Improving innovation using TRIZ

Abstract

This Thesis describes the result of the need for an automotive engineering company to evaluate the effect of the implementation of the TRIZ method within the engineering related departments of the business. The purpose of the research was to gain an understanding of the hypothesis that TRIZ is a more effective innovation tool than traditionally applied innovation methodologies within the automotive industry. The objective was to derive, plan and deliver a TRIZ training programme, and to understand the effect of this intervention on the business through the action research methodology. The nature and process of innovation at the company was expected to be defined and measured in support of this objective. A review of literature failed to reveal an acceptable definition of innovation as a process. This led the author to investigate the nature of innovation by using the IDEF0 modelling tool. This helped to develop deeper understanding of innovation, and a measurement system to evaluate the innovativeness of the patent history of the company. Implementation of TRIZ enabled the researcher to develop best practice in teaching and using TRIZ in an industrial setting. Feedback from 17 workshop participants was that TRIZ tools were on balance easier to learn and understand than the commonly used methodology FMEA, and useful in their daily work. This view is supported through the ability of several workshop participants to solve a seemingly intractable problem that had thwarted several attempts at solution using the companies incumbent tools and approaches to problem solving and creativity. Insights gained into the nature and definition of innovation within this Thesis were surprising, and merit further study. TRIZ, in combination with other creativity enhancing methods is recommended as a powerful tool to increase the innovation power of automotive companies, and potentially more widely.

Date of Award	1 Jan 2010
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Elies Dekoninck (Supervisor), Antony Mileham (Supervisor) & Julian Vincent (Supervisor)