Engineering work is built on three essential pillars: process improvement, cost reduction, and root cause analysis. Engineers should dedicate their thinking to a specific and measurable target, use thinking tools and resources, and recognize and value engineering thinking. The PRIZ Innovation Platform offers tools for engineering thinking, including Process Functional Modeling, 40 Inventive Principles, and Effective Brainstorming. Engineers should focus on improving only those operations that increase the value of the product, remove all operations that do not increase the value of the product, and understand the origin of defects and eliminate them. What does an engineer do? What does…

This case study explores the usage of Process Functional Modeling (PFM) as a problem-solving tool in microchip manufacturing. PFM is an innovative way of thinking that involves breaking down a process into its components on multiple levels and generating innovative solutions. The tool enables us to move from general to specific, from process to operations, operations to components, and components to functions. In this article, we provide a real-life example of how a team applied PFM to the microchip manufacturing process. We want to demonstrate its effectiveness in creating a model of failure in the context of the whole process….

Improving processes is essential for any organization looking to increase efficiency, reduce costs, and improve overall performance. Whether streamlining operations, automating repetitive tasks, or eliminating bottlenecks, there are many ways to improve processes and boost productivity. In today’s fast-paced business environment, organizations that can quickly and effectively adapt to changing market conditions are more likely to succeed. By identifying opportunities for improvement and implementing solutions, businesses can stay ahead of the competition and achieve their goals. This article will explore the benefits of Process Functional Modeling and how it can be used to make strategic and tactical decisions that lead…

We always talk about solving problems and improving processes of an operation, a part of a bigger process. This is great! In fact, it is always encouraged to break the bigger, more complex process into smaller pieces so we can simplify the problem we are working on. However, this approach may create another issue. The engineers working on a problem, especially in large complex processes, might end up diving into the wrong operation of the process. In this article, we introduce the newly released tool in the PRIZ Innovation Platform that is built to help engineers look at the whole…

Functional modeling is probably the most powerful problem-solving tool available for us as engineers. The tool is applicable to both sudden, unpredictable deviations (AKA excursions) and for solving chronic problems. The power of Functional Modeling Functional modeling benefits us in a number of things. Here, however, we want to highlight just some of them. How does System Functional Modeling work There is a straightforward process and specific steps that we need to follow in order to build a functional model and achieve desired results: Definitions Product The “product” is what the engineering system was originally designed for or to produce….

The evolution of technical systems is governed by objective laws. This means that a modern cell phone, for example, looks and operates as it does not because of the creativity of the designer. Of course, Jony Ive is extremely talented and his work changed our world, he and his team didn’t have any other options but to create the iPhone the way they did. In this post, we will explain how can we predict the cellphone future with 9 Windows. The direction of system evolution The main direction of evolution is to satisfy customer needs. So, what is the main…

Read the news, blog posts, many articles, from companies and investors; the whole world is talking about innovations. Why do we need Innovation, and how does it impact a business anyway? In this article, we analyzed a business’s functional structure and shown that consistent (not occasional) Innovation & Problem-solving must be in place to ensure business success.  Business Functional Model We have already shown an example of Functional Modeling in our blogs “Take a customer’s function away to satisfy the customer“, and “A problem solver is the main roadblock in problem solving processes“. Functional Modeling is an analytical tool built…

As we mentioned in our previous blog “What does a customer need?”: The best product or service is something that prevents a customer from his current activity. The most important questions are: What is your customer doing? Why is he doing this? To answer these questions and the analysis of the data will bring us to a clear definition of our customer needs. Since this investigation is problem-solving, creative thinking tools should be used. Let’s describe as an example of how Functional Modeling (one of the effective creative thinking tools) helps us to define customer needs. Below briefly listed the…