CC BY
10DOI: 10.24412/cl-37100-2023-12-172-179
A.-R. Kassou, M. Rubin Developing TRIZ approaches and methods in IT systems
ABSTRACT
For more than two decades, TRIZ specialists and developers of IT systems have been searching for efficient application of methodological tools in the field of software and hardware development. To date, there is a qualified understanding of when and how the use of TRIZ tools can be effective and fundamentally new. It often happens that such an application directly depends on the formulation of tasks at the business level in IT projects. In this paper, on the one hand, four approaches are identified that differ in the nature of interaction between TRIZ and IT systems, and on the other, business tasks are identified and under what conditions certain tools can be most in demand by the IT development community. The problems and potential of TRIZ application for each of the main information objects of IT systems are considered (Structures and diagrams, interfaces, platforms and systems, hardware architecture, process management\network traffic\big data, algorithms and semantics). Also, a study was conducted on the possibilities of methodological and instrumental integration with specialized technologies in IT systems, similar in their properties to a number of modern TRIZ tools (functional analysis of components and processes, flow analysis), so that their application in this area would be the most productive, would allow to develop and streamline the creative potential of teams developing modern software and hardware solutions and artificial intelligence systems. The article also provides examples and tasks for a better understanding of the specifics of objects and parameters by specialists from other industries. In the final part of the article, the importance of the considered issues is supported by the initiative of the organizing committee of the TRIZ Developers Summit to form research workgroups, in accordance with the previously identified four approaches of interaction between TRIZ and IT systems.
Keywords: database of inventions, El-field analysis, forecasting, hardware, information, Information technology (IT), instruments, inventive task, IT system, laws of development, methodology, methods, object, processes, software, technologies, tools
GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT IT SYSTEMS
Information systems and technologies (conventionally referred to as IT systems) are at the interface between the science of computing systems and business. These are software and hardware products developed with the help of scientific and engineering knowledge in the fields of mathematics, electronics, information theory, engineering of computer systems, complexes and networks, in order to implement information tools in the field of business management and decision-making systems. The tasks and mechanisms of IT systems are to collect, distribute, process, store and extract information. Thus, these systems are designed by scientific and technological approaches and applied as a part of the business infrastructure.
The nature of the development of IT systems is given in the review of evolutionary parameters by class of tasks and by the growth of the volume of processed information, which is growing 8.
10 times faster than the total weight of the entire Earth civilization (Table 1)
Table 1. Evolution stages of IT systems
Before technology Before computers 1956- 1971- 1980- 1986 1995 2010- 2022
Hardware Living matter Man, signaling Electronic Semiconductors Integrated Microprocessors Personal Global Cloud
RNA-DNA systems lamps Magnetic tapes circuits Computer computer networks technologies
Nervous system Languages RAM and drums. Magnetic networks Global Distributed Data mining
Social Writing ADCs. disks Displays High networks computing Global data
connections Documents performance Storage warehouses
Libraries
Mechanical and
electrical
devices
Data and data ! Analog signals Signals Speech, Source data: Character data file systems Databases Audio Data from A complete
handling Synapse Symbols Numbers, Object Databases and knowledge bases Video and humans copy of
connections Numbers Input small volume parameters integrated use New data types other data (speech. reality:
Nerve impulses are Input faster of (date, time, etc.) formats gestures. People,
commensurate processing information. images, etc.) businesses.
with processing and machines organizations
Tasks Reproduction. Preservation Acceleration Complex Automated телекоммуннка Electronic Managing the Managing the
adaptive and exchange of calculations calculations. control шш. технология bidding and behavior of behavior of
mechanisms. of information. construction of system, клиент-сервер. attracting buyers and large social
defense and formation of mathematical application виртуальная customers via customers. groups and
attack. social ties models. programs реальность. the Internet M2M. Govs
communication Management. мультимедиа
management
Zettbytes 2,6* 1015 0,005 0,02 0,05 0,1 0,2 5 20 100
Under such conditions, the number of problems and tasks in IT systems is millions of times higher than in other technical systems.
A feature of the structure of IT systems is also the presence of a large variety of diverse information entities (Fig. 1).
Fig1. a) Information system components, b) Scheme of management and decision making
For typical objects of IT systems (Table 2), TRIZ models were formed based on El-field analysis (Fig. 2).
Table 2. Description of typical objects of IT systems for modeling in TRIZ
Description Features for IT system Samples
Interaction Two or more components are interconnected in one way or another, relations The connection between the elements is not material, informational Database. One variable depends on another variable.
