TRIZCON 2008 marked the introduction of the Guided Brainstorming Toolkit (GBT).  GBT is an on-line software application for use by secondary school teachers and students ages eleven through eighteen.

The Guided Brainstorming ToolKit is a systematic integration of The Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) and the design process for invention and innovation.   The Guided Brainstorming Toolkit (GBT) is a cooperative project between Pretium Consulting Services, Inc. and Halliburton Associates, LLC.  The objective of the toolkit is to simplify an introduction to TRIZ and retain its powerful features.  That objective has been accomplished with an easy to use on-line toolkit that guides the user through the inventive process.  The GBT is simple enough for middle and high school students and powerful enough for professional use.

Those who wish to view the slides from the teacher presentation at TRIZCON may obtain it by clicking on...
Introduction
Module 1A
Module 1B
Module 1C
The Module slides are large files and may take several seconds to download.

The Guided Brainstorming Toolkit has one section designed for students.  It includes links to How to do it, TRIZ E-Learning, the Toolkit, Support, and a special link for Parents.

A second section is designed especially for teachers.  It has links to the Toolkit, Professional Training, sample Lesson Plans, National Standards, Curriculum Integration suggestions, and the Support and Parent links found on the Student section.

The Guided Brainstorming Toolkit includes the TRIZ E-Learning electronic book with pages on Guided Brainstorming, Inventive Problems, Ideality, Resources, Opportunities, Inventive Principles, Contradictions, Developing Solution Concepts from multiple ideas, and using the Guided Brainstorming Process.

One page of TRIZ E-Learning explains contradictions and how they may be resolved by using Inventive Principles and Separation Principles.  Pages have examples from every day life that illustrate the elements of TRIZ.

The Guided Brainstorming Toolkit provides step by step instructions for defining the problem, using the inventive principles of TRIZ to generate ideas and combining ideas into solution concepts.  It then suggests a method for evaluating the solution concepts before preparing a solution mock-up or prototype.

Identifying and resolving contradictions is one of the TRIZ Keys to invention and innovation.  In the pages Improve a Useful Function, Counteract a Harmful Function, and Resolve a Contradiction, the inventive principles are arranged in a handy table with easy to understand illustrations of each inventive principle.