Since its inception, the Theory of Inventive Problem-Solving (TRIZ) has been used to enhance technological creativity. However, various difficulties arise during the process of learning and teaching. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the ongoing research and challenges in the application of TRIZ in teaching, learning, and the utilization of educational tools. The primary research questions addressed include: What are the existing problems and difficulties in teaching and learning TRIZ? What are the most commonly used and popular TRIZ tools for teaching and implementation? What educational methods and tools are available to support the teaching, learning, and implementation of TRIZ? The databases IEEE, Elsevier, Springer, and Google Scholar were searched from January 2010 to December 2022. The findings are discussed based on 15 primary studies, focusing on the challenges encountered in learning and teaching TRIZ, difficulties in implementing TRIZ, and the available educational methods and tools for TRIZ.
Innovation and the relentless pursuit of knowledge that propels it are of paramount importance,
given the close interrelation between a country's economic development and its capacity to
innovate. TRIZ (an acronym for 'Theory to Solve Inventive Problems' in Russian) has been
increasingly incorporated into the academic curriculum of several universities [
Historically, the teaching of TRIZ has predominantly been facilitated by experts in
classroombased workshops, characterized by their extensive duration of 160 hours. However, a mere 8
hours of this allocated time is devoted to practical exercises. This approach has led to a substantial
gap in skill development, limiting the ability of trainees to effectively apply the methodology in
real-world situations [
The theoretical framework of TRIZ is noted to be quite comprehensive, thus necessitating
significant time investment for mastering its tools [
The success of any educational methodology lies significantly in its capacity to foster student
motivation. Yet, this becomes a formidable challenge when the effectiveness of the teaching
methodology cannot be promptly validated. This situation can detrimentally affect student
motivation, which may consequently impede their learning progress [
Another critique of the existing teaching strategy is its heavily theoretical focus, often
sidelining the practical aspect [
The primary objective of this research is to carry out a systematic review of the literature pertaining to the challenges, tools, and methodologies employed in TRIZ teaching and learning for professionals and/or students. This study aims to garner a comprehensive understanding of the current landscape and identify any potential gaps or areas that warrant further investigation in TRIZ education. Through a meticulous analysis of existing literature, this review aspires to provide valuable insights, thereby contributing to the improvement of teaching and learning practices within TRIZ.
This article is organized as follows: Section 2 introduces the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) as a research methodology. Section 3 presents and analyzes the results of the SLR, while Section 4 discusses the conclusions.
For the research, a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) has been conducted. This method enables
the identification, evaluation, and interpretation of existing research on a specific topic [
The first phase of the systematic literature review (SLR) is planning. This phase consists of several activities that range from identifying the need to conduct the review to defining the data sources for information retrieval. The following activities are described in detail.
Since the inception of TRIZ in the USSR, its education has primarily been delivered by
independent providers and experts well-versed in the methodology. This was particularly the
case during the 1970-1990 period. Later, its teachings spread to the United States and Western
Europe in the 1990-2000 era [
Three research questions were defined: 1. What problems and/or difficulties exist in the teaching and learning of TRIZ? 2. What TRIZ tools are the most used and/or popular for their teaching and application? 3. And what educational methods and/or tools exist to help in the teaching, learning, and application of TRIZ?
To conduct the SLR, we extracted the essential keywords from the research questions. By utilizing the logical connectors AND and OR, we formulated the search string to be used in the data sources. The resulting search string is as follows: TRIZ AND (Teaching OR Learning OR Training OR Challenge OR Education OR Tools OR Method).
The second phase of the SLR is the execution of the review, during which the inclusion and exclusion criteria are defined to select the primary studies and subsequently extract the data.
For the execution of the SLR and the subsequent extraction of the results, the following data sources have been selected: IEEE, Springer, Elsevier, and Google Scholar. The main properties for selection criteria were the relevance to the research questions, inclusion/exclusion criteria, the scope and coverage of TRIZ in education, and information accessibility.
As the first step in conducting the review, inclusion and exclusion criteria should be established.
Inclusion criteria: 1. The articles must have been published between 2010 and 2022. 2. The articles must be written in English. 3. The articles must contain the word "TRIZ" in the title, AND in the title, abstract, or keywords, they should include the terms: teaching, learning, training, challenges, and/or method.
