Appunti methods and tools for systematic innovation - Parte B

Obstacles for Idea Generation:

• Psychological inertia
• Lack of structured approach
• Design conflicts

1.1 Problem Solving Process

Typically, we start from a certain design task, and the first thing to do is to select the proper problem to analyse. It can be useful to split the main problem into several smaller problems that will be considered separately. For every specific task, there are different alternative options to look at. It should be noticed that the design activity is a continuous decision problem. Every time that a new problem comes out, it must be evaluated the best possible way to solve it. A complex design situation does not only require to generate new ideas, but also to take decisions.

Once we have selected one or more problems, we should find a way to model them. We need a language through which we can abstractly model the problem. After that, we have found this language, we can use a general method to solve the problem, so, to find a model of the solution.

1.2

– Psychological tools

Brainstorming is the first psychological tool that we are going to examinate. It is required to a group of people to approach a problem and generate ideas. Then, it will be asked to a second group to analyse those ideas. The generation process should be absolutely free and consider also the ideas which are less achievable or can look stupid. One of the key points is that the ideas are reported anonymously, so that the decision won’t be influenced by who made the idea. During brainstorming, it is important to be open to any proposal and listen to anything that comes out.

An evolution of brainstorming is the 6-3-5 brain writing, where six participants come out with an idea on a particular problem, and then they should come out with new ideas, starting from the ones previously made by others. By doing so, it is possible to obtain a long list of new ideas.

Synectic: the term means “joining together different and apparently irrelevant elements”.

Asynectic group is a group made by people with different occupations, that join together to solve a problem, by combining elements that are not superimposable. Through synectic is possible to analyse the problem under different points of view. Also in this procedure, it is important to look at any ideas, even if they can look stupid or not achievable, since the ultimate goal is to look beyond our standard thinking.

Forced analogy: in forced analogy, participants generate a list of random things, and write them on cards. For each item, participants are going to write qualities and attributes. The cards are then distributed randomly between the participants, which then use the cards to develop analogies with the problem that must be solved. “How is the problem similar to [random object]?”. Even if a lot of comparisons could look stupid at first, a lot of ideas could come out.

The main goal is to find properties of the random object that can be considered also in the problem of the analysis.

52 - System thinking

In the process that we would like to follow, as previously said, we want to define an abstract language that generalize the problem; after doing that, what we want to do is to apply general rules that permit to solve the problem. This means that the process that we want to follow starts from the particular case, it gets generalized in order to apply general solutions, and then comes back to the particular case.

What we are going to see now, is how to select a specific problem from a general design task. If we have to consider a word, and we are required to associate other words to it, we can associate words which are a subsystem of the word, or instead words related to "supersystems" which contain that first word. Second, it is possible to make associations related to the use that is possible to do of that word. When we are dealing with a design task, it is important to look both at the details and at the global environment of the task.

It is also important to

be used in the future. This interpretation is useful when studying the evolution of technology or any other field where progress and advancements are important. 2- Process evolution: this meaning is referred to the sequence of events or steps that occur over time. It involves analyzing how a task or process has evolved, identifying its past stages, current stage, and potential future stages. This interpretation is useful when studying project management, workflow optimization, or any other process-oriented analysis. 3- Dynamic evolution: this meaning is referred to the continuous change and interaction between elements in a system. It involves understanding the dynamic relationships and feedback loops that exist within a system, and how they influence its behavior over time. This interpretation is useful when studying complex systems, such as ecosystems, social networks, or organizational structures. By considering the time dimension and applying systems thinking, we can gain a deeper understanding of the complexity and interdependencies within a given environment. This allows us to make more informed decisions, anticipate potential issues, and design more effective solutions.

be used in the future to perform the same task. By comparing past solutions with current ones, it is possible to understand which are the general tendencies of a given technology.

62- Phases of a process: analyse which are the phases that have preceded the process under analysis and try to identify the next ones. Before analysing a process, we should ask ourselves: "which were the previous phases of this process?" Sometimes, before solving the problem, could be necessary to do something before or after, that could make easier to solve the problem. Another important question to ask is "can we solve the problem in a different phase?". It is essential to identify the phases during which is easier to solve the problem.

3- Cause and effect chains: we have to consider which element or event has caused the current situation. In other situation, we may have to understand which are the consequences of a particular event (for example a failure). Typically, a way to solve problems is prevention.

Another indirect way to solve it is mitigate/compensate the consequences of the problem. In many situations, working on these aspects could be more efficient than directly facing the problem. It is important to understand what it means "preventing" or "compensating" for that particular task. Failure Root cause Failure mode effects We call system operator a multi view of the system, which considers past and present, supersystems and subsystems. While looking for resources, the System Operator helps focusing the attention on every relevant aspect of the system and its environment, by analysing anytime stage at any detail level with a systematic approach. It can be useful to also add indicators to better understand the cause-effect relationships of the task. After doing that, we can represent the problem through a conceptual map, which can be useful to better visualize the problem under a global point of view. 2.1 - Conceptual maps Concept maps are graphical tools fororganizing and representing knowledge. The aim of a conceptual map is to represent the most important concepts, and the relationships that exist between them; in fact, the two main elements of a conceptual map are nodes and links. When we want to create a conceptual map, the first thing to do, is to identify the problem. What is a problem? A problem is whatever we are not comfortable with, whatever objective or condition we would like to achieve. After that we have identified the problem, this one is first thing that we should put in it. Second, come the partial solutions, which are whatever partially addresses the problem or mitigate it. Then there are the information needed (questions to experts), which are all the information that could be useful in order to find a solution or better understand the problem. In a real scenario, information can come from the company, from partners, or from knowledge sources (patents, handbooks, standards etc...). The last type of elements are the constraints,

which are all the elements of the problem that cannot be modified. It is important to notice that constraints are different from problems. Constraints can come from clients, can be represented by physical laws, contracts or specifications, standards and rules etc… It is important to not confuse constraints with problems, however, we must always check if a particular constraint can be turned into a problem, and so, it is possible to find a solution to change it.

After that all the elements of the map have been identified, it is necessary to connect them, by properly consider the relationships between them.

When we are going to connect the elements through the links, it is important to show which are the relations between the elements. The elements can also be connected by logical operators (and, or).

In the end, the phases that should be performed are the following:

1. Identify all the problems, the partial solutions, the questions to experts and the constraints.
2. Identify the relationships

1. Identify the elements of the problem
2. Look for further problems and possible questions to experts
3. Apply knowledge to identify a solution using problem-solving strategies
4. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all problems are solved
5. Identify contradictions and solve them using a classical ARIZ-like approach
6. Functional modelling

The purpose of this model is to define an ontology of design, which aims to determine the possible levels of the design process.

The function of a technical system is its reason for existing, it is the reason why we have created the system. In order to fulfill its function, the system should have specific elements. These elements could be physical parts, software instructions, etc.

The behavior is defined as the sequential changing of states that describes how the system delivers its function. It is important to notice that different behaviors can produce the same function, and

e behaviour matches the desired function. If it does, then we have successfully solved the problem. If not, we need to go back and make adjustments to the structure until it aligns with the desired behaviour. In summary, the process of problem-solving involves identifying the function, determining the suitable physical principle, proposing a structure, analyzing its behaviour, and comparing it to the desired function. This iterative process allows us to create structures that effectively deliver the intended function.