INNOVATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING USING TRIZ METHODS - QAI

• Evolution towards micro levels• Evolution towards increased use of fields• Evolution towards decreased human involvementTRIZ 2

Based on the above evolution trends research indicated the trends of evolutionto be detailed as belowIn order to apply the trends of evolution the system under study needs to bemodeled functionally. To model as functions we need to beak the system inNouns and verbs as shown belowThe functional model as shown above helps understand the entire implementationof Six Sigma from a functional view free from all jargonTRIZ 3

During functional modeling relation ships are typically depicted as belowTo study the model and identify opportunities for improvement we need toweaken the system model. Below is a weakened system modelTRIZ 4

Based on the weakened system model TRIZ software’s are able to formulate thevarious mini problems in the model and also recommend the appropriate tools tosolve the problem as shown belowBased on the mini problems formulated we can then use the various TRIZ tools tosolve the problems. Example the technical contradiction between CEO hiring aMBB or Consultant and the consultant charging can be resolved as belowTo resolve the technical constraint of Consultant charging CEO, use other wayaround ie CEO charges consultant example, have a small portion as a fixedcomponent of the consultancy and a majority portion as variable depending ongrowth of Business on various parameters. If results do not come the consultancyis back chargedTRIZ 5

The TRIZ evolution trends are analyzed as an example below for Black Beltselection and then based on the trends we can identify all the methods toimprove Black Belt selectionAs an example the following could be some of the strategies to strengthen theselection of Black beltsControllabilityTransition from Nominating Black Belts to structured methods of evaluating anddefining career paths for Identified Black BeltsIncreasing dimensionalityTransition from selecting Black belts from existing org structure to having freewheeling Black belts from entire organization who will work across organizationfree from boundaries of Org StructuresEvolution towards decreased human involvementTransition from human involvement only in Black belt selection to usage ofother tools like, Psychometric Tests, Aptitude tests, Team Skills test, Analyticalskill testTRIZ 6

Reducing system complexityHave a well-documented process that is simple to implement and no ambiguityexists in Black Belt selectionMono-bi-poly-Similar objectsIdentification as Black belt should also qualify persons for other growth areaslike leadership development, Management Development and other skills setdevelopment programsBased on such detailed analysis below mentioned are some of the variousevolutions that could occur in the development of Six Sigma.Evolution of Black Belt trainingInstead of only having Black belt training with feedback move to control withtwo way communication, meaning MBB positioned at site until Black belt fullyoperational and confident or excellent communication mechanisms leading to afeel of virtual MBB always presentIncreasing dimensionalitySet up mechanism of interaction from, email and phone only to completeInternet based interactionsCustomer expectation evolutionThe best way of transitioning from service to Transformation will be to have aPersonal MBB deployed from the consulting assignment on a permanent basis tosustain the momentum of Black BeltsSegmentationMove gradually from mentoring groups of Black Belts to mentoring individualbrilliant Black beltsEvolution towards decreased human involvementTransition from human and tool used only to highly interactive automated toollike e modules for trainingReducing system complexityMake every individual a Black belt or a Green belt in the organization leadingto nonexistence of full time black belts, as Six Sigma thinking becomes the wayevery individual worksTRIZ 7

Mono-bi-poly-Similar objectsSix Sigma training will keep on enhancing itself with additional additions ofother improvement models like Lean Manufacturing, Theory of constraints,TRIZ etc until it reaches a inflection point wherein trimming will occur and thenew Six Sigma training module instead of having different add on, will have allrelevant tools and techniques for all fields integrated in one methodologyDynamizationMovement from selected individuals as Black belts and green belts to all beingtrainedMono-bi-poly Dis-similar objectsThe training material will transition from only Handouts to Handouts + Books +CD to entire features available in some kind of multimedia e packageRhythm coordinationThe current training model of three weeks gap and then implementation willfurther transition to training of two days application 1 week then again twodays and cycle continuing to actually become training with periodic actionmatched to achieve resonant effectCustomer buying hierarchyAll customers will try to convert the trainings to their convenience and willlook towards lower priceIncreasing polarisationThere will be increasing trend in having many mediocre Six Sigma consultantshowever a few Niche will always be presentUse of dataBlack belt training today is oriented towards knowledge dissemination and itwill evolve to wisdom disseminationTRIZ 8

Evolution of Champions trainingInstead of only mandating Champions training the CEO himself undergoeschampion training along with the other senior management and establishes agood two way communication and sets an example for the need of changeCustomer expectation evolutionInstead of only attending the champions training the CEO is visibly atransformed person and will make Six Sigma his way of thinkingSegmentationCEO insures that the champions training is suitably segmented to meet varyingrequirements of functionsEvolution towards decreased human involvementIn places where CEO cannot attend due to constraints his recording to ensurecomplete buy in is present to carry the message right to the senior leadersMono-bi-poly-Similar objectsInstead of only the CEO of the company being present during the Championstraining it would be a good idea to have other CEOs share their Six Sigmaexperience to the teamRhythm coordinationInstead of having only Champions trainings at the beginning of Six Sigmaimplementations it is a good idea to have repeat Champion trainings atresonant frequencies and CEO a visible person in such exercises to visiblydemonstrate commitmentBlack Belts working on projectsIncreasing dimensionalityInstall a black belt community to help each other thus transitioning from onlypoint contact to MBB to complete interaction within all Black beltsCustomer expectation evolutionInstill the fact that Black belts have to be effective change managers duringtheir projects and complete transformation of organization to Six Sigma way ofthinking is the ultimate objectiveTRIZ 9

