Sometimes the formulation of contradictions and the mapping of resources tell us nearly directly how to solve the problem. If we know that the garbage bin should be small and large and that geometric space is one of the resources, we can rather easily discover the idea of using the space beneath the bin. The visible bin remains small and the bin as a whole gets large.
N
N
N N
The information or resources may, however, not be enough to find an idea for the solution. In Chapter 5, we considered the smuggling problem. We know that the canisters should disappear at certain times and appear again at another time. Analyzing contradictory requirements for the tool, we concluded that the canister should be heavier and lighter than water. Then the canister can be dropped tempo- rarily into the water and sink under the surface, but later float at the surface for easy recovery. Resources are a canister, liquor, water, buoyancy of water, gravitation, and resources of macrolevel systems. This information may, however, not be enough to find an idea for the solution.
Additional steps are needed to move from the resource analysis to the ideal final result. First, we select the principal resource. Remember that the principal resource is the primary, most important resource, or the resource that exhibits the inherent contradiction. If you have defined the inherent contradiction, described in Chapter 4, it is rather easy to find the principal resource. Recall some examples:
In the smuggling problem, the canister should be heavy and light. The prin- cipal resource is the canister.
In the lawnmower problem, the inherent contradiction is big muffler–no muffler. The principal resource is the muffler.
In the carrot-cultivating problem, the inherent contradiction is many seeds– one seed. The principal resource is a seed.
The problem of the latching mechanism: the contradiction is no clearance– big clearance. The principal resource is the pin.
In the training problem, lots of time is needed for training and no time at all is available. Time is the principal resource.
In the firefighting example, we need much water and no water. Water is the principal resource.
Auxiliary resources can change the principal resource so that the contradiction disappears. The smugglers found an excellent auxiliary resource: salt, making the canister first heavy and then light again. In the lawnmower problem, grass helps make the muffler smaller. In the carrot-cultivation problem, something connecting seeds helps make one seed from many seeds. In the example of the latching mecha- nism, the geometry of the pin itself makes the clearance change from big to zero. In the training example, working time is the resource that can be used to minimize training time. In the example of firefighting, high pressure makes much water from almost none (mist).
These examples are simplified, of course. Some thinking is needed to find proper auxiliary resources. Smugglers, obviously, used some time to figure out that there is salt available. It is useful to list more than one auxiliary resource. Sometimes, changes of the principal resource are needed to get a good solution.
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To review the formulation of the ideal final result using resources requires three steps:
1. Select the most important or primary resource having an inherent contradic- tion. See Chapter 4 on intensifying contradictions for help.
2. List auxiliary resources or resources that can change the primary resource. See Chapter 5 on resources.
3. Change the principal resource by using auxiliary resources so that the contra- diction vanishes.
These steps can be conveniently organized in a table (Table 6.2) and illustrated using our examples. Many auxiliary resources will make other solutions possible.
In the noise problem, an exhaust tube, exhaust gases, and grass make the big muf- fler small or, even better, make a big muffler into an absent muffler (Table 6.3).
If we use different resources, we will get different solutions. For example, if the casing of the lawnmower is used as an auxiliary resource to redirect the sound and to absorb it, the case, instead of the grass, becomes the muffler.
In the example from carrot cultivation, seeds, soil, water, and other resources change the seeds so that the number of objects is, in some sense, large and small at the same time (Table 6.4).
In the example of the latching mechanism, the geometry of the pin is a resource that makes the clearance both large and small (Table 6.5).
Table 6.1 List Examples Illustrating Increasing Ideality in Systems with Which You Are Familiar
Initial system Improved system What changed? Benefits improved Cost reduced Harm removed
Table 6.2 Constructing the Ideal Final Result in the Smuggling Problem
Primary resource with the inherent contradiction: canister High density–low density
Auxiliary resources:
Water, air, salt, sand, sugar, etc., time, gravity, buoyancy Features of the ideal final result:
In the training example, working time is used to get plenty of time when there is actually no time available. Work can be a form of on-site training if it is well- designed, with lots of feedback so that the worker can learn from each experience. The longer employees work, the better trained they are. The solution is uncon- sciously used all the time.
Consider one final example of firefighting (Table 6.7).
