The methodological collection of “ITSWT-5C:4E”

Материалы 3 конференции "ТРИЗ. Практика применения методических инструментов"

THE METHODOLOGICAL COLLECTION OF “ITSWT-5C:4E”

 

This article is to announce and describe our methodological collection which was developed last year in Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology. It is a systemically developed material for gathering and deploying methods/approaches that consider the integration of TRIZ with IT/SW. This methodological collection is developed at Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology, and named as “ITSWT-5C:4E” (IT/Software TRIZ – five concepts with build-in four elements). It comprises an extendable structure of theoretical and practical information which could be applied during consulting projects, or when building cookbooks (manuals) for running specific business cases which are devoted to IT/SW related tasks.

Keywords: IT, Methodology, Software, TRIZ

 

Prior art experience

The incubating time for discovering TRIZ and IT Software relationship has successfully passed. Nowadays, the features of such relationship are clear enough to appropriate specialists for building manuals that can support various software-oriented consulting projects. A lot of articles and practices discovered the existing and non-existing opportunities of TRIZ and IT/SW integration. During this time three types of relationship are identified: 1) the influence of TRIZ on Software development, 2) the influence of Software developing methods on TRIZ evolution, 3) the development of software tools for applying TRIZ methods (See Figure 1).

 

Figure 1. Three ways of interaction between TRIZ and IT/SW sets

 

 

For better understanding, let us briefly describe each of those three mentioned types of relationship.

 

1.   “TRIZ for IT/SW”: Deploying TRIZ-based approaches and methods during the performing of

IT/SW-related tasks and projects, e.g.:

·    Applying software-oriented contradiction matrix and inventive principles

·    Applying IT/Software-oriented trends of evolution analysis

·    Applying IT/Software-oriented technology transfer

2.   “IT/SW for TRIZ”: Improving the efficiency of TRIZ methodology via well-known IT/SW trends, methods and approaches, e.g.:

·    Enhancing the functional and process analysis

·    Enhancing the flow optimization by applying data flow analysis

·    Involving new methods

·    Modifying TRIZ-based roadmaps

·    Identifying new types of TRIZ-based projects

·    Developing quality management tools for controlling the efficiency of TRIZ-based projects

3.   “TRIZ via SW”: Develop toolkit for internal efficient usage, e.g.:

·    Improving existing TRIZ-based software packages and tools

·    Developing new TRIZ-based software for both general and specialized purposes

 

Unlike the “TRIZ via SW”, the “TRIZ for IT/SW” and the “IT/SW for TRIZ” are not developed enough for direct commercial and wide engineering benefits, and still require intensive cooperation between engineers and analysts of both sides to achieve sufficient methodological level and application.

 

Thus, our practical efforts are focused on first two research partitions. It is important to mention here that the development of “TRIZ for IT/SW” is in higher priority than developing “IT/SW for TRIZ” because of its potentiality clearance (The business cases of IT/SW projects are easier to identify for applying TRIZ).

 

By applying the S-curve tool, the development status of “TRIZ for IT/SW” could be described via

following diagram (See Figure 2.).

 

Figure 2. S-curve diagram of “TRIZ for IT/SW” development

 

 

 

To make steps forward in this development, it is vital to consider the experience of “others”, their research and results. The following table (Table 1) with the help of references, estimates some of published research. Table 1 says that many researchers have studied the relationship between IT/SW and TRIZ. Most studies are, however, so fragmented that the systematic development of methodology and the problem of efficient application, in a complete and specific manner, remain unanswered.

 

Table 1. Summarization of research sketch

 

Aspects

References

Gaps (missing tasks)

Analysis of properties,

opportunities and problems

[1], [3], [5], [6], [7], [12]

Non-systemic evaluation - misses

deeper analysis.

Adapting an approach or a

method to IT/SW related tasks

[2], [4], [8], [9], [10] [11], [12]

Restricted to one or two

method/approach (mainly contradiction solving, inventive principles, Su-field model)

Roadmapping TRIZ-IT/SW

[5]

Details and development are not

reviewed. Case studies not supported.

Suggesting a new integrated

approach or method

[13]

Not connected to real IT/SW

business case

 

 

The purpose of such work is to close the identified methodological gaps, and to make the TRIZ-IT/SW relationship stronger in theory and practice. Our project experience and the analysis of practices of others enabled us to build a new and more systemic knowledge base (ITSWT-5C:4E) for collecting and developing different methodological sets which could be applied in TRIZ-IT/SW tasks. This methodological collection has a conceptual part (5C) and four applicable elements (4E), supported with extendable database of real case studies and projects.

 

“ITSWT-5C:4E” description

 

First, the brief information about “ITSWT-5C:4E” entities are showed in Table 2.

 

Table 2. The general structure of “ITSWT-5C:4E”

 

 

Interpretation

 

ITSWT

 

IT/SW fields and tasks + TRIZ-based methods

 

 

 

5C

Concept 1: The connection between IT/SW and TRIZ

Concept 2: Selection of subject fields Concept 3: Selection of process practices Concept 4: Engineering by project types

Concept 5: Improving of methodology by case studies

 

4E

1st  Element: Approaches – The general high principles

2nd  Element: Roadmaps – The management process of methods and tools

3rd  Element: Methods – Classic and additionally developed analytical methods

4th  Element: Tools – Environmental means, templates, manuals, etc.