Function (special type of relationship) Element 1 modifies another element 2 with an interaction field Field of interaction - informational Functional relationship between variables, data: formulas, algorithms
Process (special type of function) Element 1 is modified by influencing it Original Item 1 can be kept Replacing letters or numbers, rearranging them, etc.
Flow (special type of process) A process in which the parameter for changing an element is its location in space The information flow always has a material carrier flow, which may not move in space. Movement of information in space, telecommunications
Storage, braking (opposite of process) Stabilization of the state (parameters) of the element in time Storage can be dynamic through backups and data recovery Data storage, data recovery
The transition from material objects to information Formation of an information image of an object by influencing it with a field or element Only for IT systems Sensors of various parameters of material objects
Transition from IT systems to material Management of a material object based on information Only for IT systems Executive bodies of IT systems
Fig. 2. TRIZ models of typical objects of IT systems via El-field analysis
Approaches to the use of TRIZ with IT systems
1st approach: Transfer of TRIZ for the development of technology to the development of IT systems [1-14]. In this area, it is necessary to: a) expand and systematize the experience of using TRIZ tools in IT, b) adapt the TRIZ laws and tools (El-field analysis, methods and contradiction matrix, etc.) for application to IT, as well as generalize these TRIZ laws and tools for possibilities of their application in IT.
2n approach: Formation of tools for the development of IT systems based on a file of inventions [15-23]. Systematic file cabinets of inventions in the field of IT systems development and their virtually no analysis. In the literature, one can find no more than a hundred examples of the analysis of inventions in this field by TRIZ methods. This is not enough for the required level of generalizations, allowing to identify new tools for solving problems, techniques and lines of development that are specific to IT systems. One of the systematic sources of information about inventions in the field of IT can be patents for inventions. To do this, we can single out several classes of the IPC,
rank the inventions of these classes according to the five levels of inventions accepted in TRIZ, and try to make the necessary generalizations on the tools for solving problems in IT. For example, IPC class G06K - Data recognition; presentation of data; data playback; manipulation of information carriers; information carriers.
rd
3 approach: Application of general laws of development to IT systems [24-28]. The most complete and instrumental for use in IT is a set of laws for the development of functional-target systems, which, in particular, includes elements of goal setting, decision making and feedback in systems. To conduct research in this direction, it is necessary to analyze the applicability of the proposed set of laws for the development of functional target systems to the evolution of IT systems and the solution of inventive problems in this area. It is also necessary to collect and analyze information about the evolution of IT systems in order to formulate the laws and lines of their development.
4th approach: Application of IT systems for the development of TRIZ and RTV [29-35]. The growth in the practice of using IT systems in the implementation of the TRIZ tool environment in design and consulting activities leads to an increase in options and methods for collecting, processing and visualizing data on the analysis and solution of inventive problems (from different industries). The development and use of IT systems with elements of artificial intelligence, to serve the needs of users in the formation and solution of inventive and creative problems, brings the practice of design and consulting activities in TRIZ to a new level. The development and application of IT systems in the tasks of training and certification of TRIZ helps to scale the practice of mentoring and online coaching.
TOOLS FOR ANALYSIS AND DESIGN OF IT SYSTEMS
To study the potential for applicability and development of TRIZ tools in IT systems, it is necessary to review specialized technologies in the field of IT that have a similar purpose and properties similar to TRIZ methods and tools.
A fragment of such an overview for IT system objects is shown in the table:
Technologies with similar properties of functional analysis \ Function cost analysis Technologies with similar properties of Process Analysis / Functional Process Analysis Technologies with similar properties of streaming analysis
(IT Objects: Structures and Diagrams) Conducted by specialized visualization tools for object-oriented programming (for example, UML technologies). The cost of information entities is not of decisive importance for a software product, unlike material objects. (IT Objects: Process Management) Specialized information systems are used in the construction and analysis of processes (for example, business process modeling programs). (IT Objects: Network Traffic) Process modeling for intangible objects is often directly related to the analysis of information flows, based on the collection and processing of a set of statistical data. For these purposes, other specialized tools can be used in parallel (for example, network traffic analyzers, monitoring and analysis of complex data structures).
(IT Object: Interfaces) Produced by specialized tools for developing interfaces and building links between them (for example, interface design technologies). (IT Objects: Algorithms and Semantics) Specialized information and software tools are used (for example, Automata Theory, coding languages, flowcharts, neural networks, etc.) (IT Objects: Protocols and Standards) A system for documenting IT systems based on organizational and managerial business processes. The process of documentation has some similarities with the description of justification of decisions and concepts in TRIZ.
