Re: A Comparison: Triads & TRIZ: Three Objects Comprise a PhenomenonSubmitted by James Kowalick at Maj 18, 1998 klockan 02:29:27: Reply to: Re: A Comparison: Triads & TRIZ: Three Objects Comprise a Phenomenon submitted by Frenklach Gregory at Maj 16, 1998 klockan 09:36:33: About systems and "ill" systems, relative to Triads: Triads is meant to describe a system function. All systems/functions are ill - it is merely a matter of degree. Some systems/functions are more "obviously" ill. Others are less obvious. But compared with ideality, all systems are ill, because they lack what they could have, if they were ideal. To the degree that a system’s function is far from ideality, that system and its function are more prone to various types of "illnesses." Why? Because the energy from the "engine" of the system/function is being used to operate the "illnesses," instead of being used to operate the desired function or functions of the system. Consider the "chair" as a system. It is meant to support a person, and it does. But the person cannot really relax in the chair. He sits down, hoping for relaxation. Although the chair nominally supports him, the person still feels tension in various parts of his body (a harmful effect due to the chair design and the way that the chair supports the person), because the chair design is not allowing him to be completely relaxed. So therefore, we have many patents on various types of chairs, each claiming to be more "relaxing" to the user. The problem is how to take an ordinary chair, and make it more "relaxing" or "user friendly" to the person who sits in it - especially where the person’s goal is to "just vegetate." The triad for the chair contains three objects: person, chair and earth. The person wants to be supported in a relaxing way. That is the person’s requirement. In this sense, the person is the "passive" object, because the person needs to be changed or modified or "satisfied." The person also represents the "denying" object or "denying force." The ordinary chair design is the "active" object, because it "works on" the person in a manner that attempts to satisfy the person. When these two objects come together, an interaction is created. The interaction can be expressed by a "functional statement" consisting of three parts: two objects and an action. The functional statement is: "Chair supports person" or "Chair pushes up on person." The action is "supports" or "pushes up on." But this action, "supports" cannot happen without a third object: the earth. It will not happen outside of the effect of the earth’s gravity. The earth is therefore the "enabling" object, without which, the chair (active object) and the person (passive object) will not come together in a way that represents "relaxing." We describe the mechanism that allows this "coming-together" as "gravity." The "source" of this gravity is the earth. This triad of person/chair/earth contains the necessary objects for the function "supports" to occur. The language being used to describe this function is the language of triads, which was first described to Ouspensky around 1913 in St. Petersburg in Russia. Another problem, however: The person is not happy with the way he is being supported (the system or "support function" is somewhat "ill"). How can we make the system and its functions work better? The answer is "Go to the tools and approaches that are a part of TRIZ." The triad discussed above contains three interactions: (1) the interaction between the chair and the person is "Chair supports person." This interaction is "ill" or "sick" as described above. It needs to be improved, because the person is dissatisfied with it. Using the language of TRIZ, we say that this interaction is an "S-Field," with the person being S1, the chair being S2, and the Field being mechanical. We might also say that the chair "inadequately or incompletely supports the person," or, we could say that the chair does indeed support the person, but it also causes some harm to the person (e.g., it causes "nervous tension" to the person when he is sitting in the chair - due to the present design of the chair). Therefore there is a conflict between the chair and the person. The second interaction of the triad is between the chair and the earth: the earth supports, or pushes up on, the chair. This interaction can also be expressed as an S-field. The field in this case is mechanical. The third interaction of the triad - necessary in order for the system’s function to be complete - is between the earth and the person: the earth pulls on, or attracts, the person. This interaction can also be expressed as an S-Field. The field in this case is "gravitational." In order to solve this problem of "poor support of the person by the chair," there are at least three major avenues that can be pursued - each avenue possibly leading to a helpful solution prompt. Each of the three S-Fields that make up the triad can be "improved" to improve the "supports" function (those people who understand chair design technology can appreciate this fact). One avenue, of course, is improving the "Chair supports person" S-Field. A second avenue is improving the "Earth supports chair" S-Field. How to work with this S-Field may not be clear at first, even to experienced TRIZniks and SME’s. But there are several ways by which improving this S-Field will lead to improving the "Chair supports person" function. The third avenue is improving the "Earth attracts chair" S-Field. Improving this S-Field can also lead to improving the "Chair supports person" function (e.g., the center of gravity of the chair can be changed to change the nature of the forces of the earth on the chair, and consequent results, including the way that the chair supports the person). Please note that for the above example, each of the three "objects" that are necessary for the support function to occur, are "systems" by themselves. To really address this problem in detail, one needs to examine the hierarchy of each of these systems, and determine such things as "Where is the local zone(s) of each of these three systems that is/are most involved in the problem and the potential solution?" For "comfort," the local zone of the person includes several different "surface zones" of the person’s body - not just the person’s bottom! For the chair, the local zone(s) of interest of course involves the surface of the seat of the chair, but also other surfaces, as well as the structure of the chair. For the earth, two "local zones" are of interest: the earth’s surface (because of its "support" interaction with the chair), and the earth as a whole body (because of its "gravitational" interaction with the person). Other than applying the various tools of the classical TRIZ approach manually, if a problem-solver were applying invention software to this problem, he could apply the software modules to each of the three S-Fields mentioned. For example, the Invention Machine Labs or TechOptimizer software has a program called "Prediction" which addresses the evolutionary staircase for all technical systems. This module can be applied to all three S-Fields (that software asks the user for "object 1," "object 2," and an "action," and then for a Goal for the action - this would be done once for each of the three S-fields or interactions). Triads is a very large subject, and your question cannot be entirely answered by several short paragraphs. The preceding paragraphs may raise further questions. If so, I am near the completion of a chapter in a "Creativity" book on this subject, and hopefully that will clarify more for you. This is to be expected, however, as Altshuller’s first TRIZ book in English, "Creativity as an Exact Science," also did this (part of the reason for that was that it was a translation). Regarding your comments about the "weak points" of S-Field analysis: I use S-Field Analysis regularly, and although it may have its weak points, its strengths and value-added far outweigh its weaknesses. Triads is different from TRIZ, but like many tools of engineering and science, it can be favorably used together with TRIZ in problem-solving. I have used the two together in solving problems. Like the use of TRIZ alone, it takes practice on real problems to become somewhat proficient at it. When I write, I tend to discuss other topics as well as the topic of interest. This is my nature. At my advanced age, I don’t think this will change, and I beg your patience. I appreciate your questions, and I hope that this response has somewhat addressed them. For a more detailed treatment of triads in Russian books (I have some copies in Russian), I believe Ouspensky’s books are quite good, as well as books in English by Dr. Maurice Nicoll, an M.D. and a Jungian psychotherapist. I have been following various TRIZ sources around the world, including the FIDONET where all - apparently - emails are kept from all
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