By Victor R. Fey & Eugene I. Riven, 1997, 82 pages (paperback), $27.00, American Supplier Institute, 800-462-4500.

This book was written to provide managers with an overall picture of the TRIZ (pronounced "trees") method of problem solving by inventive means. The TRIZ method was developed over the last 50 years in Russia. It was originated by Genrikh Altschuller in 1946. Altschuller systematically studied a vast number of patents and came to the conclusion that certain fundamental principles and methods underlie virtually all inventions. This book is Book One of a series of books designed to explain, in English, what those principles and methods are.

Many independent inventors and entrepreneurs are turned off by anything that smacks of "theory" or "science". It would be a mistake to rule out reading this book because of this innate aversion of some to "pure logic". If someone spends a lifetime analyzing patents, it may be that the "theory" he has developed may also contain a great deal of old-fashioned "horse sense". Compared to many popular books, this is not an easy read. But at the same time, it is not all that difficult. You may find you can't rush through it but, like digging for diamonds, you may have to work hard but the results can be more than worth the sweat.

Much of what inventors have done in the past involved the "trial and error method". If you had infinite patience and time, you might have solved your problem. The TRIZ method improves upon this technique by calling your attention to certain basic laws ("Laws of Technological System Evolution") and by providing certain tools for problem solving.

Among the tools is a "modeling technique" using symbols and "sequential logical procedures". Again, don't let the terms turn you off. The terms may sound of the purely academic world but the results are down-to-earth practical.

A basic principle of the TRIZ method is that an invention results from the overcoming of a "System Conflict". For example, the conflict of making something very strong but also very light in weight. The TRIZ method says there are 40 "Techniques for Overcoming System Conflicts" (TOSC). The book gives examples of methods for overcoming physical contradictions.

Whenever you explore a new area of knowledge -- whether it be computers, square-dancing or beer-brewing -- you will find terms you never heard before or terms that are used in a specialized sense. Exploring TRIZ is no exception. Two such terms are "substance" and "field". Spend some time learning their definitions in the TRIZ context. They are key terms to know. So basic, in fact, they are hyphenated "substance-field" and then used to create a new word, "sufield".

In your early schooling, you were probably told that to understand electricity, you must understand the relationship of voltage, current and resistance. A similar "triad" occurs in TRIZ. Here you learn to speak, diagram and analyze in terms of "field, article and tool".

Another basic of TRIZ is to understand the "Laws of Technological Evolution". In brief, progress tends toward the ideal. For example, over the years, washing machines, TVs and refrigerators have improved in performance and have gone down in price. The importance of "bench marking" or knowing the exact state of your technology today is discussed.

Yet another tool of TRIZ is to systematically reformulate your problem. This is called the ARIZ method (Algorithm for Inventive Problem Solving). Again, it may sound complex but several examples are given to show its down-to-earth practicality. One example shows how logs in random positions can be easily aligned as they approach a chopping machine.

Will this book enable you to overnight solve the problem that has defied a solution for years? Probably not -- but it may get you off dead center by suggesting some alternate approaches to your problem.

Only one university in the USA is teaching the TRIZ method -- Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. (Seminars and software are also available.) If you wish you had paid more attention to computers years ago, this book may enable you to get into something that may become very big in years to come. If you are in engineering or in virtually any type of research lab, you should make yourself aware of what TRIZ is all about.