Exclusion criteria: 1. The articles considered for this paper should meet certain criteria. First, they should primarily focus on the pedagogical aspects of TRIZ teaching. Second, they should provide ample information about the challenges associated with learning this method. Additionally, these articles should engage with discussions on the most frequently used tools within the TRIZ methodology. Conversely, articles should be excluded if they reference didactic methods or instruments that do not facilitate or enhance TRIZ teaching and learning.
The results of the SLR that has been carried out are detailed below. Data from the primary studies has been extracted, analyzed, and synthesized.
A total number of 15 primary studies have been found. The process of identifying primary studies through databases and registers is outlined in Fig. 1, encompassing three key phases: identification, screening, and inclusion.
The summary of the primary studies can be seen in Tables 1, 2, 3 and 4. The challenge lies in the time-intensive nature of effectively teaching the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) within engineering education due to its complexity, demanding more class periods compared to less effective methods, hindering its widespread adoption.
integrating TRIZ with other disciplines to streamline learning. The author's method focuses on applying TRIZ principles to "re-invent" systems from diverse disciplines, aiming to overcome contradictions and enhance understanding.
Enhancing student competency in This study advocates for the strategic integration [
problem-solving, there's a need to introducing a simplified problem-solving model, simplify its application and demonstrate showcasing successful integration with existing its integration with existing methods like methodologies, and offering practical case studies
while also highlighting its practical real-world examples, it aims to empower readers adoption across companies of varying to harness TRIZ for innovative problem-solving scales. and system evolution.
Understanding the impact of TRIZ This study aims to assess the influence of TRIZ- [
Despite TRIZ being acknowledged as a This paper aims to scrutinize the challenges [
promotion, practical challenges hinder literature, focusing on practical challenges faced the effective application of TRIZ, in understanding and implementing TRIZ, utilizing overlooked in existing literature. a survey to gather firsthand experiences and recommending key tools within the TRIZ toolkit for beginners based on observed usage.
The implementation of an intensive 84 This paper outlines an analysis of the TRIZ master [
TRIZ training within a global FMCG TRIZ training's influence on innovation by organization, exploring factors scrutinizing the interplay between cognitive and influencing innovative behavior, affective factors, job-relevant capabilities, and cognitive and affective elements, yet environmental support, providing an enhanced encountering variances in expected evaluation framework to measure the outcomes and environmental support multifaceted impact of TRIZ training within predictions in idea generation and organizational settings. implementation phases, prompting the need to refine the understanding of
which demands high abstract thinking, enhance idea generation. It investigates the hindering newcomers' effective idea impact of modified sub-principles on idea generation in engineering problem- quantity and distribution across engineering solving. domains among undergraduate and graduate students.
The study focuses on leveraging TRIZ This research aims to empirically assess the [
innovation effectiveness in the merging Design Thinking and TRIZ methodologies conceptual development phase of within the conceptual development stage of industrial new product development industrial new product development, intending to processes, leveraging problem-solving empirically validate its effectiveness through techniques like Design Thinking (DT) and rigorous testing and validation within the
The article addresses the challenge of This article advocates adopting structured [
beginners without an engineering context, aiming to provide insights and lessons background, ensuring explicit learning learned for content experts planning to gamify within a fun gaming environment. learning materials for teaching or training across diverse fields.
contradiction matrix of the 40 Inventive grouping the 40 IPs under five Service Redesign
leading to increased time and effort in sample case study the feasibility of aligning identifying the appropriate principles to principles with SRAs to streamline their address service-related problems within application in solving service-related issues within
Those who have taught or learned TRIZ have encountered various difficulties. These challenges encompass the acquisition of knowledge, its application in problem-solving, its breadth, the time required for understanding, the personal and organizational resistance they face, the motivation required to learn it, and the teaching strategies that have been followed.
