A Comparison of the Problem Solving and Creativity Potential of Engineers between using TRIZ and Lean/ Six Sigma |
The paper introduces the concepts of mindsets and how they may block breakthrough thinking, where breakthrough thinking is considered a characteristic of a person who is highly creative and uses systematic problem solving methods. It introduces previously identified ‘highly effective engineer key attributes’ and their relation to TRIZ. The paper then reports the development of a questionnaire, where the identified attributes are explored with Six Sigma/ Lean practitioners. Follow-up phone interviews helped to clarify the results. The results were compared between TRIZ and Six Sigma/ Lean practitioners. The results show that Lean Six Sigma has the closest tool set/ approach with that relevant for ‘highly effective engineers’, with Lean and then Six Sigma of lesser match. It is shown that even with Lean Six Sigma, there is a place for a TRIZ gateway dependant on problem type, and a recommended implementation is suggested here. It is also noted that with all methods, some of the TRIZ tools are relevant to help with the general problem solving stage of any process. Overall in this initial exploratory investigation, TRIZ appears to offer great problem solving and creativity potential for engineers than Lean/ Six Sigma.
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