New product development - ideality criteria

There are few approaches to new product development as well as to current product improvement: empirical – trial and error method, brainstorming; morphological – enumeration of possibilities; theoretically and practically based method – TRIZ, created in middle of XX century basing on hundreds of thousands of engineering and scientific inventions, and confirmed by thousands of patents.

What is TRIZ?

TRIZ (Theory of Innovative Problem Solving) is an evolving, open-ended system of enhancing inventiveness through:

• Systematic identification of contradictions and ideal solutions;
• Concentrating on all the available resources to get more out of less;
• Overcoming various blocks through algorithms approved by thousands of cases.

TRIZ Principles

1. Problems may be codded, classified, and solved methodically.
2. The development of the technology is predictable using patterns and trends repeated many times.
3. In other words, we do not accept compromises but eliminate them. Somebody somewhere has already solved such a problem or very similar to it. Creativity means finding that solution and adapting it to the current contradiction or problem. Start by focusing on solutions not problems and then ask how can we use available resources to achieve this.

Ideal system

(technical system according to TRIZ but the same is correct for business or social systems)

The ideal system performs a required function without actually existing. In other words, function is performed without structure.

What will be ideal solution or Ideal Final Result?

Ideal Final Result is the imagined ultimate solution that:

• Eliminates the deficiencies of the original system;
• Preserves the advantages of the original system;
• Does not make the system more complicated;
• Does not introduce new disadvantages;
• Declares the future possibility without proof.

Improvement means to increase the Ideality of the system by:

• Increasing its benefits;
• Decreasing costs;
• Decreasing harm.

Contradictions according to TRIZ:

Administrative contradiction - i need to improve system but have no authority or do not know how;

Technical contradiction - one part improvement leads to another part oppression;

Physical contradiction - to improve system its part has to be in two conditions at the same time and that is impossible.

Problem Solving Algorithm:

1. Define the problem with a list of constraints and requirements.
2. Create and describe Ideal Final Result
3. Determine the differences
4. Create Ideality Equation - benefits, costs, harm
5. Determine Contradictions
6. Determine Input Parameters
7. Convert Technical or Physical Contradiction
8. Determine General Solution
9. Examine Solutions, convert general to specific and IMPLEMENT