify the heat circulation within the coffee, so that low temperature coffee is transported towards the cups walls (self-insulating liquid) b) lower the coffe temperature while preserving taste
5. modify finger: a) we had some examples above  b) change fingers frequently so they can't be hurt
6.  modify interaction: a) reshape the cup in such a way that it can only be held at a low temperature region (e.g. you hold on top, but coffee is separated towards the bottom)

13 to-the-point concepts with little effort; each one of it will reduce or eliminate the harmful effect, as desired; call it "directed creativity". I love it ;-)

Best regards, Michael Schlueter

Enrique,

I forgot to outline one of the links between Six Sigma and TRIZ. Here is an invented Six Sigma case study, to illustrate one possible link:

Cumulus Airlines had many complaints about the board service. Questionaires revealed that:

• 45% complained about the menues,
• 31% reported problems with too hot cups
• 23% reported problems with flight conditions.

Two Six Sigma teams were initated by the Cumulus Airlines Board of Management , with a clear objective (D).

The "Hot-Team"  introduced a simple measurement, which was easy to perform in a  lab. It verified corellation with the results from the questionaire (M).

The team decided to perform a TRIZ analysis, cf. prior post (A). It suggested a short-term and a medium-term solution. Both proved being effective in the lab and during 3 test-flights (I).

Finally the contracts with the cup suppliers were modified and the new design was delivered on a regular base. Complaint rate remained low (C).

I think this illustrates the idea. It is normal to apply TRIZ several times to a complex problem, whenever new insight becomes available.

Best regards, Michael Schlueter

Wow. Great example! Has anybody ever used TRIZ in a six sigma project?