Can Innovation Be Learned?

29/05/2008 | Editor

James Todhunter

Reader Tim de Jardine raised the perennial question of “Can innovation be taught?”  It’s a question that comes up from time to time because of the persistent myth of the great thinker in the back room who is singularly … Read More

It’s Innovative, But Is That a Good Thing?

24/05/2008 | Editor

Cass Pursell(Or, Your metrics don’t go with those shoes)

I’ve argued in the past that creating and driving innovation shouldn’t be the goal, but that creating and driving sustainable growth should be. The problem with that position is, though, that … Read More

Innovation Popcorn

13/05/2008 | Editor

James Todhunter

There are parallels visible in all aspects of life.  Recently, my personal experiences in the kitchen served as a reminder of how even small changes can have hidden complexities.

Years ago, based on concerns over the possible connection between … Read More

Why Is Innovation a Competition?

11/05/2008 | Editor

Ellen Domb

Business Week’s annual list of the top 25 innovation companies came out the same week (April 28, 2008) as the Fortune 500 list.  Big difference:   the Fortune 500 has an explicit algorithm involving revenue, profit, and other measurable factors.  … Read More

All Solutions Are Not Equal

08/05/2008 | Editor

Michael S. Slocum

Regardless of how extensively you deploy TRIZ, or some other systematic innovation engine, one of the first steps you take is to define your ideal state. In TRIZ, this is your Ideal Final Result (IFR), a philosophical construct … Read More

TRIZ Enabled Mergers and Acquisitions

05/05/2008 | Editor

As part of a growth strategy, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) can ensure dominance in a given product line, technology or market. TRIZ can be used as an M&A tool to help identify these potential evolutions of products, technologies and markets.Read More

Explore the Future of TRIZ with the Trends of Evolution

05/05/2008 | Editor

TRIZ was born, developed and became a problem-solving method for technology, manufacturing, society and nature. The basis of TRIZ is the objective trends of natural evolution, and therefore TRIZ is a practical part of the theory of evolution.Read More

The Importance of Innovation Timing: the Fickle Consumer

05/05/2008 | Editor

Knowing when to launch a new product or service is difficult. The challenge is particularly great when the innovations directly interact with consumers. Critical information can be obtained by studying the voice of the consumer and market demand.Read More

Case Study: Consummate System for Valve Travel Stop

05/05/2008 | Editor

This case study elaborates upon the principles and processes described in "Instruments for Designing Consummate Systems." Consider the system of a centrifugal wall pump and of its valve travel stop specifically.Read More

Welcome to the May 2008 Issue of The TRIZ Journal!

05/05/2008 | Editor

There is a lot of information to share this month. We’ve got company news, conference reports and news, a reminder that we’re always on the hunt for new article submissions, and that’s without all of this month’s articles!Read More

Innovation Tools and Continuous Improvement Evaluations

05/05/2008 | Editor

Quality and innovation are key issues in today’s businesses and managers are focusing on special tools to improve their results, including the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ). TRIZ is an effective resource for improvement.Read More

The Customer-Centered Innovation Map

04/05/2008 | Editor

Ellen DombHarvard Business Review’s “Tool Kit” article this month (May 2008) is “The Customer-Centered Innovation Map” by my colleagues Lance Bettencourt and Tony Ulwick.  With all the soft (squishy?) “how to be innovative” articles and books getting published these days, … Read More

Dogwood in the Moonlight

01/05/2008 | Editor

Lynda Curtin

Driving up the mountain to Big Bear from the desert below I was struck by the stark contrast between the dry sandy desert – plants not quite in spring bloom, and the snow sledding hills filled with families having … Read More

Functional Discontinuity

01/05/2008 | Editor

Michael S. Slocum

Many times a system is improved by increasing the performance of a particular function in a system. For example, if the function of fuel efficiency in an automobile is important, a system improvement might involve a system … Read More