SegmentationScope Black belt projects carefully to ensure that multitude of properly scopedprojects would actually lead to the goal of Six SigmaIncreasing use of sensesEncourage black belts to get out to work place and ensure that they are usingall the five senses to observe and understand the process and thereafterimprove it. Total involvement in the project is the key to successful timeresponsibility of Six Sigma projects is one way to ensure total commitmentEvolution towards decreased human involvementBlack belts today use Human and tool as the interface, wherein software’s likeMinitab etc are the tools used. The future evolution will be interfacing onlinedata collection tools, data mining, neural networks, Simulation and selfpromptingsoftware’s for better and accurate data analysisReducing system complexityThe most ideal scenario for an organization is there is no black belt at all butall persons in the organization are black belts and undertake projects in theirrespective areas on an ongoing methodMono-bi-poly-Similar objectsBlack belts undertake more than three projects simultaneously thus improvingprocesses faster and proliferating Six Sigma in a big wayMono-bi-poly Dis-similar objectsBlack belts work on increasing number of project’s but each of a differentnature involving different skill sets example, Manufacturing, Transactional,DFSS, Value stream improvements etc, this way the black belt becomes morecompetent and also monotony of similar projects is avoidedProject reviewsStrive towards making senior management project reviews as a two-wayinteraction meaning that the black belt can approach senior management forreviews on a more frequent basis and vice versaIncreasing dimensionalityFormulate appropriate Business councils so that project reviews arefreewheeling and will yield in better commitments from all involvedTRIZ 10

SegmentationInstead of fixed business council review members involve other relevant seniorleaders from the organization at regular intervals, if possible invite othersenior leaders or MBB from industry to participate in reviews to bring betterperspective and commitmentIncreasing use of sensesInstead of conducting only reviews in conference rooms visit the work placeaffected and interact with other persons involved in the project and see andfeel the good work being done, as this will enable the organization toaccelerate the change management processMono-bi-poly Dis-similar objectsAlong with Six Sigma reviews conduct other reviews, like Financial, Business,Strategic, New product developments etc thus enabling Six Sigma to be the waywe workRhythm coordinationConduct reviews matched to the need of the business at resonant intervals ofimprovementUse of dataSenior management project reviews will tend to look for leverage of projectsacross the organization in similar process or across business units of similarapplicability’sProject selectionProject selection will gradually become a two-way mechanism wherein Blackbelts and Green belts in conjunction with Champions select good projectsIncreasing dimensionalityProject selection will transition from departmental projects to projects for theorganization to projects for the industry and finally projects that will benefitthe societySegmentationProject selection process will mature to have more correct scoped projectsTRIZ 11

Evolution towards decreased human involvementTransition from projects being brainstormed to projects identified by humanplus use of tools like score cards or Sigma Dashboards to automatic mechanismswhere projects are escalated primarily through score cards, dashboards,competitive analysis and customer focusDynamizationBe completely flexible in project selection and move to do projects insupplier’s domain or customer domain as long as the value chain benefits it is agood project to be undertakenRhythm coordinationInstead of continuously identifying projects identify projects in periodic actionsthrough various techniquesScorecard BuildingIncreasing dimensionalityScorecard building will evolve into strong communication of the scorecardacross the organization enabling stronger alignment and better controlIncreasing dimensionalityScorecards have to translate into different score cards through strong policydeployment creating strong alignment within the organizationSegmentationScorecards need to be segmented to all levels of the organizationIncreasing use of sensesScorecards have to be developed from all the 5 senses, VOC (Voice ofCustomer), VOB (Voice of Business), VOE (Voice of employee), VOP (Voice ofProcess), VOC, (Voice of competition)Evolution towards decreased human involvementThe scorecard should eventually be a fully automated tool wherein organizationcan see and act on scorecards on a daily basisTRIZ 12

Mono-bi-poly-Similar objectsScorecards need to be supplemented by Sigma dashboards, customercomplaints analysis; customer won lost analysis, completive benchmarking, andother toolsThe above displayed evolutions are possible and more mature Six Sigmadeployments might have already reached the maturity on various aspects. Theentire analysis was conducted to showcase the power of TRIZ in predictingevolutions and could be bettered had it been conducted by a team of MBBrather than one personReferences:Software used Creax Innovation suiteHands on Systematic Innovation by Darell MannAbout the Author: Shree Phadnis is currently employed with QAI India Ltd astheir Senior Consultant and is a Master Black Belt In Six Sigma. He is an ASQcertified Six Sigma Black Belt, ASQ certified Quality Engineer and ASQcertified Quality Engineer. He can be reached at shreephadnis@qaiindia.comTRIZ 13