creative tool
The Urgency-Importance Matrix (UIM) is an effective tool for managing task priorities and promoting creative thinking. In our work and life, we often have to juggle multiple projects and additional tasks that may not be directly related to the main project. The UIM tool helps bring order and prioritize all the tasks and actions that need to be completed.
The UIM tool is based on Eisenhower’s decision matrix. It requires defining the levels of urgency (urgent or not urgent) and importance (important or not important) for each task. The key question is how to determine urgency and importance. The PRIZ approach suggests using the following criteria: tasks arise from flaws, urgency is related to expectations (anticipated actions cannot be urgent), and importance is linked to the cost of a flaw (high-cost flaws are important).
Here are some examples of situations where you and your team can benefit from using the UIM tool:
The Urgency Important Matrix (UIM) is a managerial creative thinking tool that is useful in situations where tasks are changed due to variations in processes, supply chain, sales, troubleshooting, etc. It is an instrument that can be used day-to-day and is applicable in various cases. Some highlighted situations where UIM can be beneficial include:
Furthermore, you can explore and identify many other situations where UIM thinking can be valuable.
This project showcases how functional modeling can drive innovation by analyzing and simulating various versions of a vacuum cleaner. By studying the functional model, you will experience firsthand how the Functional Modeling creative thinking tool helps identify opportunities for improvement and generate innovative ideas for the next generation of products.Through this example, you’ll learn how to dissect the functionality of a vacuum cleaner, revealing ways to enhance its performance, efficiency, and user experience—ultimately paving the way for future innovations.
Wet cleaning is widely used in microchip manufacturing. Single wafer equipment is working as follows. A wafer rotates, and chemistry is poured from a movable nozzle. Water rinsing is performed at the end of the process. Loading of a new batch of the chemistry resulted in excursion - a strongly increased amount of defects was observed on the wafer after the processing. The project is dedicated to the failure analysis and creation of innovative solutions.
In response to the potential outbreak of a third world war and the risk of Egypt becoming isolated from global trade and financial systems, this project aims to develop a self-sustaining, decentralized digital ecosystem. The goal is to ensure economic stability, resource accessibility, and secure communication for citizens, businesses, and the government in times of crisis.This solution will be delivered as an application-based platform that integrates barter trade, digital currency, AI-driven supply chain management, emergency communication, and cybersecurity measures. By leveraging blockchain technology, AI-powered logistics, and decentralized networking, the platform will enable uninterrupted trade, resource distribution, and crisis coordination without reliance on external financial institutions or internet-based infrastructure.
Flash heating of a wafer is widely used in microchip manufacturing. The purpose of the process is to prevent the diffusion of ions and atoms. During the flash process, a wafer breakage occurs. The project's purpose is to learn and understand the mechanism of the wafer breakage and propose the solutions to prevent the wafer breakage
The process is related to microelectronics - microchip manufacturing.The purpose of the process is to create a SiO2 layer on the surface of a Si wafer. Equipment: Vertical furnace to heat the wafers in the Q2 atmosphere and perform oxidation on the wafer surface. Process: The oxidation occurs on the front side and on the back side of the wafer Requirements: Create a SiO2 thin layer with a certain thickness and low sigma - low standard deviation of the thickness between the wafers and within the waferFailure: Wafers from the lower zone have higher thickness and significantly higher within wafer sigma (standard deviation of the thickness within the wafer)
An example of how to make task prioritization with Urgency - Important Matrix (UMI) using the PRIZ Innovation Platform
The vacuum cleaner problem is an excellent example showing how to manage and resolve excursion - unexpected deviation from normal operation. Read, learn and use the platform for resolving of your excursions.
The vacuum furnace is used for sintering parts made of metal powder. To keep the shape of the parts, a binder is used. The main problem is that the vacuum furnace becomes dirty and needs a very long cleaning. Regular washing was not successful. We investigated the process and found that washing should be dedicated to the conversion of the material into a form that results in the formation of gases having low temperature of the condensation
