TABLE OF CONTENTS If a problem exists, clarify the tradeoff behind it. This is the first step in finding the real problem and good solutions.
We have already said that there are contradictions behind every difficult problem. The concept of a contradiction is very important. Participants in problem-solving training often wish for more help with contradiction analysis, because contradictions are at the core of the most challenging problems. In this chapter and the next, we will focus on the concept of contradictions.
Recall the model for problem solving (Figure 3.1). In this chapter, we analyze the conflict between two features. These are frequently called tradeoffs because the problem solver "trades" improvement of one feature against decline in another feature in the hope of finding a solution to the problem. In Chapter 4, we will study inherent contradictions, when one thing has two opposite properties. In traditional TRIZ books, tradeoffs are called "technical contradictions" and inherent contradictions are called "physical contradictions." We use lay terms because they make sense and it avoids having special definitions for TRIZ that don't always agree with everyday language.
In this chapter, we discuss in detail why it is so useful to analyze tradeoffs. The benefit of TRIZ comes from solving difficult problems and that means resolving tradeoffs. To do this, it is necessary to formulate these tradeoffs or rewrite the problem in a form that makes the tradeoff obvious.
We show how to formulate the tradeoff. The tradeoff appears in the system of the tool and the...
