TRIZ-Anwendertag 2022

Software and IT systems have long become an irreplaceable part of our world. While methods from the software world such as Scrum have enriched classical engineering, there are always questions from TRIZ users as to whether and how TRIZ could be applicable as an engineering methodology for this. The same applies to IT systems. Here, too, there are doubts or objections because the basic concepts of classical TRIZ were formulated before the digitalization era. This is a first step in finding approaches to consider software and IT systems as equivalent engineering systems that can be processed with TRIZ tools and seamlessly harmonize with TRIZ concepts and results. With the starting point of the inherent connection of logical and physical layers in computer systems, the authors will start to show that software can be used as a component in functional analysis and that software itself can be the subject of analysis with functional analysis for products. For IT systems, we start considerations of what a minimal complete IT system can look like using the TRIZ approach. The motivation is that a conceptual perspective that enables consistent modelling of mechanical and IT systems will alleviate the problems faced by educators and practitioners in the field and increase the acceptance of TRIZ in the IT industry and communities. We want to emphasis, that this publication is a first thought on the task that will have to be detailed in further papers, e.g. at ETRIA or TRIZfest.

In der Welt beginnt ein Umdenken bei der es um ein Wirtschaften geht, bei dem es nicht mehr nur darum geht, Profit zu machen, also das Wirtschaften RICHTIG zu machen, sondern es findet ein Wandel hin zu „Das RICHTIGE richtig zu machen“ statt. Dies wird zusammengefasst unter dem Begriff der Nachhaltigkeit. Aber wie bringe ich dieses Thema Nachhaltigkeit in eine Produktentwicklung ein? Auf der Geschäftsführungsebene ist es einfach zu definieren, dass man nachhaltig sein möchte und wird. Aber was ist auf der Entwicklerebene zu tun, um dies zu realisieren? Dieses Paper stellt einen Ansatz vor, mit dem man die Funktionsmodellierung aus TRIZ mit den Nachhaltigkeitsaspekten kombiniert und damit zielgerichtete Entwicklungsaufgaben und Aufträge definieren kann, die dann auch lösbar sind. Es werden die Funktionsanalyse aus TRIZ, das PESTLE Modell und das 5R Modell kombiniert.

The paper describes a simplified process and case study for the initial phase in product development that considers sustainability by combining TRIZ tools, eco-design rules and the R4 approach of the circular economy.

The paper proposes a procedure to search for data and generate relevant information to come up with solution ideas for a given problem or a product improvement in a systematic and directed way. The terms data, information and relevancy are defined, together with an overview of different word types and their importance to carry out an image search with a search term. For getting a relevant search term, the TRIZ concept of functional analogy is applied. The key concept of the procedure is the generation of an abstract search term with the help of thesaurus programs in combination with carrying out an internet search with standard web browsers. The generation of information from the data and the deduction of solution concepts from this information is explained. The improvement of a tea press is used as an example to illustrate the suggested procedure and the obtained solution ideas support the assumption of the feasibility of the proposed procedure.

The present paper shows a case study to generate solution ideas for a city planning project with the help of TRIZ. The issue of city traffic planning involves many entities, and the question is if TRIZ with its analysis and problem-solving tools could address this complexity in a suitable way. The introduction gives a short overview of the historical layout of the Ritterstraße in Esslingen and the current status. For problem analysis the 9-windows, perception mapping and the defining of contradictions are carried out. The contradictions are solved by applying the 40 inventive and the separation principles in combination with a resource analysis. The obtained result leads to the conclusion that with the help of TRIZ some unusual ideas were found and the amount of compromise which is typically applied in such a process could be reduced. The solving of the derived contradiction also implies that only the implementation of all measures yields a satisfying result, i.e., another compromise should be avoided.

A holistic method for the application of TRIZ in the non-technical area of business modeling is introduced. New business models have the greatest potential for economic growth and securing existing business. In order to improve business models or to develop new ones, brainstorming and confrontation methods are mainly used in the idea generation process today. In this paper we would like to introduce a methodology how the ideation tools can be extended with the help of the TRIZ trends. The trends were originally developed for technical systems. In the presented method they were transferred to the business context and described in detail. In order to be able to work with it in a practical way, a trend radar was developed for the analysis. This serves to be able to set the right focus in the ideation phase. The idea generation process is then supported with so-called Trend Leporellos©, which leads to targeted ideas.

The concept of systems and problem solving are central to TRIZ. Solving a problem along TRIZ ends in a certain conditional mind game that requires implementation and operation to “change the world” along the proposed solution. In Gräbe (Systems and Systemic Development in TRIZ. Submitted to TFC, 2022) the question is examined more closely how real-world problem solving and resource exploitation emerge from such a “conditional mind game”. Different to resource concepts widespread in TRIZ it turns out that in modern high-tech worlds, qualitative and quantitative determinacy as specification is becoming increasingly important for the selection, search and preparation of resources to provide couplings between systems in coordinated cooperative action. While the explanation in [5] focuses on a company internal context, the same question is examined here for cooperative action involving independent third parties.

TRIZ has turned out to be the most effective procedure to establish evident solutions for complex technological problems. Nevertheless, TRIZ still plays an underrated role among other systematic approaches in problem solving. Furthermore, TRIZ supported methodologies in the management of patents and in the technological forecasting are practically unknown in the industrial world. In the context of this paper approaches are discussed to introduce or to strengthen the TRIZ application in an industrial organisation.

The article summarizes the experience of applying classical (technology oriented) TRIZ for a cost down approach along an entire production value chain. Hereby the specific procedure beginning with the request from project management side until the harvesting of hundreds of generated ideas is described and reflected.