Contents

The Fourth TRIZ Symposium in Japan, 2008
Held at Laforet Biwako (Moriyama, Shiga)
on Sept. 10-12, 2008

TRIZ activities in Corporate R&D Division ofMatsushita Electric Industrial Co.

１．Outline of TRIZ activities(1) Targets and practices(2) Execution programs and Application fields
２．The effects obtained by TRIZ activities－Applications to system, architecture,and software technologies －３．Examples of TRIZ Techniques used
４．Appling TRIZ to system, architecture, and software
technologies.
(1) Basic approaches(2) About Root Cause Analysis （Analysis why why)(3) Concept extension for generating solution ideas(4) Usage of TRIZ in the real projects and jobs

September 11, 2008
Yojiro Fukushima
System Engineering Center
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

５．Conclusion(C) The Author & Japan

4th Japan TRIZ Symposium 2008

Sept. 10-12, 2008

Slide 1

(C) The Author & Japan● Improvement of engineers' skills● Innovation in development processes andimprovement of business efficiency
Training with consultants

2004

dissemination ofTRIZ knowledge

Trial

2003

One-day training
Practical training
Reports ofpractical trainings

2005

123120(C) The Author & Japan

48401402003
2004
200520062007
Fiscal year (from April to next March)

New text book andTRIZ news
4th Japan TRIZ Symposium 2008

Sept. 10-12, 2008

Slide 37680

2006
2007

Slide 2

151

160
Accumulated numberof TRIZ themes

FiscalYear

Sept. 10-12, 2008

Number of themes addressed by TRIZ

Our targets and practices
Targets

4th Japan TRIZ Symposium 2008

(C) The Author & Japan

4th Japan TRIZ Symposium 2008

Sept. 10-12, 2008

Slide 4

Execution programs

Fields and purposes of application

１．Solving
１．Solving real
real problems
problems inin businessbusiness
No.

Standardtime
requiredMain activities①120h

Problem definition,
Solving, Evaluation

76%

②70h

Problem definition,
Solving21%③24h + free

Problem definition,Solving④16h

Short problem
definition, Solving

Thememembers

Realproblems
in the job

Team from
3 to 6people

Executed
ratio

1.5%

Standard
time required

Business Process（Non-technology）
2.7%

Process
0.8%
Device22.7%
System12.5%

Main activities

Theme

Miniaturization
3.1%
Low price 3.1%
Low power
5.3%
High speed
12.2%

Software
44.5%

1.5%

２．Understanding
２．Understanding TRIZ
TRIZ

purposes of applicatonTechnology fields

Betterperformance
29%

Method18%

members

Basic lecture andhypothetical
About 30 persons all
exercises
problemtogether(C) The Author & Japan
4th Japan TRIZ Symposium 2008
Sept. 10-12, 2008
Slide 5New
functionality
47.3%

One day

Effects of Using TRIZ (1. in patent application）
２．Engineer' skill:Comparison in the numberof patent applications

Patents for
61.8%
which TRIZ
was used（n=34）

Z

体

48.2%

all patents（n＞500）

0%

20%

40%

60%

Ratio ofgood patents(C) The Author & Japan

80% 100%

Relative number of application/person

１．Quality of patents:
Comparison in the ratio of
good patents.

(C) The Author & Japan

4th Japan TRIZ Symposium 2008

Sept. 10-12, 2008

Slide 6

Effects of Using TRIZ （2. Business efficiency improvement）● Engineers' evaluations of the results obtained with TRIZ
Development process efficiency improved （levels 3 to 5）
86%

Engineers who acquire TRIZ
1.6

1

1.4

1

Engineers who
did not acquire TRIZ

1.22431 241 7

53

distribution of engineers' evaluation on
the solution development efficiency

12003

2004 2005 2006
Fiscal year
TRIZ Acquisition period

4th Japan TRIZ Symposium 2008

Sept. 10-12, 2008Slide 7

2007

１ ：Idea that may come out without cutting and trying; process is less efficient than before.
2 ：Idea that may come out without cutting and trying; process is nearly the same efficiency
than before.
3 ：Idea that may come out without cutting and trying; process is more efficient than before.
4 ：Idea that would not come out without cuts and try.
5 ：Idea that are amazing and can not expect surely even with cuts and tries.
(C) The Author & Japan

