TRIZ Problem Solver

Systematic innovation methodology for software engineering problems.

When to Use

• Complex problems with apparent trade-offs
• System design contradictions (improving X worsens Y)
• Architecture refactoring decisions
• Seeking innovative solutions beyond incremental improvement
• Agent instruction optimization

Core Protocol

Contradiction-First Approach

1. STATE the problem in one sentence
2. IDENTIFY contradiction: "Improving [X] causes [Y] to worsen"
3. CHECK if contradiction is real or apparent
4. RESOLVE using separation principles
5. VALIDATE no new contradictions introduced

Ideal Final Result (IFR)

"The ideal solution delivers all benefits with zero cost"

1. What is the ideal outcome? (no implementation details)
2. What prevents reaching it? (constraints)
3. Which constraints are real vs assumed?
4. Can the system self-solve without added complexity?

40 Inventive Principles (Software Edition)

Top 10 for Software

Extended Reference

See references/principles.md for all 40 principles with software examples.

Contradiction Matrix (Software)

Improving            vs Worsening              → Principle
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Functionality        vs Complexity             → #1, #9, #15
Performance          vs Maintainability        → #7, #13, #17
Flexibility          vs Simplicity             → #6, #2, #3
Security             vs Usability              → #12, #4, #17
Scalability          vs Resource Cost          → #1, #13, #35

Decision Workflow

Step 1: Frame Problem

Problem: [One sentence]
Current approach: [What you're doing]
Stuck because: [Why it doesn't work]

Step 2: Identify Contradiction

Improving: [Parameter that needs improvement]
Worsens: [Parameter that degrades]
Type: [Technical/Physical/Inherent]

Step 3: Apply Resolution

Choose separation strategy:

• Time: Different behavior at different stages
• Space: Different behavior in different contexts
• Condition: Different behavior based on input type
• System-level: Add component that resolves both

Step 4: Validate

✓ Original problem solved
✓ No new contradictions introduced
✓ Solution approaches IFR (minimal complexity added)
✓ Tests pass

Examples

Example 1: Performance vs Maintainability

Problem: Caching improves speed but adds staleness complexity
Contradiction: Performance (improve) vs Maintainability (worsen)
Apply: #1 Segmentation → Cache with TTL per data type
Result: Speed improved, staleness bounded, complexity isolated

Example 2: Security vs Usability

Problem: Strong auth improves security but hurts UX
Contradiction: Security (improve) vs Usability (worsen)
Apply: #12 Inversion → Risk-based auth (challenge only suspicious)
Result: Security maintained, UX unaffected for legitimate users

Example 3: Agent Instruction Optimization

Problem: More instructions improve reliability but consume context
Contradiction: Completeness (improve) vs Token limits (worsen)
Apply: #4 Asymmetry → Heavy knowledge in references/, load lazily
Result: Reliability maintained, context efficiency improved

Audit Mode (absorbed from triz-analysis)

Same protocol, wider scope: audit a codebase, architecture, or workflow for hidden trade-offs instead of solving one problem.

1. SCOPE SCAN: examine the target for pain points and trade-offs.
2. CONTRADICTION DISCOVERY: state each as "Improving [X] worsens [Y]".
3. PRINCIPLE MAPPING: map to inventive principles via the matrix above.
4. INNOVATION ROADMAP: propose architectural or process changes.
5. REPORT: write findings to analysis/triz-<scope>-YYYY-MM-DD.md (e.g. analysis/triz-scripts-2025-05-20.md); use the audit IFR ("the ideal system performs its function with zero overhead") to separate real constraints from assumed ones.

Integration with Other Skills

• goap-agent: Use TRIZ to identify contradictions before decomposing (Phase 2); apply IFR to coordination strategy selection
• iterative-refinement: Use contradiction analysis to guide refinement cycles

Quality Checklist

✓ Contradiction explicitly stated before solution ✓ IFR defined before implementation ✓ Solution verified against contradiction matrix ✓ No new contradictions introduced ✓ Approaches ideal state (minimal added complexity)

See Also

• goap-agent — Orchestrator that uses TRIZ problem-solving
• iterative-refinement — Use contradiction analysis to guide refinement cycles

Rationalizations

Red Flags

• Proposing a solution without explicitly stating the contradiction first
• Skipping IFR definition and jumping to implementation details
• Introducing new contradictions without validating the solution

References

• references/principles.md - All 40 TRIZ principles with software examples
• references/patterns.md - Common software contradiction patterns and resolutions
• references/evolution.md - TRIZ evolution trends for system design

Voice & Context

• Default: professional + blog
• Reference: voice-profiles skill for definitions and auto-detection.