USIT Sickafus' Heuristics (Index)

TRIZ/USIT Document
Sickafus' 21 Heuristics – Cross-references to USIT solution generation methods
Hideaki Kosha (Fuji Photo Film, Co., Japan) and Toru Nakagawa (OGU), Aug. 21, 2002 [Posted in Japanese on Sept. 18, 2002]
English version: Ed Sickafus + Toru Nakagawa [Posted in English on Apr. 3, 2003][Withdrawn: Apr. 8, 2003 - Dec. 18, 2012]
Posted again under permissions : Toru Nakagawa (OGU), Dec. 22, 2012

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Editor's Note (Toru Nakagawa, Sept. 18, 2002; English translation on Mar. 7, 2003)

This document is a list of 21 Heuristics described by Ed Sickafus in his USIT Textbook. This document was composed during our process of reorganizing TRIZ Solution Generation Methods (including Sickafus' Heuristics) into those of USIT, and is now posted here as a basic document for making links among various methods and documents of TRIZ and USIT.
The original reference is:
Sickafus, Ed. N., (1997) "Unified Structured Inventive Thinking: How to Invent", Ntelleck, Grosse Ile, MI, USA, ISBN 0-9659435-0-X (E).
In his USIT Textbook, Sicakfus describes five main methods for solution generation in detail and then in Appendix D he lists up 21 Heuristics, whose outline you see here. These Heuristics may be reagarded as the result of his efforts for trying to integrate various TRIZ methods and his USIT method and to express them in a style similar to the Inventive Principles.
In these Heuristics Sickafus put much stress on clarifying various viewpoints for finding solutions. Hence he always list up both positive and negative (or opposite) directions of possible solution actions to consider (e.g. introduce/remove, increase/decrease, etc.) Examples attached in the textbook are omitted here.
(Note): Cross-references shown in the form such as [USIT 1a] refer to our new USIT Solution Generation Methods developed in our ETRIA 2002 paper. Please refer to the "USIT Solution Generation Methods (Extended Version)" for more detail.
Editor's Note (Toru Nakagawa, Dec. 19, 2012)

I am happy to upload this page again under the permission by Dr. Ed Sickafus, together with other pages of cross-references between TRIZ tools and USIT Solution Generation Methods.

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TRIZ & USIT Tools (Index top)

Inventive Principles (Salamatov)

Inventive Standards (Salamatov)

Inventive Standards (Mann)

Trends (Mann)

21 Heuristics (Sickafus)

USIT Operators (Full version)

USIT Operators (Extended version)

Japanese page

Sickafus' 21 Heuristics
– Cross-references to USIT solution generation methods

A. Temporal Basis

1. Unify out-of-phase functions (phase change)

1a. Activate different attributes in the same object at different locations [USIT 2e, 3f]
1b. Activate different attributes in the same object at different times [USIT 2e, 3f]

2. Sequence of events.

2a. Change sequence of events.     [USIT 3f]
2b. Reverse sequence of events.       [USIT 3f]
2c. Multiplex sequence of events.     [USIT 3f]

3. Rate of events.

3a. Introduce rate of events.       [USIT 3f]
3b. Increase rate of events.         [USIT 3f]
3c. Decrease rate of events.        [USIT 3f]
3d. Remove rate of events.         [USIT 3f]

4. Periodicity (inverse of frequency)

4a. Introduce periodicity (or inverse of frequency).   [USIT 3f]
4b. Increase periodicity (or inverse of frequency).     [USIT 3f]
4c. Decrease periodicity (or inverse of frequency).    [USIT 3f]
4d. Remove periodicity (or inverse of frequency).   [USIT 3f]

5. Feed-back

5a. Introduce feed-back.      [USIT 3h]
5b. Increase feed-back.        [USIT 3h]
5c. Decrease feed-back.       [USIT 3h]
5d. Remove feed-back.         [USIT 3h]

6. Synchronize/out-of-phase/Differentiate events. (also hysterisis)

6a. Synchronize events.          [USIT 3i]
6b. Out-of-phase events. (or histeresis)    [USIT 3i]
6c. Differentiate events.         [USIT 3i]

7. Initiation of event.

7a. Advance the initiation of event. [USIT 3f]
7b. Retard the initiation of event. [USIT 3f]

B. Spatial Basis

8. Order of objects.

8a. Introduce (spatail) order of objects.    [USIT 2d]
8b. Increase (spatail) order of objects.      [USIT 2d]
8c. Decrease (spatail) order of objects.     [USIT 2d]
8d. Remove (spatail) order of objects.       [USIT 2d]

9. Shape-change of an object

9a. Introduce shape-cahnge of an object. [USIT 2d]
9b. Prevent shape-change of an object. [USIT 2d]

10. Change periodicity of a pattern (inverse of spatial frequency)

10a. Introduce periodicity of patter (or inverse of spatial frequency).     [USIT 2d]
10b. Increase periodicity of patter (or inverse of spatial frequency).     [USIT 2d]
10c. Decrease periodicity of patter (or inverse of spatial frequency).    [USIT 2d]
10d. Remove periodicity of patter (or inverse of spatial frequency).    [USIT 2d]

11. Symmetry

11a. Introduce symmetry.     [USIT 2d]
11b. Increase symmetry.       [USIT 2d]
11c. Decrease symmetry.      [USIT 2d]
11d. Remove symmetry.        [USIT 2d]

12. Localize/delocalize the problem.

12a. Localize the problem. [USIT 2d]
12b. Delocalize the problem. [USIT 2d]

13. Super-pose/Separaate/Differentiate objects (unify)

13a. Super-pose objects (or unify objects).   [USIT 2d, 4b]
13b. Seperate objects.      [USIT 2d, 4b]
13c. Differentiate objects.      [USIT 2d, 4b]

14. Eliminate/introduce time (variable --> constant)

14a. Eliminate time (or variable --> constant). [USIT 2e]
14b. Introduce time (or constant --> variant). [USIT 2e]

C. Solution Ploys

15. Adversity.

15a. Remove the adversity. [USIT 2a]
15b. Change the adversity to an advantage. [USIT 2a]

16. Invoke contradiction, examine opposites.

[USIT 4e]

17. Take to extremes: 0, 1, ... infinity.

17a. Take to extremes: from several to infinity in one dimension.                [USIT 1b]
17b. Take to extremes: from infinite in one dimension to infinite in two dimensions.        [USIT 1b]
17c.   Take to extremes: to an infinite continuum.               [USIT 1d]

18. Genericize object's functions

18a. Genericize object's functions to discover uniqueness. [USIT 5a]
18b. Genericize object's functions to discover replacement objects. [USIT 5a]

19. Genericize solutions to become templates for other solutions.

[USIT 5a]

20. Simplify/complex.

20a. Simplify the problem. [USIT 4e]
20b. Complex the problem. [USIT 4e]

21. Transduction (Convert energy or information from one form to another; e.g., sensors/transducers.

[USIT 3d, 2b]