Technological Problem Solving (SIT & TRIZ)

Do you need significant cost reduction?

Are you facing difficulties in deploying a new technology?

Do you want to create an IP and patent portfolio?

Do you need to create a strong patent fence around some innovations you have?

Do you have a need to crack a seemingly unsolvable technical problem?

Do your engineers need to improve their creativity and problem-solving skills?

Technological problem-solving can be done systematically, using thinking tools to define the problems well, and powerful methodologies such as Systematic Inventive Thinking (SIT) and TRIZ - to solve the toughest technological problems.

Here at ZOOZ, we offer technological consulting and training services, to help organizations reduce costs, enable technologies, enhance their IP, and increase engineers’ creativity.


Problem Solving Training with SIT

A typical problem-solving process is performed in-house, with a relevant team of engineers (up to 20 participants) led by one of our experienced technological facilitators, and involves the following steps:

• Preparations: defining a few challenging technological problems that are significant (e.g., solving them can yield $1,000,000 or more in profits per year, due to cost reduction or increased revenues), as a wish list for cracking.
  
  
• Learning: 2-3 days of Problem Solving (PS) Course – in which the Systematic Inventive Thinking (SIT) methodology is introduced, and its 5 thinking tools and a few related Inventive Thinking principles are practiced on various riddles and general technological problems. In addition, participants learn how to define problems using some systematic frameworks and better define a few real-work significant technological problems to be solved in the next part of the training.
  
  
• Applying: 2-3 days of cracking real-work technological problems, by workgroups (3-5 participants in each group, working on 2-3 distinct problems). Each workgroup uses specific SIT tools, as instructed by the facilitator, who guides each group and helps the participants outline solutions to the defined problems, inventive solutions that can yield significant breakthroughs (cost reduction, technology enablement, new inventions and IP). Resulting solutions are presented to all other groups, for feedback and improvements, and for enabling mutual learning. The best solution outlines are selected to deploy in the coming weeks.
  
  
• Deployment: workgroups meet every week for a few months, to advance the deployment of the chosen inventive solutions. Our facilitator supports their progress by consulting via email, phone, Zoom, and frontal meetings, and final solutions are being presented to the management, approved, and implemented by the workgroups. This way, participants get used to applying the methodology in their work, and both they and the management see the value of the tools being applied.
  
  
• In-house facilitators: A train-the-trainer program, in which in-house engineers start to facilitate similar Problem-solving sessions, can be provided by us, to assure continuity and scalability of the training program. Often, the structure of such a train-the-trainer program includes workshops of co-facilitation (with our facilitator alongside the in-house facilitator), and then supervised workshops facilitated by the in-house facilitator and monitored by our expert, till the rod passes on and the in-house facilitator can lead workgroups independently.
  

The advantages of such Training processes include:

• Great ROI: since about half of the significant real-company problems in this process are being solved, the organization enjoys a significant increase in profits, often millions of dollars per year, and therefore the return on investment is outstanding.
  
  
• Employee satisfaction: participating engineers increase their creativity and resourcefulness level, as if they acquired a “black belt” in technological problem-solving. This leads to a high level of engagement and satisfaction and is considered one of the best available training programs for engineers.
  
  

Technological Consulting with TRIZ experts

SIT is a simplification of the TRIZ methodology, which includes more than a hundred thinking tools, principles, and templates that can solve about 98% of all technological problems. However, unlike SIT, it can take months and years to learn to apply TRIZ, and therefore, for problems that SIT tools do not solve, we prefer to provide TRIZ experts that will consult externally and solve the problems for you, instead of training your engineers in-house over long periods of time to master TRIZ.

A typical TRIZ problem-solving process is being outsourced to our TRIZ consultants and involves the following steps:

• Problem Description: Relevant engineers from your organization answer a detailed questionnaire about each specific problem they need to be resolved. Among other things, they have to define the constraints involved, and what would define a successful and acceptable solution.
  
  
• Problem Cracking: : Following a detailed description of a problem, our TRIZ experts work with TRIZ tools and software and systematically outline possible solutions. These suggestions are provided in a report, together with recommendations and conclusions to the organization that ordered the consultation.Typically, consulting process is completed in 2 months.

TRIZ consultants can help externally, in the following fields:

• Solving technological problems– Including executing difficult-to-implement technological ideas, and lowering development and production cost.
  
  
• Preventing failures – including executing difficult-to-implement technological ideas, and lowering development and production costs.
  
  
• Predicting the technological future of a given industry (market) in order to take possession of promising technological directions.
  
  
• Fortifying the company’s Intellectual Property (IP) in order to generate viable competitive advantages. This also includes patent-wall strategies and tactics to bypass competitors’ patents.
  
  

The advantages of such TRIZ consulting include:

• Exceptional success rate: TRIZ is considered the most powerful and comprehensive methodology for solving difficult technological issues. It solves 98% of all challenging problems, almost twice as many as any other method. So if you have a seemingly unsolvable problem – that is very significant – you should try the help of a TRIZ master.
  
  
• IP enhancement: Applying TRIZ to patents and IP can highly increase your IP and help you in creating new patents, devising a patent wall to “own” a specific field, and solutions to bypass competitor’s patents.
  
  

Order problem-solving training (SIT) or consultation (TRIZ)

Interested in training engineers with SIT tools, to solve significant technological problems that can reduce costs, enable technologies, and improve profits?

Or - need help from a TRIZ master, to crack specific technological problems, to reduce risks or to improve your patents and IP?

We are here for you. Contact us for an introductory meeting.