Ellen Domb, Ph.D.
The TRIZ Institute, 190 N. Mountain Ave., Upland, CA 91786 USA
+1(909)949-0857 FAX +1(909)949-2968 ellendomb@compuserve.com
In the first tutorial on the Ideal Final Result (Ref. 1) we stopped at the point where
the Ideal Final result has been defined. That is, the result is stated in
technology-independent terms that meet the four test criteria:
- Eliminates the deficiencies of the original system
- Preserves the advantages of the original system
- Does not make the system more complicated (uses free or available resources.)
- Does not introduce new disadvantages
In terms of the value equation, the Ideal Final Result has all the benefits that the
customer requires, and none of the harm caused by the original system. In many cases,
developing a clear statement of the Ideal Final Result will lead directly to a solution to
the problem, and frequently leads to a solution at a very high level, since the
technology-independent definition of the Ideal Final Result will lead the problem solver
away from traditional means of solving the problem. (See Ref. 2.)
For example, in Altshuller’s classic problem about the candy factory (Ref. 3)
small chocolate bottles are filled with a gooey liqueur/sugar syrup mixture. To increase
the factory’s productivity, the filling is heated, to make it run faster. But, the
hot filling melts the chocolate. (This is also an excellent problem for practicing
identifying technical contradictions and physical contradictions.)
TRIZ students frequently struggle to identify the Ideal Final Result. As long as they
use the word "fill" in their statement, they will concentrate on finding ways to
pour the liquid into the bottle. But, if they choose a technology-independent formulation,
such as
- "The goo is on the inside and the chocolate is on the outside."
- "The chocolate encloses the goo."
they then see solutions that are not dependent on pouring, such as the classic one of
freezing the goo in the final shape, then dipping it in melted chocolate, and
not-so-classic ones like blown injection molding, where the pressurized goo provides the
propulsive force to shape the chocolate in a mold.
Other cases are more resistant to solution at the stage of formulation of the Ideal
Final Result. In these cases, a procedure is required to guide the TRIZ student from the
statement of the Ideal Final Result to a redefinition of the problem to be solved, to the
solutions to the problem. This piece of ARIZ (the Algorithm for Creative Problem Solving)
is outlined in the following steps (Ref. 4)
- What is the final aim?
- What is the ideal final result?
- What is the obstacle to this?
- Why does this interfere?
- Under what conditions would the interference disappear? What resources are available to
create these conditions?
Gasanov, et al., (Ref. 4) use a charming story to illustrate this methodology. Consider
the problem of raising rabbits. The rabbits need fresh food constantly, but they cannot be
allowed to roam free, because they will pursue the fresh food, and not be where the farmer
can find them. The farmer does not want to spend all his (or her?) time bringing fresh
food to the rabbits. Using the 5 steps above, the TRIZ student formulates the problem as
follows:
- What is the final aim? The rabbits can feed on fresh grass
- What is the ideal final result? The rabbits feed themselves fresh grass.
- What is the obstacle to this? The walls of the cage are immobile.
- Why does this interfere? Since the walls don’t move, the area of grass available to
the rabbits doesn’t change.
- Under what conditions would the interference disappear? When the enclosure moves to
fresh grass whenever the rabbits have eaten the grass inside it. What resources are
available to create these conditions?
The solution is frequently obvious from step 5. (Put the enclosure on wheels, so that
the rabbits themselves can push it to a fresh grazing area.)
If the solution is not obvious, re-examine all the resources available in the problem.
Elegant, high-level solutions to technical problems are frequently found by using
resources in multiple ways. To continue the problem of the rabbits, the solution is to
move the enclosure to fresh grass, but it might not be obvious how to move it. The only
energy resources in the problem are the rabbits and the farmer. Since the objective of the
problem was to find a way that the farmer could avoid using his own time and energy, we
should look at the rabbits as the source of energy for moving the enclosure. The general
list of possible energy sources is
- use "harmful" energy, force
- use free energy, force
- look for an engine standing idle nearby
- lessen the loss of energy, force
- put together a very simple machine
In this case, the rabbits are a source of free energy already
present in the problem.
Dr. Jack Jacklich recently provided a creative example of the analysis of available
resources in a discussion on the Internet Dental Forum. Air abrasion is a dental technique
that uses fine abrasive powder propelled by compressed gas to remove old fillings or
decayed tooth material. (Students of the TRIZ patterns of evolution will recognize this as
the pattern of a segmented material, the abrasive powder, replacing a solid tool, the
"drill.") The dentists protect the patient from breathing the powder, mixed with
pieces of decayed tooth or old filling material, through the mouth by placing a thin
rubber membrane across the mouth, but they still worry that the patient could inhale the
harmful matter through the nose.
When he examined the available resources in a typical dentist’s office, Jack
quickly identified compressed air (used to drive the instruments) in all offices, and
rubber masks that fit over the nose (used to deliver nitrous oxide and oxygen) in many
offices. It was easy to adapt the rubber mask to deliver clean compressed air, isolating
the patient’s breathing air from the particles generated by the air abrasion system.
Although Jack went straight from the problem to the examination of resources, to the
solution, we can fill in the answers to the questions for the purpose of illustration:
- What is the final aim? The patient has the dental procedure performed, without breathing
undesirable material
- What is the ideal final result? The patient breathes clean air
- What is the obstacle to this? The abrasive particles and the cut material are carried by
the compressed air stream all around the area of the work
- Why does this interfere? The nose is near the mouth! So some of the particles will be
inhaled.
- Under what conditions would the interference disappear? Separate the air around the nose
from the particles. What resources are available to create these conditions?
Try this method whenever you have formulated the Ideal Final Result and need help
moving to the next step of defining the problem to be solved.
References:
- Ellen Domb. "The Ideal Final Result: A
Tutorial." February 1997. The TRIZ Journal.
- James Kowalick. "Human
Functions, Languages and Creativity" May, 1998. The TRIZ Journal.
- H. Altov (Altshuller pseudonym.) And Suddenly the Inventor Appeared. Translated
by Lev Shulyak. 1994. Technical Innovation Center. Waltham, MA USA
- A.M. Gasanov, B. M. Gochman, A. P. Yefimochkin, S. M. Kokin, A. G. Sopelnyak. BIRTH
OF AN INVENTION: A Strategy and Tactic For Solving Inventive Problems. Moscow:
Interpraks, 1995
About the Author: Ellen Domb, Ph.D., is the co-editor of The TRIZ Journal. She is a
consultant and instructor in TRIZ and Quality Function Deployment, and is the developer of
popular training programs that enable new TRIZ students to quickly start applying the
methods of TRIZ to solving significant technical problems in their own industries. Her
classes and public appearances are listed in The TRIZ Journal Calendar, or you can e-mail
her at ellendomb@compuserve.com