Lovotov and Sekaran [
In a study, the effects of TRIZ-oriented courses on students' self-efficacy and problem-solving
attitudes towards design activities were investigated, particularly in relation to changes in
pedagogical approaches—namely, traditional learning (TL) and project-based learning (PBL)—
as well as course modality, including in-person and remote instruction [
In Malaysia, TRIZ has been introduced to enhance the complex problem-solving skills of
students in the Curriculum and Assessment Standard Document for Design and Technology
subjects [
Individuals trained in TRIZ often assert that its complexity and rigidity make understanding,
acquiring, and applying the knowledge it provides a significant challenge [
As TRIZ is an expansive and intricate methodology, studies in this field demand more time
compared to other related methodologies [
The presence of a standard is integral for guiding the application of TRIZ. Observations have
been made regarding the lack of a step-by-step structure that dictates the usage of the tools
incorporated in TRIZ [
In many organizations, productivity takes precedence over innovation [
Resistance to TRIZ can also emerge from students during the teaching process. The difficulties
inherent to learning the methodology can lead to motivational issues. Moreover, individuals
already conversant with other related methods may not acknowledge the necessity to learn TRIZ,
thereby showing indifference towards it [
Three factors are critical when implementing TRIZ in an organization: personal motivation,
understanding of the methodology and its application, and an organization's willingness to adopt
it [
At the commencement of training, theory is usually the focus [
Interestingly, some individuals have described their training in the methodology as
straightforward. This group found the training to be simplified, pragmatic, and engaging [
The published TRIZ-derived methods are designed to enhance the study of the methodology. They provide simplified guidelines that make its understanding and application easier, while also addressing the time required for its study, particularly when integrated into university academic programs.
Additionally, an array of serious games and didactic instruments has been developed to assist in the understanding and practical application of TRIZ, furnishing interactive environments for teaching the methodology.
Ge and Shi [
A framework integrates integrating TRIZ and Design Thinking (DT) into the conceptual
development phase of an industrial New Product Development (NPD) process [
Simplified TRIZ, a condensed version of the methodology, was developed and proposed by
Kalevi Rantanen and Ellen Domb [
TRIZ-Pedagogics was developed to address the time needed to learn the methodology when
it's integrated into university curriculum subjects. The method, known as Creative Theories,
involves problem-solving tasks that humanity has already resolved but are unknown to the
students. TRIZ application is necessary to find a solution using the knowledge acquired during
the course of study [
Systematic Inventive Thinking (SIT) [
GamiTRIZation, a serious game based on TRIZ heuristics, provides innovators with
metarules—rules for breaking the rules [
TRIZzle [
The TRIZ Service Categorization [17] comprises cards representing the 40 principles of inventiveness, categorized into five service approaches: self-service, direct service, preservice, bundled service, and physical service. The categorization is established based on the similarity between the approaches and the principles.
The information obtained by conducting the SLR has provided an overview of the current state of challenges in TRIZ teaching and learning.
It can be concluded that the methodology is complex and difficult to assimilate, as the theory is extensive and initially lacks practical application, leading to a sense of boredom among beginners. Furthermore, certain TRIZ tools are preferred over others. Therefore, emphasis should be placed on teaching specific aspects of the methodology to simplify the learning process. An effort must be made in training to ensure that the theory and practice of the methodology occur simultaneously, thereby promoting the acquisition of quick results in its application. This approach would facilitate the adoption of TRIZ by organizations or individuals. Enhancing the learning strategy and fostering student motivation are crucial aspects of teaching TRIZ. The educational methods and tools presented in Table 5 have been implemented with the objective of enhancing the teaching and learning of the TRIZ methodology. To establish the criteria for comparison, we have considered the results obtained from the research question "What problems and/or difficulties are encountered in the teaching and learning of TRIZ?" These comparison criteria are described below.
x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Theoretical: Didactic methods or instruments derived from TRIZ that, due to their design or nature, have a greater weight in the theoretical part of the methodology, maintain the traditional teaching strategy.
Practical: Didactic methods or instruments derived from TRIZ that, by their design or nature, have a greater weight in the practical part of the methodology, change the traditional learning strategy. Simplified: Didactic methods or instruments derived from TRIZ that, by their design or nature, contain a smaller set of methodology tools than the traditional form, thereby simplifying their teaching.
Application guide: Didactic methods or instruments derived from TRIZ that, by their design or nature, can guide the problem-solving process and are not limited to just teaching some tools. Internal production: Didactic methods or instruments derived from TRIZ that, by their design or nature, are intended to produce results during the teaching and learning process. They can motivate students in the teaching process and, therefore, also reduce personal or organizational resistance to implementation.
To optimize the teaching and learning of TRIZ through various methods and tools, it is crucial to adhere not only to the criteria identified in literature, which include theoretical, practical, and simplified approaches, but also to tackle the most notable shortcomings. These deficiencies include the lack of application guides that incorporate motivational aspects such as games or gamification strategies, as well as fostering internal production through methods like experiential learning, prototyping coupled with design thinking, or other such initiatives. [17] N. A. J. Gazem, A. A. Rahman, TRIZ principles in redesign service approaches, Advances in information Sciences and Service Sciences 5 (2013) 273.