Insourcing Innovation: How to Achieve Competitive Excellence Using TRIZ [Hardcover]

David Silverstein (Author), Neil DeCarlo (Author), Michael Slocum (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1420062271 | ISBN-13: 978-1420062274 | Publication Date: December 17, 2007

Innovation is central to business success, yet no other aspect of business is as frustrating and out of control. Instead of occurring in fits and starts and strokes of genius, innovation needs to become an all-the-time event that’s measurable, reliable, predictable, streamlined, and effective. Asserting that every innovation objective has a finite set of possible solutions given its unique constraints, TRIZ, the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving, is a structured system for making innovation more manageable and profitable.

Divided into five parts, Insourcing Innovation: How to Achieve Competitive Excellence Using TRIZ demonstrates how the applicationof a consistent, systematic approach will render innovative problem solving a dependable reality rather than an enigmatic phenomenon.

Part I provides a framework for thinking about business excellence and the case for why TRIZ is a world-class approach for achieving perpetual innovation with existing resources.

Part II covers the tactical aspects of TRIZ, with a central focus on the TRIZ methodology (DMASI) and its primary constructs, techniques, and components.

Part III provides implementation case examples, including an in-depth breakdown of how TRIZ was used to create a self-heating beverage container. This part also summarizes how TRIZ was applied to innovate parts of the International Space Station, the Cassini Saturn orbiter, and even hospital triage.

Part IV transitions from the tactical aspects of TRIZ to its strategic aspects, which show you that no single innovation stands alone. All tap into one or more of eight evolutionary forces to become what they are. This part describes these forces with related examples.

Part V discusses how structured innovation is part of the larger system of “total performance excellence.” Highlighting their interdependence, it shows how key aspects of business excellence enable structured innovation, and at the same time are enabled by structured innovation.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

CEO, Breakthrough Management Group, Longmont, Colorado, USA Business Author, Fountain Hills, Arizona, USA The Inventioneering Company, San Diego, California, USA

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Auerbach Publications (December 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420062271
• ISBN-13: 978-1420062274
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #921,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Using TRIZ for Strategic Innovation, December 9, 2008

By 

Eric Duepen (Boulder, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Insourcing Innovation: How to Achieve Competitive Excellence Using TRIZ (Hardcover)

If your business goals include increasing the returns on your innovation investments, I would strongly recommend this book. Insourcing Innovation provides a clear overview of the business issues involved in a growth through innovation strategy.

After the business issues of innovation are discussed, the tactical and strategic aspects of the highly effective TRIZ (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving) structured innovation methodology are covered. The book ends with a synthesis of the TRIZ method into a total performance excellence model.

It is often said, "That of all the major functions of most companies, innovation has the most competitive value and is managed with the least discipline." In Insourcing Innovation, the authors present a structured innovation methodology to resolve this vital business issue.

In the study of innovation, there is also evidence that financial commitment to R&D is no substitute for creativity, analysis, and disciplined management. The methodology in Insourcing Innovation presents a structure for managing creativity and analysis in pursuit of R&D and innovation gains.

The book is divided into five parts. Part One presents the business benefits of having a structured innovation methodology. A framework for business excellence and the highlights of TRIZ are also covered.

Part Two presents the specifics of tactical TRIZ. In this section, is a discussion of how Psychological Inertia prevents real innovation from taking place in organizations. In Part Two, are several case examples of how TRIZ has been implemented at different organizations. This section ends with a detailed look at how TRIZ was used to solve a number of problems in the development of a self-heating beverage container.

Part Three gives you seven case studies, including some interesting details about how TRIZ methods were used to develop a self-heating container that was featured as one of 25 top inventions in Fortune magazine.

Part Four discusses the strategic aspects of structured innovation using TRIZ. The eight evolutionary forces defined under TRIZ are covered along with a strategic TRIZ methodology. The importance of using these forces in the creation of a technology roadmap is also covered.

Part Five discusses how a structured approach to innovation fits within the framework of total performance excellence. A total performance model is presented that shows how tactical and strategic TRIZ would work within an organization's drive for operational and strategic leadership.

The strength of the book is in demonstrating how TRIZ works and how a structured innovation methodology fits within a total performance excellence model. Just enough technical information is presented so that the reader will be comfortable with the process.

Innovation is a skill you want as many people within your organization to understand and hopefully master. The examples and case studies presented in Insourcing Innovation provide a basic understanding of the type of skills and thinking required to implement both tactical and strategic TRIZ.

One of the highlights of the book is the comparison tables of Business as Usual versus Business as Exceptional at the end of each part. These tables serve two functions. First, they effectively summarize the material from the chapter. Secondly, The Business as Exceptional Column demonstrates the TRIZ concept of the Ideal Final Result (IFR) as it applies to business activities.

If you want to grow your business through innovation by using a proven and reliable methodology, I would highly recommend this book. Insourcing Innovation shows how to make innovation more manageable, effective, and profitable.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Here is How to Get Started, April 6, 2009

By 

William W. Waldo - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Insourcing Innovation: How to Achieve Competitive Excellence Using TRIZ (Hardcover)

This book is a simple and effective why to get your team oriented and motivated to start your innovation journey. While predominately a great overview of the TRIZ methodology, it is also a bit of an indictment of our current lack of corporate sponsered innovation. If you have been waiting to get started, stop.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterpiece ad hoc, November 27, 2008

By 

Harold K. Eickmeier (Stuart, FL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Insourcing Innovation: How to Achieve Competitive Excellence Using TRIZ (Hardcover)

Another laureate by DeCarlo and company. This is a must-read for any business wanting to seperate themselves from the 'further ran'.
Harold K. Eickmeier, CEO HarcoSupply