4th Japan TRIZ Symposium 2008

Sept. 10-12, 2008

Slide 8

TRIZ techniques used (1)Idea generation

TRIZ technques Used (2) Inventive principles

TRIZ tools used for idea generation

Top 10 Inventive Principles most often used

・Easy to understand・Simple flow of task

10. Preliminary action
2. Taking out
3. Local quality
28. Mechanics substitution

Inventive
発明の原理
Principles
Inventive
発明標準解Standards
Effects
Effects

24. Intermediary
13. The other way round
5. Merging

・Easy to find new viewpoints
・Useful in the situations where theproblem analysis is not done so deeply.

SLPSLP0%

4. Asymmetry
19. Periodic action
20%40%60%80%

100%

7. Nested doll

% frequency used(C) The Author & Japan

4th Japan TRIZ Symposium 2008

Sept. 10-12, 2008

(These 10 Inventive principles are used in 79 % of all the usage
Slide 9of InventivePrinciples.
) Symposium 2008
(C) The Author& Japan
4th Japan TRIZ

It may be regarded as the basic, general principles when humans
think, and hence should also be effective when software
engineers think on their problems.

Verification2： Engineers' evaluations of TRIZ
⇒ No difference depending on the fields of engineers
Evaluation(Five levels)

アンケート結果 （ 点評価）

554321

Process

UsefulEffect vs. time
Effect of ration in the past
Improvement of idea
Good experience

Problem is definedas the gap.

Targetnot achieved yet

Verification１： We analyzed 13 patents in the software field.
⇒ Basic ideas of the patents can be derived by using the TRIZ
techniques. （Analyzed by SKI）

(C) The Author & Japansystems, architecture
4th Japan TRIZ Symposium 2008

softwareSept. 10-12, 2008

Slide 11

“Analysis why why”
＜Why we cannot ?＞・Because the way is not found.
・There is a way, but not good
・There might be a better way.

Porblem analysis reveals theconstraints tacit in the system.

crutial task

Why？
Why？

・We did not think of it.
Gap =Problem・・・

Why？

Why？

Why？
Why？

Problem

Why？

Current state
DeviceSlide 10“Analysis why why” is good to find causes, andalso to reveal tacit constraints and new clues.

Basic approaches for applying TRIZ to the fields ofsystems, architecture, and software technologies
We expected that
TRIZ is the thinking methods extracted from a huge number of past patents.

Sept. 10-12, 2008

＊Because it was designed
in such a way,
＊If we design it newly,
why can' we ...?

＜Clues to the real problem to solve＞(C) The Author & Japan

4th Japan TRIZ Symposium 2008

Hidden system
conditions are
now revealed.
Sept. 10-12, 2008

Slide 12

Extension of concepts in some TRIZ Tools

A model of problem analysis
System conditions and constraints① Interpretation of Inventive Principles
Viewpoint 2

Viewpoint 1
Laws of physics,
Structures,
Components properties,etc.

Thinking.
Design intention,
Composition,etc.

System functions
Problems（Artifitial factors）（Objective factors）

The mechanisms
need to be wellunderstood.

(Think more flexibly.)② Use of Inventive Standards (Prediction in TOPE)（In general use） ⇒ （In software application）
・Add a new substance ⇒ Add new data or a module.
・Add a gap ⇒ Add a flag which includes no data.

③Recent textbooks and software tools
for software application

Human thinking

www.triz-journal.com/archives/2004/10/04.pdf

Clues to problem solving!!
4th Japan TRIZ Symposium 2008
Sept. 10-12, 2008

Slide 13

Usage of TRIZ in the real projects and jobs

Classification*1Principles
10. Preliminaryaction
Human thinking
2. Taking out
3. Local quality
28. Mechanics
Physical means
substitution
24. Intermediary
13. The other way
round
Human thinking
5. Merging
4. Asymmetry

19. Periodic action / Physical means

・ Darrell Mann : 'TRIZ For Software?'① System functions work to the full extent?
② What are the core problems?
(C) The Author & Japan

28. Mechanics substitution:

Ex. 1: Use diferent data, parameters, means, etc.
Ex. 2: Replace it with a diferent application.

