Implementation of the TRIZ innovation methodology: experience from a mechanical engineering company

In the rapidly changing world, an innovation process needs to become an efficient and consistent supply of innovative ideas – functioning despite growing the complexity of the products companies make and the shortening time frame between innovation and its deployment. Cr eativity and engineering solely are no longer able to handle the just - in - time stream of innovations required to keep the competitive advantage of a particular company, and for this reason, innovative methods structuring the process and bringing new ideas a re needed. The TRIZ (the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) innovation methodology is proposed as a possible solution for the mechanical engineering company researched in this case study. The company manufactures products that have already been developed for decades and, therefore, struggle to bring a sufficient amount of innovations to keep up with the pace of its competitors. TRIZ provides engineers a structured approach to innovations and shows them possible principles used in the past to solve similar innovative problems. The case study follows the initial implementation of the methodology in the company and points out the difficulties faced during a two - day training of employees in using TRIZ. The selection of only some of the basic methods of TRIZ an d an emphasis on their practical handling are proposed as a better way to begin the training of the methodology, rather than trying to give a participant a broad view of all the possibilities TRIZ offers