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6.4. The 7-Step TRIZ Process: 4. Ideality Gap

How To Invent (Almost) Anything > 6. The 7-Step TRIZ Process > 6.4. The 7-Step TRIZ Process: 4. Ideality Gap

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Along with considering benefits, consider how far from the ideal device or wish you are. Are there some changes you can make which lead to increasing benefit and reducing harm/cost? If you are a long way away from an Ideal device consider changing the device drastically in design so that it would function as the Ideal device. Consider doing this by trimming (i.e. removing or simplifying) the secondary functions that do not deliver the primary value.

A major goal in using Ideality is to simplify a system so that future innovations can be introduced with less things to consider. In a technical device the fewer parts there are the easier it is to add something later without so many variables to consider (everything has some kind of affect on everything else, especially in manufacturing).

In a non-technical system reducing the number of elements in the system gives you a faster potential change in the future. How close can you get to a virtual marketing campaign, one which delivers the function of the marketing without any actions needed by the marketing team?

For example, the ideal number of legs are zero, as the real value in the table is in the top. So what if there were no legs? How about a suspended table on a pulley system? When you were done with it, you could push it right up to the ceiling!
 

Steps in the 7-step TRIZ process:

• 1. Resources
• 2. Parameters
• 3. Benefits
• 4. Ideality Gap
• 5. Evolution Trends
• 6. The 7-Step TRIZ Process
• 7. Resources Again

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