 

 

The extended explanation of listed entities as below:

 

5C: Concept 1 (The connection between IT/SW and TRIZ): Includes the substantiation of connection features, e.g.: a) Estimation of TRIZ methods applicability in IT/SW, b) Estimation of difficulties that SW developers face when applying TRIZ methods.

 

5C: Concept 2 (Selection of subject fields): Includes defining and substantiating the potential subject fields in IT/SW where TRIZ-based methods are applicable and reasonable.

 

Table 3. Fragment of subject fields analysis

 

5C: Concept 3 (Selection of process practices): Includes defining and substantiating the processes in

IT/SW for TRIZ applications.

 

Table 4. Fragment of process analysis

 

5C: Concept 4 (Engineering by project types): Includes defining and substantiating the types of

IT/SW related projects, which are available for TRIZ applications.

 

5C: Concept 5 (Improving of methodology by case studies): Principles of gathering, selecting and building case studies, their partitioning and deployment.

 

4E: 1st  Element (Approaches – The general high principles). Samples: Parallel thinking; Trimming in patent strategies; Systematize the non-systemic processes/methods; “Open innovation” for “open systems”; Handling algorithms disadvantages via contradiction solving; Engineering real-time systems.

 

4E: 2nd  Element (Roadmaps – The management process of methods and tools). Samples:

Preliminary analysis (analysis of objectives, tasks, SW requirements); Process roadmapping optimization

& extension; Applying typical toolbox for typical project/task; Verification process (handling secondary disadvantages).

 

4E: 3rd  Element (Methods – Classic and additionally developed analytical methods). Samples: Trend

of “Centralization vs. Decentralization”; Materializing objects of IT/SW components; Abstract language


of SW modeling for functional analysis; Specialized S-curve and TEA analysis; Associations and patterns deployment.

 

4E: 4th  Element (Tools – Environmental means, templates, manuals, etc.). Samples: IT Objects measurement in terms of semi-physical parameters; Interfaces development (e.g. templates); Data handling (format, transfer); Cookbooks & SW management.

 

The elements database consists of description pages (See sample on Figure 3) and their appropriate case studies material.

 

Figure 3. Page description of a new method “Applying trend of centralization vs. decentralization”

 

 

Applicability and extendibility

 

The structure of such methodological collection is: a) flexible to obtain newly identified knowledge regarding the IT/SW-TRIZ relationship, b) flexible in matching different needs (e.g. consulting services, research development), c) scalable as analysts and experts can extend its entities and content.

 

During the process of developing “ITSWT-5C:4E” It is important to balance between developing theoretical (5C) and practical parts (4E) and to keep the direct relationship between them. The enforcement of each newly introduced element happens through building case studies from real projects/or patent analysis where such element was applied.

 

One of perspective direction of development, could be also building cookbooks of applying TRIZ-based methods for special selected perspective business cases of IT/SW, which can be used by experts or project team members.

 

The patent analysis of IT/SW solutions and trends analysis is essential for discovering new TRIZ-based methods and engineering opportunities, which could be added to ITSWT-5C:4E. Thus TRIZ experts with IT/SW background and encouraged to perform this not trivial and big vacant work. Authors are already started the patent analysis with chosen subject profile and topics, and its results to be published later.


Conclusion

 

This study proposes the collective methods/approaches, named as ITSWT-5C:4E, that consider the integration of TRIZ with IT/SW. For practical output, we mainly open two roads to develop this integration. One is to deploy TRIZ-based approaches and methods during the performing of IT/SW- related tasks and projects. The other is to improve the efficiency of TRIZ methodology via well known IT/SW trends, methods, and approaches. The methodological collection consists of 5 conceptual parts(5C) and 4 applicable elements(4E). It is expected that this study makes the TRIZ and IT/SW relationship stronger in theory and practice.

 

References

 

[1] Application of TRIZ in Software Development. By: Herman Hartmann, Ad Vermeulen and Martine van

Beers, 2004.

 

[2] Applying TRIZ to Software Problems - Creatively Bridging Academia and Practice in Computing - Kevin

C. Rea, 2002.

 

[3] Case Study: Use of TRIZ in Software Design - Navneet Bhushan, 2008.

 

[4] Describing Design Patterns in Software Engineering - Ellen Domb and John W. Stamey, 2007.

[5] Main issues about applying TRIZ tools in IT fields - Ahmad-Ramez Kassou, Russia; (In Russian), 2005. [6] Methodology Development and Real Success Story for application of TRIZ in IT/SW field. Kim

SungCheol; Sergey Antonoy; Vassili Leniashin; Song MiJeong, 2007.

 

[7] Software Engineering and TRIZ (2) - Step-wise Refinement and the Jackson Method Reviewed with

TRIZ - Toru Nakagawa, 2005.

 

[8] TRIZ AND EXTREME PROGRAMMING - John W. Stamey, 2007.

 

[9] TRIZ and Software - 40 Principle Analogies, a sequel. Rob van den Tillaart, 2006. [10] TRIZ and Software Fini - Ron Fulbright, 2004.

[11] TRIZ for Software Using the Inventive Principles. Kevin C. Rea, 2005.

 

[12] TRIZ methods in SW development to enhance the productivity - Igor Odintsov (Intel), Mikhail Rubin,

2009.

 

[13] Using TRIZ to Resolve Software Interface Problems - Igor Zadesenets, 2009.

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