Yuri Borgianni

Discussion and Concluding Remarks

The Chapter presents a discussion about the global achievements of IPPR. The proposed method represents an original contribution in terms of the tools for supporting both BPR and NPD tasks. More specifically, it suggests modeling techniques capable to represent the functioning of a business process linking the phases to the aspects of value supplied to the user. Novel assessment metrics have been defined aimed at identifying the process bottlenecks in terms of the ratio between generated customer satisfaction and involved resources. Furthermore, original guidelines have been identified to support the user in performing new value proposition tasks oriented towards the definition of new product profiles. The tests have confirmed reliability and consistency of the feedbacks provided by IPPR. Eventually, further studies have been planned to expand the potentialities and the reliability of the methodologies, among them some are included in ongoing research activities.

Model and algorithm for computer-aided inventive problem analysis

The paper presents the research activity developed by the authors in the field of computer-aided inventive problem solving: an original model and a dialogue-based software application have been developed by integrating the logic of ARIZ (Algorithm for the Inventive Problem Solving) with some OTSM-TRIZ (General Theory of Powerful Thinking) models in order to guide a user also with no TRIZ education to the analysis of inventive problems. The paper demonstrates that through a dialogue-based interaction it is possible to guide the user towards a proper formulation of the problem statement, which is an essential step of any conceptual design activity. The proposed software system, although still at a prototype stage, has been tested with students at Politecnico di Milano and at the University of Florence. The paper details the structure of the algorithm and the results of the first validation activity; then, it discusses about the possibility to integrate the proposed approach into a new generation of CAD systems.

Understanding TRIZ through the review of top cited publications

TRIZ development has not followed the typical patterns of scientific validation.Its diffusion in scientific literature has taken place much later than development.No systematic review of TRIZ-related publications has been performed.The 100 most cited contributions are classified and illustrated.We can state that actual scope of TRIZ goes well beyond technical problem solving. The development of the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) has not followed the usual patterns of scientific validation required by engineering methods. Consequently, its outreach within engineering design is interpreted differently in the scholarly community. At the same time, the claimed powerful support in tackling technical problems of any degree of difficulty conflicts with TRIZ diffusion in industrial settings, which is relatively low according to insights into product development practices. The mismatch between ambitious goals and moderate spill-over benefits in the industry ranges among the various open issues concerning TRIZ, its way of thinking, its effectiveness, the usability of its tools. In order to provide a general overview of TRIZ in science, the authors have attempted to analyse reliable and influential sources from the literature. The performed survey includes the top 100 indexed publications concerning TRIZ, according to the number of received citations. Variegated and poorly interconnected research directions emerge in the abundant literature that tackles TRIZ-related topics. The outcomes of the investigation highlight the successful implementation of TRIZ within, among the others, biomimetics and information processing. The traditional borders of mechanical and industrial engineering have been frequently crossed, as the use of TRIZ is also witnessed in the domain of business and services. At the same time, computer-aided platforms represent diffused attempts to boost TRIZ diffusion and applicability.

An original design approach for stimulating the ideation of new product features

An analysis of the computer-aided tools supporting idea generation in product planning has been performed.The main lacks of the available tools have been identified.A new approach has been developed for supporting the identification of valuable product features.The tool has been tested through experiments in academia and industry.Experiments show the capability of the tool to enhance quantity and novelty of ideas. The manuscript illustrates a method, implemented in a computer application, which supports the identification of new product features in the early phases of engineering design cycles. In the practice, such a task is commonly carried out through cognitive techniques that generate random and unstructured stimuli. These approaches and the computer-aided tools that implement them suffer from a scarce exploration of the design space. This criticality is faced by introducing an original classification of value drivers, thus organizing a large set of concepts consisting of stimuli for generating new product ideas. The proposed method combines the concepts belonging to different categories of the classification in order to identify scenarios in which the product can provide unprecedented benefits for customers and other stakeholders. Experiments in academia and industry show the capability of the developed method and prototype software to increase the number and the novelty of ideas, reveal previously overlooked drivers for customer satisfaction and enhance the definition of stimulated design requirements.

Process Value Analysis for Business Process Re-engineering

Abstract Two decades of studies about business process re-engineering have proposed several strategies for the reorganization of a production process aimed at costs saving and waste reduction. Nevertheless, there is still a substantial lack of suitable means to measure if and how much the production phases contribute to deliver value, i.e. satisfaction, to the end user. The present paper proposes a methodology aimed at supporting business process re-engineering activities by taking into account the impact each phase of a process has on the value perceived by the customers. The methodology swivels on process value analysis, that is performed through the evaluation of both the customer perceived benefits originated from the process phases, and the resources spent in the same phases. On the basis of customer satisfaction requirements, guidelines are defined in order to identify both process evolution strategies and resource reorganization activities allowing the market competitiveness of products and/or services that the process sells to be preserved and improved. The methodology has been applied to a case study in the field of the Italian footwear industry in order to assess its efficiency.

