Innovative benchmarking

Innovative benchmarking is an analytical tool that identifies the best engineering system for improvement and engineering system candidates for feature transfer.

Overview

Benchmarking has been adapted into TRIZ from the business domain.

It should not be treated as a separate tool. It is used within feature transfer and can be considered as a built-in procedure. In this context, it serves to identify “local leaders” – that is, competing systems from which the best candidates for hybridization can be selected.

On one hand, it helps us choose the best available technical solution (alternative stystem). On the other, it allows us to position the base system relative to others and understand its place among competing systems.

Formulating benchmarking criteria

Formulating criteria is a key stage of benchmarking. In TRIZ, these criteria are defined in a structured way and are based on two main elements:

Formulating the system's main function for benchmarking

The correct formulation of the system’s main function is the foundation for identifying competing systems.

In practice, two approaches are used:

Restricted approach

This includes only systems that perform the same main function and is usually limited to solutions available on the market.

The advantages of this approach are clear comparison criteria, a smaller number of systems to analyze, and high data reliability. The drawback is the risk of overlooking more innovative solutions.

Extended approach

This includes systems that perform similar (not necessarily identical) functions and allows for solutions beyond the market (such as patents, literature, and concepts).

The similarity of the main function can be defined in several ways:

by the object of the function,
by the action,
by the circumstances.

This approach may also include systems with completely different main functions, as long as they share a common goal.

The advantages of the extended approach are a broader search space and higher innovation potential. The drawbacks are greater analytical complexity and difficulty in standardizing comparison criteria.

Identifying main parameters of value for comparizon

The parameters used to compare systems are generally referred to as main parameters of value (MPV). For TRIZ benchmarking purposes, it is recommended to use main functional parameters of value (MFPV).

References

GEN3 Partners and Algorithm (2007). Методика выполнения типового консультационного проекта “Product and process improvement Functionality / Performance (Methodology for a standard consulting project “Product and process improvement Functionality / Performance”). Методические рекомендации, Draft. Saint Petersburg.
Gerasimov, Oleg M. (2010). Технология выбора инструментов инновационного проектирования на основе ТРИЗ – ФСА (Technology of selection of innovative design tools based on TRIZ – FCA). TRIZ Master dissertation. Saint Petersburg. Available at: https://matriz.org/academia/#triz-master-these.
Krupińska, M. (2026). Benchmarking in TRIZ: how comparisons turn into innovation. Available at: https://matriz.org/blog/benchmarking/.