Thinking Visually in TRIZ and Six Sigma

One of the strengths of TRIZ is that it can extend existing business methods. In this article I’ll illustrate the principle by applying TRIZ to a commonly used business tool, the Barriers & Aids chart, sometimes called a Force-Field diagram. These visual tools are popular with organizational change and Six Sigma specialists.

TRIZ is a visual technique, coupled to automated analysis. Some people make use of diagrams quite naturally, without prompting. Others would rather use a thousand words than a simple, quickly drawn, diagram. The great advantage of TRIZ models lies in their simplicity. They can be drawn by all, and are often sketched on the “‘back of napkins.”’ Yet they contain just enough semantics to generate useful output. The value of the output is sufficient to foster the continued development of the visual model.

Without something like TRIZ, it’s hard to get everyone on the same page. A set of diverse diagrams will not develop a clear picture of a problem.

You can download a PDF to read a comprehensive description of how to extend the power of your visual thinking using modern TRIZ.