TRIZICS/book review by J. Colannino

This review first appeared in the newsletter of the Knowledge and Information Professionals Association (KIPA)

TRIZ is a Russian acronym for Theory of Inventive Problem Solution. In the 1940s G.S. Altshuller (1926-1998) studied invention in a novel way. Rather than interview inventors in hopes of advancing psychological theories of invention, he studied their output -- specifically patents. Thus TRIZ systematizes known results and does not depend on unverifiable mental models of inventiveness. Altshuller ultimately surveyed about 200,000 patents. His work has now been extended and validated into the millions of patents. What Altshuller found was that all inventions could be reduced to 40 inventive principles and 39 parameters. The basic method is to reduce the problem to a contradiction and resolve it (Cameron provides a TRIZ table to select which method(s) will solve the contradiction).

For example, suppose you need something to be lighter AND longer. Because longer things are heavier and not lighter, one has a basic contradiction. In TRIZ, weight of a stationary object is Parameter 2 and its Length is Parameter 4. Again, there are 39 such parameters. Using the TRIZ table, one finds a number of standard principles to solve the contradiction: For example, one may change materials (Principle 35) or add holes/porosity (Principle 31) among other changes.

TRIZ forces "out of the box" thinking. However, most problems can and are solved by thinking "inside the box"; in a sense, that is the definition of a discipline. It is only when standard tools of the discipline cannot solve the problem at hand that out-of-the-box thinking is required. The marriage of inside-the-box and outside-the-box thinking is one reason that Cameron's TRIZICS is so powerful.

In addition, Cameron assembles and organizes all kinds of ancillary support systems. For example, one powerful mnemonic is MATCHEM: systems tend to begin mechanically (M) and become augmented by acoustics (A), thermal (T), chemical (CH), electric (E), and magnetic (M) or electromagnetic inventive principles. Consider the evolution of the drum: acoustics were subsequently enhanced, thermal treatment was added to produce more uniform drum heads from natural materials such as animal skins, chemical formulations were adapted for synthetic drum heads, electronic amplification was added, and then electromagnetic systems (synthetic drums) were finally introduced. Overlying this general development, evolutionary trends toward increasing completeness and coordination/harmonization were applied to produce drum kits -- a coordinated assembly of various drums; Cameron describes eight such evolutionary trends.

Additionally, one learns four types of problem categorization: cause unknown, cause known, improvement/development, and failure prevention. These ancillary structures are important, because TRIZ is designed to solve cause-known problems, so some sort of root cause analysis must be bolted onto TRIZ to make the method comprehensive. This is another of Cameron's many contributions turning TRIZ into TRIZICS.

The book is organized into 11 Chapters and 8 Powerful Appendices: Chapter 1) Introduction to TRIZICS, 2) Standard Structured Problem Solving, 3) Cause-Effect Chain Analysis, 4) Ideality, S-curves, and Trends of Evolution 5) Nine Windows, the Anti-system, and DTC operator, 6) Functionality, Functional Modeling, and Trimming, 7) Scientific Effects, 8) Inventive Standards and Su-field Modeling, 9) Part 1 Contradictions and ARIZ Tools, 10) Part 2 Contradictions and ARIZ Tools, 10) Subversion Analysis, 11) Root Cause Analysis; Appendix 1) The 39 Parameters and 40 Inventive Principles, 2) Contradiction Matrix, 3) The 40 Principles with Examples, 4) The 39 Parameters Definitions, 5) Inventive Standards Flowchart, 6) The 76 Inventive Standards, 7) Table of Specific Inventive Principles to Solve Physical Contradictions, 8) Flowcharts/Roadmaps/Templates.

As an innovation professional, I have headed R&D departments, produced patents, and invented my share of stuff, but Cameron's book -- a comprehensive guide to invention and problem solution-- is the best I have ever seen, bar none. Its contents will easily support a full year course in invention/knowledge creation at the university level. A rich source of information, it will require careful study, reading, and re-reading to master its contents. However, it is worthy of the effort. TRIZICS is the new quintessential resource for creative problem solving and invention.