Towards the fine-tuning of a predictive Kano model for supporting product and service design

Kanos theory analyses only the ‘current situation’ concerning the extent of customer satisfaction, which results from fulfilling monitored product/service attributes. Such an issue hinders the exploitation of Kano surveys for long-time design projects. On the other hand, trends regarding the shift of quality attributes reported in literature are not supported by rigorous research. In order to highlight evidence about changes in the main drivers for customer satisfaction, the authors have individuated and subsequently examined surveys of three analogous products or services performed by different research groups. The use of a quantitative reference model linking the performance of quality attributes to the ensuing satisfaction provides a clear picture of the transformation occurring within the role played by a plurality of customer requirements. The results of the investigation show remarkable differences in the evolution of quality attributes and point out new needs for the organisation of an experiment to validate the existing hypotheses that concern the transformation of Kano categories. More specifically, the paper stresses the importance of performing repeated tests with the same group of customers, paying attention to industrial sectors where performance is progressing quickly, considering uncertainties related to the output of Kano surveys.

Computer-Aided Problem Solving - Part 2: A Dialogue-Based System to Support the Analysis of Inventive Problems

The paper illustrates an original model and a dialogue-based software application that have been developed by integrating the logic of ARIZ with some OTSM-TRIZ models, in order to guide a user, also with no TRIZ background, to the analysis of inventive problems. The dialogue-based procedure brings to the construction of a model of the inventive problem, which is used both to trigger new solutions by highlighting different solving perspectives and to start an automatic knowledge search within technical and scientific information. The prototype system has been tested with students at Politecnico di Milano and at the University of Florence. The paper details the structure of the algorithm and the results of the first validation activity.

Innovation Trajectories within the Support of Decisions: Insights about S-Curve and Dominant Design Models

The research about the patterns of technology evolution is populated by descriptive models, explaining quite regular trends of product development processes. The most popular schemes share the idea of long innovation periods characterized by incremental improvements and punctuated by technological turmoil events. Within the engineering field, such pattern can be described by S-shaped curves depicting the growth of performances in charge of technological paradigms, which approach their natural limit after entering their maturity stage. The birth of a novel S-curve symbolizes the emergence of a new breakthrough technology, which is followed by the choice of a preferred paradigm in the industry, generally designated as Dominant Design. However, new exigencies expressed by practitioners have remarked the limitations of qualitative models. Whereas some contributions openly question the general validity of the described models, a remarkable amount of literature claims that certain conditions related to the inno...

Business Process Reengineering driven by customer value

There is a growing need of DSSs viable to address and overcome business process bottlenecks.The capability is mapped of business process phases to produce customer satisfaction.Process uncertainties are dealt through an original algorithm.The DSS is conceived to support express analysis with reduced resources consumption.Tests show the benefits of the system outputs and their reliability. The field of Business Process Reengineering (BPR) has recently observed the birth of Decision Support Systems (DSSs) as a solution for overcoming the limitations of previous initiatives. The numerous failures concerning earlier BPR implementations are mostly ascribed to the introduction of best practices from other industrial experiences without proper adaptation to the local specificities, as well as by the inadequate consideration of uncertainty issues within decision making. A considerable amount of DSSs integrates issues dealing with customer opinions and behaviours and takes into account the uncertainties related to the relevance and the implications of the gathered feedbacks. In such a context, the paper describes an algorithmic model (implemented in a computer application) for supporting decision making that quantitatively relates the phases of a business process with its outputs, with reference to the contribution in generating customer value. The proposed decision support method can be advantageously employed especially in those cases characterized by time pressure and impossibility of performing suitable customer surveys. The model sheds light on process value bottlenecks and provides indications about the most beneficial reengineering activities. Context uncertainties are managed by applying Monte Carlo simulation. Such a measure allows evaluating the share of risk ensuing from redesigning certain business process phases.

Surprise and design creativity: investigating the drivers of unexpectedness

Abstract Scholars argue about the role played by surprise in making new products creative. Different perspectives evaluate surprise as a nuance of novelty, an independent dimension, or an emotional reaction to new products. The paper proposes a framework of factors supposedly characterizing the emergence of surprise in terms of individuals’ interpretations and/or modifications of products’ behavior and structure. Moreover, it illustrates the outcomes of a preliminary empirical investigation about the manifestation of unexpectedness according to such a framework: the proposed factors have been checked by interpreting the motivations leading to the presence of surprise in 12 new lamps described in the literature. The experiment states the reasonability of the described factors and, as a consequence, the paper provides a contribution to better articulate the debate in the research arena.