Women\'s Engineering Week Global Marathon presentation on 4 techniques for improving your creative problem solving skills - critical to engineering and science careers

1. Increasing Your “Innovation IQ” March 11, 2009 Maria B. Thompson www.linkedin.com/in/mariabthompson Director, Intellectual Asset Management Process, Tools & Quality Motorola Law Department

3. Many Techniques to Think Creatively TRIZ Brainstorming 6 Thinking Hats A Whack on the Side of the Head Idea of Ideas

5. “ Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why .” Bernard Baruch

12. “ Don’t Ever Stop Asking Questions” - Albert Einstein

13. TRIZ T eoriya R esheniya I zobretatel’skikh Z adach The Theory of Inventive Problem Solving Dan Heck 847.570.0449 847.420.1744 c 847.400.0880 fax http://www.bluefuseinc.com

17. Problems can be constructed as Substances and Fields of Interactions S1 S2 Psychological inertia Key Insight #1: Strip descriptions of domain language

18. Action Words to Reframe Interactions or Functions Verbs that are best to use (in place of domain-specific verbs): 1. Obtain : evolve, extract, obtain, produce, synthesize 2. eliminate: absorb, break down, decompose, remove, treat 3. Move: agitate, orient, rotate, stir, transmit 4. Retain: apply, deposit, embed, hold, join, retain 5. Protect: preserve, protect 6. Separate: comminute, crush, extract, separate, spray 7. Change substance’s Properties: change, produce 8. Measure properties: change, define, detect, determine, measure, visualize 9. Generate: create, evolve, generate, initiate, produce 10. Absorb 11. Redistribute energy: concentrate, disperse, orient, reflect, transmit 12. Accumulate (energy) 13. Change field’s properties 14. Measure field’s characteristics: detect, measure, visualize TFM Problem Analysis Step 3

19. Our mind tends to automatically organize new information with our current knowledge.

20. “ Even though one was correct at each stage, the situation may still have to be restructured to proceed.” Edward de Bono [ http://www.edwdebono.com/] contradictions Key Insight #2: Be willing to rearrange what you know (overcome psychological inertia!)

22. How do engineering techniques handle contradictions? "You can't have it both ways..." Trade Offs Optimize!

23. What did Altshuller observe? Inventors Don’t Optimize First…

24. Inventors start with a different question! How can I build a SMALL cellphone that’s lightweight, AND with BIG buttons my elderly parents can see and select without misdialing?

25. Clever inventions achieve the desired function without harming or deteriorating other parameters of the product, software, or service. Burn bright without burning up! View exactly what the film will see without obstructing the light Heavier than air AND weigh nothing. Guttenberg printing press, oil-based ink - print a page as clear as a custom woodblock print single lens reflex camera ELIMINATE COMPROMISE!

26. 400,000 Inventions Studied by Altshuller – The Most Clever Solved Contradictions Key Insight #3: If you find yourself trading off features, reframe your desire into, “I want BOTH [feature 1] AND [feature 2].” Then stay in this creative space!

28. “ Do inventors use any common approaches to solve contradictions?” Altshuller was a very curious fellow…

29. Across 400,000 patents, Altshuller identified 40 approaches repeatedly used by inventors called the 40 Inventive Principles . 9. Preliminary 9. Preliminary 9. Preliminary 9. Preliminary 9. Preliminary 9. Preliminary 9. Preliminary 9. Preliminary 8. Anti-Weight 7. ‘Nested Doll’ 6. Universality 5. Merging 4. Asymmetry 3. Local Quality 2. Taking Out 1. Segmentation 9. Preliminary 9. Preliminary 9. Preliminary 9. Preliminary 9. Preliminary 9. Preliminary 9. Preliminary 9. Preliminary 9. Preliminary 39. Preliminary 40. Composite Materials

31. TRIZ-Q Bank 40 Inventive Principles 99 Questions got questions?

32. Summarize Recognize the Contradiction

33. Summarize 40 Inventive Principles Recognize the Contradiction

34. Summarize 40 Inventive Principles Select a few Likely Approaches Recognize the Contradiction

36. Do different engineering disciplines use the same Inventive Principles to solve analogous contradictions? Lines of Evolution Simplified TRiZ: New Problem-Solving Applications for Engineers & Manufacturing Professionals by Kalevi Rantanen, Ellen Domb www.triz-journal.com

37. S-curve of Evolution 2 3 I , main parameter T , Eng Sys Life Span 1 Function Value = -------------- Cost ???

38. Key Insight #4: Technology matures along repeated curves. Look for solutions already implemented in any area you think might have trade-offs similar to yours.

40. Key Insight #5: Clearly define the IDEAL outcome … if anything were possible, what are all the parameters & characteristics that describe the ideal solution?

46. Team Ideation

47. “ Don’t worry about other people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats .” – Howard Aiken, IBM Engineer

48. Treat Your Inventing session like a PROJECT and MANAGE it! 1.0 PLAN 4.0 ACT 3.0 CHECK 2.0 DO

52. 1. Focus/Goal/Objective/Problem: 2. limitations 2. limitations 3. Opportunities w/o limitation 3. Opportunities w/o limitation QuestionGeneration-Recipe: How might we use Opportunity #3 to overcome Limitation #2 and achieve/remove #1? OR How might we achieve/remove #1 by using #3 without #2 ? Provocation Template

53. Idea Exchange Gerald Haman: http:// www.solutionpeople.com/people.htm Challenge : _____________________________________ 1. One idea per light bulb 2. Generate high volume and wide variety 3. Build upon ideas passed to you 4. No evaluation yet! Inventor Initials Directions :