Certification -> Certification Regulations Level 4
1. General provisions
1.1. TRIZ Level 4 Specialist Certificate, issued by the International TRIZ Official Association (MATRIZ Official), confirms that the holder is a high level TRIZ specialist, who possesses profound knowledge of TRIZ and advanced skills in using TRIZ tools in compliance with MATRIZ Official requirements.
1.2. The main goals of introducing the TRIZ Level 4 Specialist Certification are:
- Official recognition of high qualification of certified TRIZ specialists and confirmation that as of the date of certification TRIZ Level 4 Specialists have acquired profound theoretical knowledge of TRIZ and possess required skills for practical use of TRIZ tools in compliance with MATRIZ Official requirements;
- Ensuring open access to the information about certified specialists capable of solving real life problems with the use of TRIZ tools and/or conducting methodological developments in TRIZ and/or carrying out effective training activities in TRIZ.
1.3. To qualify for Level 4 certification, TRIZ Specialists must meet the main criteria involving demonstration of a set of results:
- obtained in the course of personal practical application of TRIZ in various areas of human activity, including while performing work with the use of TRIZ by order of individuals and legal entities, both as an independent contractor and organizer of such work by a team of specialists (subject to the direct participation of the candidate in the work)
- presented in the course of their participation in various TRIZ conferences and competitions, as a result of writing and publishing TRIZ materials (theoretical and practical monographs and articles, textbooks and educational aids, description of inventions, case studies) in official and recommended by MATRIZ Official published works and in the course of writing and filing patent applications;
- obtained when conducting educational, methodology training and research activities aimed at training new TRIZ practitioners
1.4. Certified TRIZ Level 4 Specialists have the following rights:
- To be elected as members of: -
- MATRIZ Official Board;
- Certification Committee;
- Committee on TRIZ Level 4 Specialist Certification;
- Other MATRIZ Official governing bodies, which require appropriate qualification.
- To individually conduct certification of TRIZ specialists (of up to Level 2) after obtaining accreditation from Certification Committee.
2. Requirements to Level 4 candidates and Qualification Work
2.1. Candidates for TRIZ Level 4 Certificate must have:
- Level 3 TRIZ Practitioner Certificate (either from MATRIZ or MATRIZ Official). At least 1 year must pass from the moment of the Level 3 certificate issuance to the application for Level 4;
- Experience of practical inventive activity (which can be certified by patents for inventions, implementation of obtained solutions, and so forth);
- Not fewer than three published works on TRIZ (including abstracts of papers presented at conferences);
- Experience of conducting training seminars on TRIZ, supported by a list of conducted seminars, programs of such seminars plus case studies and tests for attendees (preferable);
- Experience of preparing TRIZ methodology training and teaching materials (preferable).
2.2. To pass Level 4 TRIZ Specialist Certification, the candidates must prepare and defend a qualification work at an open session of the Certification Committee 4 (CC4) - either in person or via teleconference. The qualification work should be defended in English, which is the official MATRIZ Official language. If a candidate lacks knowledge of English, he/she must arrange for an interpreter. Certification can be conducted in the native language of the candidate provided CC4 members are proficient in that language and agree to conduct qualification work defense in that language.
Note. Qualification work can be prepared by a candidate under scientific supervision of an experienced TRIZ specialist, who is at least a Level 4 TRIZ Specialist. In this case, a scientific supervisor can attend the session of the Certification Committee 4 (CC4), introduce the candidate to CC4 members and briefly describe the qualification work prepared by the candidate.
2.3. To initiate the process of TRIZ Level 4 Specialist Certification, a candidate should send a set of documents in electronic form (namely, files with extensions doc(x), ppt(x), pdf, - preferably pdf extension) to the MATRIZ Official (addressed to ТМCC Chairman and Vice-Chairman responsible for the Level 4 TRIZ Specialist Certification) in English. The set of documents should include:
- A letter (entry form) addressed to MATRIZ Official President and TMCC Chairman (a copy should be sent to TMCC Vice-Chairman responsible for the organization of Level 4 TRIZ Specialist Certification) requesting Level 4 TRIZ Specialist Certification;
- Personal information (in the Resume or CV format);
- Contact information;
- Recent photograph (files with extensions bmp; gif; jpeg);
- The number of Level 3 TRIZ Specialist Certificate;
- List of patents and applications for patents, evidence of invention implementation, and so forth;
- References to published works on TRIZ;
- Information on papers and reports presented at TRIZ conferences plus information about other kinds of activities associated with TRIZ (enabling CC4 members to obtain better understanding of candidate’s qualification);
- Information on candidate’s research and developments works on TRIZ (preferable);
- Information on training seminars held by the candidate and number of trained TRIZ specialists (preferable);
- Qualification work and available reviews.
