Trends of engineering systems evolution (TESE)

Trends of engineering systems evolution (TESE) are statistically proven or empirically derived directions of engineering system development that describe the natural transition of engineering systems from one state to another.

Overview

The identification and understanding of trends of engineering systems evolution (TESE) is arguably TRIZ’s most significant contribution to the science of innovation. They also form the basis for many TRIZ tools.

TESE emerged from an in-depth analysis of product and technology evolution across various industries. Studying their history – based on the examination of thousands of patents – revealed that all products and technologies follow similar conceptual patterns. TESE define the stages that nearly all products and technologies are likely to go through during their development. This does not mean that designing a product that deviates from TESE is technically impossible, but rather that sooner or later, it is likely to fail.

At the core of TESE lies the assumption that technologies evolve along their own trajectory, independent of human influence. For this reason, they are often referred to as the voice of the product. However, it is important to note that to be fully effective, TESE should be integrated with market needs – the voice of the customer.

Hierarchical structure of TESE

TESE are organized in a hierarchical structure that reflects the relationships between them. In this structure, a lower-level trend functions as a sub-trend (mechanism) of a higher-level trend. However, each trend also has its own internal mechanisms that drive system evolution. In other words, for a system to evolve according to a higher-level trend, both its internal mechanisms and the mechanisms of its sub-trends must be implemented.

It is important to note that both TESE and their structure have evolved over decades, which is why different versions can be found in TRIZ literature. The officially approved definitions of the trends and their hierarchy, as recognized by MATRIZ, were developed by the St. Petersburg TRIZ Scientific School, which is considered the most pragmatic TRIZ school.

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