Examples help you to study your own system (see Table 6.8). Continue the exer- cise in the previous chapter and study how the resources you have mapped can be
Table 6.3 Constructing the Ideal Final Result in the Lawnmower Problem
Primary resource with the inherent contradiction: muffler Big muffler–no muffler
Auxiliary resources:
Grass, exhaust tube, exhaust gas, air Features of the ideal final result:
Grass makes muffler present and absent at the same time
Table 6.4 Constructing the Ideal Final Result in the Carrot-Cultivation Problem
Primary resource with the inherent contradiction: seed Many seeds–no seeds
Auxiliary resources:
Soil, water, waste paper (from food packages), straw, mulch Features of the ideal final result:
Tape made from waste paper and other cheap materials combines many seeds to one seed
Table 6.5 Constructing the Ideal Final Result in the Example of the Latching Mechanism
Primary resource with the inherent contradiction: pin Big clearance–zero clearance
Auxiliary resources:
Pin: geometry, surface, material, time Features of the ideal final result:
Geometry makes clearance wide when the latch is open and zero when it is closed
combined. You can also use the concept of ideality directly: decide what are the primary and auxiliary resources and how they can be used together.
6.4 Summary
Study the difference between good and weak solutions. Increasing ideality is one important feature of good solutions. Numerous examples show that systems really can get simpler, even though they solve complex problems. Big benefits can be created with low cost and little harm. You can use the concept of increasing ideal- ity directly: study good solutions in other industries and you will get ideas about improving your system.
Table 6.6 Constructing the Ideal Final Result in the Training Example
Primary resource with the inherent contradiction: time Lots of time–no time at all
Auxiliary resources:
Working time, existing knowledge and skills, the culture of the company, curriculum, textbooks, computer networks, students, experienced people, teachers, etc.
Features of the ideal final result:
Work has a training effect. Training takes place over extended time periods, without special training time, so that training gets better and work results get better, too.
Table 6.7 Constructing the Ideal Final Result in the Firefighting Example
Primary resource with the inherent contradiction: water Much water–no water
Auxiliary resources:
Water, water pressure, tubes, nozzles, air Features of the ideal final result:
High pressure makes the amount of water nearly zero and very large—the volume of mist is very high.
Table 6.8 Study Your Own System
Primary resource with the inherent contradiction: Auxiliary resources:
If you have defined the inherent contradiction (Chapter 4) and mapped resources (Chapter 5), you can very effectively build the ideal final result from resources. Select the system with the inherent contradiction as the principal resource. Find auxiliary resources that change the principal resource so that the contradiction disappears.
The features of the ideal final result form the basis of the method for evaluating solutions. The evaluation and improvement of solutions are considered in Chapter 7. Different methods can increase the ideality of the system. These ways are called “the patterns of evolution.” The patterns are studied in Chapter 9.
References
1. Altshuller, G. S., Creativity as an Exact Science (New York: Gordon and Breach, 1984), 228.
2. Miles, L. D., Techniques of Value Analysis and Engineering (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1961).
3. Messadié, G., Great Inventions through History (St. Ives, UK: Chambers, 1991), 5. 4. Turrettini, J., “Wired Wheels,” Forbes, 168:3, Aug. 6, 2001, 85–86.
5. Toynbee, A. J., A Study of History, Vol. III (London: Oxford University Press, 1963), 174.
87
How to Separate the Best
from the Rest: A Simple
and Effective Tool for
Evaluation of Solutions
7.1 Introduction
Early in the book, we asked you to recall your best problem-solving experience and think about what characterized the good ideas. This chapter begins with another question. When you create a good idea, do you ever wonder: “Why not until now? Why didn’t I think of this 2 years, 5 years, 10 years ago?” Companies tell us this story so often we have named it the “Standard Story”—“A competitor introduced a new solution and we found the same idea in our own notes from many years ago.” Chapter 1 has many examples of good ideas that were neglected.
One of the most striking results from the authors’ experience in teaching cre- ativity classes and consulting on creativity is that recognizing, appreciating, and evaluating solutions may be more difficult than finding them. Having good ideas is useless if they are rejected.
We hope you agree that it makes sense to seek better ways to evaluate solutions. In this chapter, we will present a simple and effective evaluation tool. We will study three points in this chapter:
1. We define the evaluation criteria, which we obtain from the concepts of ideal- ity, contradiction, and resources that we have studied in Chapters 3 through 6. Now we use these tools for a new purpose: evaluation of our proposed solutions.
2. We consider the measures of evaluation. The ideality of each proposed solu- tion is evaluated and compared with the ideality of the other solutions. We use a simple and practical tool: pairwise comparison with the known solu- tions. In real-life projects, the yardstick should be the best possible existing or developing competing methods or technologies. In the examples in this book, the solutions are usually compared with well-known current technolo- gies for clarity and simplicity.
3. We discuss how to go further if the evaluation shows that we have not achieved the ideal final result. Sometimes, the whole idea may be bad and it deserves to be rejected. More often, the primary idea is excellent, but there are subproblems that need to be solved. The evaluation criteria will help you see the path through the maze of problems and solutions and avoid confusion with numerous secondary tasks.