Welcome to the March 2007 issue of The TRIZ Journal!

By Katie Barry, Ellen Domb and Michael S. Slocum

The saying in the Northern Hemisphere is that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb, so it makes sense that The TRIZ Journal has a roaring assortment of TRIZ papers from five countries on three continents this month.

March Articles

• Frequent author Darrell Mann uses an unmanned air vehicle to illustrate a logical system for analyzing physical contradictions, technical contradictions, and the linkages among them, and the evaporating cloud method from theory of constraints in Evaporating Contradictions – Technical and/or Physical.
• Creating Flow with 5S and TRIZ is an expanded version of Ives de Saeger's paper from the European TRIZ Association joint meeting with the Belgian Quality Society. The 5S method organizes the objects used in a production system and standardizes the process for using them. The last "s" is the system of operator discipline and de Saeger uses a case study to demonstrate how TRIZ can apply to even this challenging element of the system.
• Ramkumar Subramanian's study, Applying TRIZ in Information Technology Outsourcing, presents a compelling case that as commoditization looms for information technology outsourcing, there is a need to learn from other industries that have passed and survived the same business cycles. He created a comprehensive set of examples of the 40 Principles and the Laws of Evolution with examples from IT outsourcing, which many readers will find relevant to other kinds of business partnerships and outsourcing of other kinds of work.
• Kalevi Rantanen draws on his background in science and technology journalism in Predicting the Future with TRIZ. He proposes TRIZ-based predictions to be compared to the actual developments in society and technology in 2040.
• Managing editors Michael Slocum and Ellen Domb are joined by John Morris from Hewlett-Packard as reviewers of Dr. David Ullman's new book, Making Robust Decisions.( One of John's projects is a case study in the book.) Ullman's method applies to any situation in which people with various kinds of knowledge and experience have to make decisions about multiple alternatives – TRIZ clearly benefits.
• In the third student corner for the year, Abram Teplitskiy describes the relationship between inventing and serendipity. The possibilities for inventors are innumerable if the proper associations can be forged among related and unrelated items.
• The sixth lesson of Kraev's Korner explains both the object-oriented and the function-oriented methods of applying scientific "effects" so solve problems once the physical contradiction is well-defined. Val Kraev must be feeling domestic – the examples are cleaning carpets and clothes, and the solutions come from a wide variety of technologies.
• The March issue concludes with the Call for Papers for the 2nd Iberian-American and Latin American Innovation Conference (Monterrey, Mexico, last week of October).

News

• Editor Katie Barry will be attending the 5th Annual PDMA/IIR Front End of Innovation Event May 8-11, 2007 in Boston, Mass. TRIZ Journal and Real Innovation readers are eligible for a 15 percent discount – mention priority code XM1904RL when you register.
• The 2007 joint meeting of the European TRIZ Association with TRIZ Centrum is scheduled for November 6-8 in Frankfurt, Germany.
• The Altshuller Institute's TRIZCON2007 is scheduled for April 23-25 in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
• The Collaborative Board of TRIZ Promoters and Users in Japan (Japan TRIZ CB) will host The Third TRIZ Symposium August 30-September 1 in Yokohama.
• Darrell Mann shares the news of Systematic Innovation's ‘TRIZ Publication Organiser' search tool. The aim of the tool is to allow users to conduct a focused search of TRIZ literature in the open domain. Thus far, the TRIZ Organiser has classified the whole of The TRIZ Journal archive from the first issue to the most recent. Over time, other sources will be added to the database. If you have any comments or additions, email organizer@systematic-innovation.com

Site Information

• Editors Katie Barry, Michael Slocum and Ellen Domb regularly write commentaries and participate in the discussion forum. Drop by to get some innovation and TRIZ thoughts between issues of The TRIZ Journal.

Until April, happy TRIZ reading!

About the Authors:

Katie Barry is the editor of RealInnovation.com. Contact Katie Barry at editor (at) realinnovation.com or visit http://www.realinnovation.com.

Ellen Domb is the founder and principal TRIZ consultant of the PQR Group. She is also the founding editor of The TRIZ Journal and a commentator for Real Innovation. Contact Ellen Domb at ellendomb (at) trizpqrgroup.com or visit http://www.trizpqrgroup.com.

Michael S. Slocum, Ph.D., is the principal and chief executive officer of The Inventioneering Company. Contact Michael S. Slocum at michael (at) inventioneeringco.com or visit http://www.inventioneeringco.com.