Note. Even in the case when a candidate defends his/her qualification work in the native language, the set of documents have to be submitted only in English. The candidate have to prepare additional materials to defend his/her qualification work in his/her native language.
2.4. Qualification work of a candidate for the Level 4 TRIZ Specialist Certification should include:
- Brief summary of a project (not exceeding 1,000 characters; file in the doc(x), pdf format);
- A report on a project – file in the doc(x), pdf format;
- Presentation materials for the report on a project (file in the ppt(x), pdf format);
- Presentation materials for 2-3 hour lecture or practical training exercise on one of the subject matters indicated in the TRIZ Qualification Standard - file in the ppt(x), pdf format;
- materials confirming the candidate’s experience in preparing educational and training aids, experience in developing and/or improving the methodological tools of TRIZ (if any).
Note. Valid file formats are specified. The recommended format is pdf.
2.5. Project report should include:
- Technical description of an object (this description should be sufficient to provide an insight into the subject and to enable the analysis of obtained solutions);
- Brief background for the problem in question and attempts to solve this problem;
- Project goals and constraints;
- Description of work conducted at the analytical stage of the project:-
- Substantiation for the selection of analytical procedures for the analysis of the initial situation and identification of problems to be solved to accomplish the project goals;
- Detailed description of application of several most efficient analytical procedures (from author's standpoint);
- List of problems resulting from the analytical stage;
- Description of methodological tools and techniques used for solving identified problems: -
- Detailed descriptions of solving of at least two most illustrative problems (from author's standpoint) with explanations on the issue of TRIZ tool selection;
- At least one of the problems must be solved with ARIZ.
- Verification of feasibility of obtained solutions by references to at least one of the documents listed below:
- Statement of implementation;
- Results of calculations/experiments;
- Opinions of qualified experts;
- Obtained patents for inventions and filed applications for patents for inventions;
- Other kinds of documents verifying feasibility of proposed ideas for solutions.
Note: a candidate must be a full participant in a project - "general leadership", "supervision", "participation in discussions" and the like are not considered to be full participation in work on a project.
2.6. Procedures based on function analysis represent analytical procedures recommended by MATRIZ Official for use in the analysis of source situation. However, other procedures (that have been tested in practical work) could be also used and approved by TMCC.
2.7. All materials submitted to MATRIZ Official should not contain any confidential data and it should be possible to publish them in open sources of information. MATRIZ Official is not responsible for the disclosure of confidential information, if such information is included in submitted materials by a candidate.
Note: Candidates may submit adapted reports on "made up" problems, which are based on real problems modified in such a way as to avoid disclosure of confidential information. In this case, the general approach to problem solving should be retained and meet the requirements of the present Regulations. In this case, a candidate should notify CC4 that he/she is going to present an adapted report on a "made up" problem for the defense purposes.
3. Level 4 certification procedure organization
3.1. General provisions for the organization of Level 4 TRIZ Specialist Certification procedure:
- To organize the certification process of Level 4 TRIZ Specialists, Committees for Level 4 TRIZ Specialist Certification (CC4) are created under the TRIZ Master Certification Council (hereinafter - TMCC).
- The Chairman of TMCC appoints a Vice-Chairman responsible for the organization of Level 4 TRIZ Specialist Certification.
- Meetings of CC4 should be held on a quarterly basis. The total time of the Level 4 Certification for each candidate should not exceed 6 months.
- CC4 are headed by the Chairmen appointed by the Chairman of TMCC upon recommendation from Vice-Chairman of TMCC responsible for the organization of Level 4 TRIZ Specialist Certification.
- Members of CC4 are appointed by the CC4 Chairmen and approved by the Chairman of TMCC.
- Level 4 and 5 specialists who have the following experience can be appointed as CC4 members: -
- practical application of TRIZ;
- research in the field of TRIZ;
- TRIZ education and training.
3.2. Upon recommendation from Vice-Chairman of TMCC responsible for the organization of Level 4 TRIZ Specialist Certification, the Chairman of TMCC:
- Appoints Chairmen of Certification Committees (CC4) with indication of areas of expertise for these Committees.
- Appoints members of Certification Committees (CC4) upon recommendations from CC4 Chairmen.
- Approves reviewers proposed by CC4 Chairmen.
- Approves decisions of Certification Committees (CC4) and informs MATRIZ Official President and MATRIZ Official Executive Office about such decisions.
3.3. Vice-Chairman of TMCC responsible for organization of Level 4 TRIZ Specialist Certification:
- Proposes to the Chairman of TMCC:
- Candidates for CC4 Chairman positions to be approved with indication of areas of expertise of these Committees.
- Appoints members of Certification Committees (CC4) upon recommendations from CC4 Chairmen.
