TRIZ is a Romanised acronym for the Russia phrase “Teoriya Resheniya Izobretatelskikh Zadatch“, roughly meaning “The theory of inventor’s problem solving”, or more generally, “Systematic Innovation Theory”.
TRIZ is a methodology for solving problems via generating innovative ideas and solutions. TRIZ uses a systematic approach for the invention of new systems, and the refinement of old systems. It is thus unlike brainstorming, where ideas are generated spontaneously and randomly.
The development of TRIZ began in the Soviet Union in 1946, at the instigation of the engineer Genrich Altshuller. He had the idea to review a large number of patents to see whether he could understand the way in which innovations had come about. As a result, he developed 40 Principles of Invention, several Laws of Technical Systems Evolution, the concepts of technical and physical contradictions that creative inventions resolve, the concept of Ideality of a system and numerous other practical and theoretical approaches.
His most important conclusion was: “Inventing is the removal of a technical contradiction with the help of certain principles.”
TRIZ has subsequently been expanded and applied beyond its original engineering base to many other technical and non-technical areas.
Whilst TRIZ is practised in various parts of the world, there are advantages in dealing directly with experts in Russia, where it was invented, and otbSolutions, with years of experience in working with researchers in Russia can help your organisation directly derive benefit from real TRIZ experts.