(IT Objects: Platforms and Systems) Management of the development of software and hardware platforms and systems is carried out by specialized tools for managing the architecture and interactions of components (for example, DMTF technologies) (IT Objects: Big Data in AI Systems) The design of AI systems is associated with high costs (for example, computing power), where constant control and optimization of data flows is required (in processor modules, in storage systems, in communication channels, etc.). (routing algorithms)
(IT Objects: Hardware Architecture) The design of the topology of the interaction of components and the architectural development of electronic devices is carried out by specialized tools (CAD technologies of microcircuits)
Further, the problems and potential of using TRIZ tools in setting tasks in IT are considered:
Issues Potential and objectives of TRIZ application
Structures and diagrams The terminological base of functional modeling in TRIZ differs from that used in object-oriented programming (OOP) and has an additional level of abstraction for objects and entities, which reduces its practical expediency. Evaluating the usefulness and harmful-ness of functions/interactions between components can help architects and software developers evaluate solution options. For this purpose, it is possible to expand the functionality of specialized OOP visualization tools.
Interfaces Functional modeling in TRIZ is not designed to take into account the need for interface prototyping, which is the main purpose of using such technologies. Conducting functional modeling in interface design can be the most effective among other IT objects. For this purpose, you can expand the functionality of specialized interface development tools.
Platforms and systems Modeling of components of systems and software and hardware platforms is carried out in the form of text diagrams and classes (parametric objects), which complicates their visualization and the introduction of new options for function analysis To carry out functional modeling of software and hardware platforms and systems, you can create a special mode of visualization of objects, in which redundant information will disappear for conducting a classic functional cost analysis
Hardware architecture These tools lack the functionality for conducting function and function cost analyses (FA\FCA), and the TRIZ FA\FCA software does not contain libraries of components and electronics systems. There is a need to expand the functionality of CAD for microcircuits and hardware solutions for conducting FA\FCA on TRIZ
Process Management \ Network Traffic \ Big Data The use of function analysis processes without analyzing big data flows sharply limits the scope of implementation. Decision-making tools for operational optimization of processes have not been developed. Combination of real-time streaming analysis tools with functional process analysis tools, indicating how the ranking of functions changes in dynamics.
Algorithms and semantics The evolution of languages and programming tools comes from emerging shortcomings and challenges, depending on the development lines of computers and network technologies, which is characterized by big data and the use of AI tools, which greatly complicates the tasks of forecasting. Forecasting the lines of development of computer technology, to determine new types and programming tools. Investigation of system deficiencies at the design level.
EXAMPLES OF INVENTIVE PROBLEMS FOR IT SYSTEMS ( Inventive task in IT
\
V
Identifying key tasks
(Function analysis,
Cause-effect analysis, i—:
Flow analysis,
Contradictions forming,
etc.)
»
Resolving conflicts, applying principles and techniques Solving contradictions
l=>
Inventive task solution
/
Example 1: PLC (programmable logic controllers) interface code for human interaction must be located in the controller device to ensure its autonomy, but this overloads its functionality when implementing specialized industry solutions.
Example 2: The hardware interface between network devices, which are imbedded inside sensitive systems, should perform one main function for reliable usage, but it leads to multiplication of interfaces and bulkiness in systems of different purposes.
Example 3: The user interface of smartphone should inform the user, anticipating his possible actions with applications, but it can take a lot of screen space and user time. With the growth of multitasking, the problem of developing a user-friendly interface is getting worse.
CONCLUSION
A study of the cumulative experience in four approaches to the interaction of TRIZ and IT systems for their further development showed the need to:
• form a card file for solving inventive problems for gaining experience, developing TRIZ tools for IT systems and implementing TRIZ in IT practices.
• R&D the potential of TRIZ application for the development of specialized tools for the development of IT systems.
• forecast the lines of development of computer technology to predict the problems and shortcomings of information systems.
• often use IT systems in the tasks of training, mentoring and online TRIZ coaching for the development and implementation of TRIZ tools and for the development of a creative personality.
• develop specialized IT systems with artificial intelligence for the development of design and consulting activities in TRIZ
In the direction of TRIZ in IT, at the international public organization of the TRIZ Developers Summit, a working group was formed to launch systemic development on the identified approaches for the interaction of specialists from both areas. The primary task of the functioning of this working group will be the formation of a file of inventions and solutions in IT systems.
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