Towards a Generic Systematic Problem Solving and Innovative Design Methodology

Abstract Constructed around the findings of over 1500 person years of research, and the systematic extraction of knowledge from nearly 3 million of the world’s strongest patents, the Russian Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, TRIZ, is the most comprehensive systematic innovation and creativity methodology available to mankind. Powerful as it is, however, the method is not as yet comprehensive enough to permit successful use on all types of problem. The paper discusses pioneering work to integrate an upgraded version of TRIZ with other existing and newly derived problem definition and problem solving tools and strategies to create a uniquely powerful, generically applicable methodology. The paper goes on to describe how the new methodology has been successfully validated over a period of several years against a wide variety of real industry-based case study problems.