Top 10 Principles
most frequently used

・ Innovation Suite by CREAX・ Goldfire Innovator by Invention Machine Corporation
・ Umakant Mishra : "TRIZ Principles for
Information Technology", (Draft)* These references show that all Inventive Principles
will
be applicable
to software
technology.
(C) TheAuthor & Japan
4th Japan
TRIZ Symposium 2008

7. Nested doll

Human thinking＊1：Edited by Mitsubishi ResearchInstitute Inc.
“Illustration of TRIZ”
pp. 56～84
Sept. 10-12, 2008

Slide 14Remarks on some of engineers complaints.

－Engineer's thinking is guided to fit with the organization's policy.－
Intermediate checkpoint
Who: Manager, staff
What: The viewpoint
significant?

Final checkpointWho: Manager, staff
What: Evaluation of the results

Engineers often complain:
・Solution ideas are common ones.
・ Not patentable.
・ Conventional and not new.

＝★Generated ideas still stay inthe generic/abstract world.
★No significant change yet in
one's own thinking.

EngineersProjectplanning

ProblemDefinition

GOorNo GOConSolution
Generation clusion

Turn into
theregular job

Project
Evaluation

Write down what engineers areworrying/thinking, and evluate
them★.Make engineers think from different
aspects.
★Give structures to the ideas and finddirections of thinking

Guide the project planningLead the problem definition andsolution generation

TRIZInstructor(C) The Author & Japan

4th Japan TRIZ Symposium 2008

Sept. 10-12, 2008

Slide 15

＜Suggestions for response＞
Build up the image of the system where the solution ideas are
implemented.
★The scheme built up becomes the solution.
★If there is a problem in the scheme, it is the true problem.
＜Suggestions for procedure＞
１．The KJ method is useful to give a structure to many ideas. ==>Good for elminating unrelevant facts and for finding new aspects.
２．Solution evaluation and combination (e.g., Pugh method): Good tomodify
the whole solution
and enhance/compliment
the solution.Slide 16(C) The Author & Japan
4th Japan TRIZ Symposium 2008
Sept. 10-12, 2008

How to turn the TRIZ results into the regular job:
Use TRIZ without being constraint by TRIZ tools－How to use TRIZ method more effectively －１．Before starting to solve a problem with TRIZ,
the problem/task must be positioned and evaluatedin the framework of business.
Write down the background, targets (final results), constraints, etc.
２．Together with TRIZ tools, it is usefull to organize knowledges byusing simple, general methods:
Write down all the ideas and knowledges;=> Notice some new facts/aspects;=> Recognize the structure of technology and find solution directions.
３．In the team activities, stimulate each other.
Interest in other's tacit knowlege -> organizational knowledge=> sympathy -> stimuate tacit knowledge again.
Similar to SECI Model (Ikujiro Nonaka et al. "", p. 93).
４． Combining TRIZ with familiar idea generation methods is useful.
The KJ Method, Brainstorming, Brainwriting, etc.
(C) The Author & Japan

4th Japan TRIZ Symposium 2008

Sept. 10-12, 2008

Slide 17Conclusion●We applied TRIZ to system, method, and software
technology. As a result, we learnt TRIZ had
contributed to the improvement of engineer's ability.
In the future, we hope that many cases in this field
will be researched.
●Problem will be solved if engineer thinks well by
squeezing it in the direction of the solution that TRIZ
indicates. This means that the engineer who
experienced TRIZ process discovers his own ability.
He begins to think deeply about problem itself.
He will consider "Problem that should be solved"
instead of "Problem can be solved".
(C) The Author & Japan

4th Japan TRIZ Symposium 2008

Sept. 10-12, 2008

Slide 18