- Approves reviewers proposed by CC4 Chairmen.
- Presents CC4 decisions for subsequent approval.
- Checks the set of documents received from the candidate for compliance with the requirements of the present Regulations and forwards it to the CC4 Chairman for consideration on the merits.
- Controls the progress of the application review by the Certification Committees, the timing and the quality of the work.
- Informs MATRIZ Official President about approved decisions of CC4 (both positive decisions and negative ones) and forwards to the MATRIZ Official executive office for the purpose of subsequent publication:
- abstract and presentation of qualification project,
- decision (conclusion) of CC4.
3.4. Committee on TRIZ Level 4 Specialist Certification (CC4):
- Includes five people who have the qualifications of TRIZ specialists of at least level 4. At least three of CC4 members, including CC4 Chairman, shall be appointed from the following persons:
o Permanent members of the TRIZ Masters Certification Council (TMCC)
o Current members of the Certification Committee (CC),
o Invited experts in the field presented in the qualification work of the candidate. - Evaluates the knowledge and skills of candidates and makes decisions on the awarding Level 4 TRIZ Specialist qualification to them on behalf of TMCC.
- Takes decisions on candidate on the basis of simple majority of votes of CC4 members.
- CC4 members are approved by the Chairman of TMCC upon representation from CC4 Chairmen.
3.5. The Chairman of the Committee for TRIZ Level 4 Specialist Certification (CC4):
- Proposes candidates for CC4 members to be approved by the Chairman of TMCC.
- When necessary, invites independent reviewers, who are at least Level 4 TRIZ specialists and/or specialists in the field of activity, which is the source of the problem dealt with in the qualification work submitted by a candidate. A list of such reviewers should be approved by the Chairman of TMCC.
- Communicates with a candidate on the following subjects and notifies him/her about:
- Beginning and tentative dates of review and examination of his/her qualification work;
- Questions, comments and remarks from CC4 members and reviewers;
- Defense, if deemed necessary, format (in person or via teleconference) and agreed upon date for final review and decision on qualification work at CC4 session;
- Organizes and conducts CC4 sessions in person or via teleconference.
- Sends candidate’s package of documents to all CC4 members for consideration on the merits not later than 10 business days after receipt of the package from the Chairman of TMCC, and not less than 15 days prior to the first CC4 session.
- During CC4 sessions:
- Organizes preliminary discussion and decision making on the issue of advisability and form of defense;
- Conducts discussion of candidate's work with CC4 members, compiles list of questions regarding submitted work and informs CC4 members regarding answers to questions and amendments received form the candidate;
- When necessary, invites reviewers, who are on the list approved by the Chairman of TMCC. In this case, CC4 Chairman sends technical report of a candidate to these reviewers without indication of author's name (the submitted presentation can be also send to reviewers); -
- Informs CC4 members about answers to questions and amendments received from the candidate and about reviewers’ opinions without naming the reviewers;
- Agrees upon the date of intermediate and/or final examination of qualification work at CC4 session (taking into account whether a candidate can attend the session or not). •
- Compiles voting list and protocol containing the decision of the final CC4 session and forwards these documents to the Chairman of TMCC no later than in ten business days after the final CC4 session.
- In the case of negative decision taken by CC4, drafts and mails (within 14 days) CC4 conclusion with indication of specific reasons, due to which his/her qualification work was rejected.
- Prepares information and materials on conducted certification for open publication and forwards them to the Vice-Chairman of TMCC.
3.6. A candidate, who failed to defend his/her qualification work, has the right to make next attempt no earlier than in three months. In this case, he/she should submit qualification work for consideration with corrections of those issues, which were indicated in CC4 decision after previous defense.
3.7. In the case of failure to defend a qualification work for the second time, the next attempt can be made no earlier than after 12 months. In this case, a candidate must prepare a new qualification work (or new project, or another lecture).
4. Awarding Level 4 TRIZ Specialist Certificate and issuance of certificates
4.1. Based on approved positive decision of the Certification Committee, MATRIZ Official President awards Level 4 TRIZ Specialist qualification to the candidate and requests MATRIZ Official Executive Office to prepare and issue an appropriate certificate.
4.2. Candidates, who successfully defended their qualification works, pay for the certification according to the approved rates.
4.3. MATRIZ Official Executive Office:
- Issues and mails the Certificate (printed on MATRIZ Official stationary), signed by MATRIZ Official President and the Chairman of TMCC and sealed with MATRIZ Official seal, to the candidate within 14 days after confirmation of the payment.
- Posts the following information about conducted certification on MATRIZ Official website and publishes it in printed MATRIZ Official media: -
- Abstract and presentation of qualification project;
- Decision (conclusion) of CC4.