Substitute/Simplify

Combine
Adapt
Modify/Distort
Puttootherpurposes
Eliminate
Rearrange/Reverse

**S**
Can you skip part of the process by outsourcing?
Can you substitute the current machinery for better but cheaper versions?
Can you substitute the current machinery for better but more expensive versions?
Can you substitute the current machinery for worse but cheaper versions?
Can you substitute the current people for better but cheaper people?
Can you substitute the current people for better but more expensive people?
Can you substitute the current people for worse but cheaper people?
Can you substitute the current processes for better but cheaper processes?
Can you substitute the current processes for better but more expensive processes?
Can you substitute the current processes for worse but cheaper processes?
Could you do it at a different time?
Could you sell to an alternative customer?
Could you substitute something else instead of part of it?
Could you use an alternative advertising medium?
Could you use an alternative power source?
Could you use an alternative supplier?
How can you simplify the whole process?
How would another department tackle the probortunity?
What could you substitute with something else?
What could you use in place of the whole thing?
What has been substituted in the past?
What if you had a clean sheet to work from?
What if you made it at a different time?
What other ingredients could you use?
What other materials could you use?
What other process could you use?
What other tone of voice could you use?
What other way could you do it?
What other way could you put it?
What other words could you use?
What part of the process could you change?
What would children do in your place?
What would you imagine a Martian doing in your place?
Where else could you do it?
Where else could you make it?
Where else could you sell it?
Where else could you sell or market it?
Where else could you store it?
Who else could do it?
Who else could sell it for you?
Who is an alternative customer?
Would it be useful to substitute part of it only at certain times?

**C**
Can two or more processes be done at the same time?
Can you combine a positive and a negative aspect to cancel each other out?
Can you combine the start and the end?
Can you combine work from other departments?
Can you combine your product/service with another from another company?
Can you combine your product/service with another within your company?
Can you do everything in one go?
Can you get assistance from other people?
Can you mix some or all of the components together?
Could you form a partnership with another company?
Could you merge two of the components?
Could you mix the materials together?
How about making a blend or alloy?
How will future developments affect what you do now?
What future technology changes do you expect to bring into it later?
What has been combined in the past? and what if you had to split them up?
What if you merge two or more words?
What parts could work together?
What parts could you join together?
Where can you get synergy from?
Where could you do two things at once?
Why have you combined the things you already have?

**A**
Can you exaggerate the changes which have happened over the last ten years?
How can you adapt the best part to cancel the worst part?
How can you adapt the best part to make it better?
How can you make the process flexible for the future?
How can you turn it into two products instead of one?
How will what you do now affect the way people act towards it?
How will you change the process/product in the future?
How would people from other parts of the world do it?
What adaptations have been made in the past?
What can I copy instead?
What can you adapt to make the bad part an advantage?
What could you use from the old way of doing things?
What else can you use the same process/product for?
What else could you copy?
What else is similar to this?
What have you just thrown out in the bin and how can you use it?
What other field has a similar probortunity which has been solved?
What parallel can I get from the past?
What part can you adapt to give you an advantage?
What would you need to change to double its effectiveness?
What would you need to change to half its effectiveness?
What would you need to do to change it into new product/process?
Who else could you ask for advice?

**M**
Can you change it so that it works a different way?
How about using genetically modified bacteria?
How could you make people think the product was strange?
How would a child design the solution?
How would you change it if your customers had no arms?
How would you change it if your customers had no eyes?
How would you change it if your customers had no legs?
How would you do it in space?
How would you make it funny to use or look at?
How would you make it on the moon?
If everyone had one, what difference would it make?
If it could speak, what would it tell you?
If it had to be totally recyclable, what would you change?
If it was something which grew from a seed, how would it be different?
If the world was upside down, what would you need to change?
If you had to use a robot, what changes would you make?
What if it could not be moved anywhere?
What if it were invisible?
What if its insides could be seen?
What if one person had to do everything?
What if the customer was different?
What if the product was enormous?
What if the product was much heavier?
What if the product was much lighter?
What if you could only sell it on your own street?
What if you extrapolate the past trends to infinite?
What if you had to do it under water?
What if you had to grow it from plants?
What if you had to make it backwards?
What if you had to make it upside-down?
What if you had to use twice as many people as you do now?
What if you made a minature model?
What if you were not allowed to do what you are doing?
What if you were to change the colour?
What if you were to change the meaning?
What if you were to change the order drastically?
What if you were to change the shape?
What if you were to change the smell?
What if you were to change the taste?
What if you were to change the way it works?
What if you were to make it bigger?
What if you were to make it less frequent?
What if you were to make it less streamlined?
What if you were to make it more frequent?
What if you were to make it more streamlined?
What if you were to make it narrower?
What if you were to make it shorter?
What if you were to make it smaller?
What if you were to make it thicker?
What if you were to only sell in your local neighbourhood?
What if you were to sell internationally?
What would you do differently if the product was incredibly small?
What would you do differently if you had to start from the beginning again?
What would you do if the demand was 1000 times greater?
What would you do if the demand was 1000 times less?

**P**
Can part of it be used elsewhere in your company?
Could you use a sub-section of it as something else?
How can you re-use your waste by-products?
How could you change it to make it useable in another field?
How could you use it in a house?
How could you use it in an office?
How would you use it to advertise itself?
If there were no instructions, how might you use it?
If there were no instructions, what might you think it was?
What benefit does part of it have that could be applied elsewhere?
What else can you do with it?
What else can you use it for?
What else could it be used for?
What if you had to make it edible?
What other fields of expertise could you use it in?
What other parts of your company could use it?
What other parts of your company could use your waste by-products?
What other uses are there if modified?
What other way could you use it?
Where could you get rid of the excess product/service if the market slumped?
Who else could use it?
Who else in the world could use it?

**E**
Do you need it at all?
How can you eliminate the need for the whole thing?
How could you eliminate each part of the process?
What if one bit of machinery got stolen?
What if the need disappeared?
What if the probortunity disappeared?
What if there were no management to please?
What if you had to make it out of one lump of material?
What if you reversed all past 'improvements', then what would you do?
What if you suddenly had half the budget?
What if you suddenly had no budget?
What if you took out everything but the core part?
What if you took out the core part and had to use the remainder?
What parts can you cut out? or could cut out?
What would happen if you just removed a random part?
What would you do differently if money constraints disappeared?
What would you do differently if you were leaving to do another job tomorrow?
What would you do if your key employee disappeared?
Which are the bits you couldn't cut out?

**R**
How do you expect to be doing it in a year's time?
How would you try to stop people using the product/service?
How would your customers do it?
Imagine swapping places with your service or product.
Reverse the roles of the people involved.
Swap the negatives and positives?
Try another layout?
Try mixing up the process and see what happens.
What if you did it at a different time of day?
What if you did it in a different sequence?
What if you had to make it backwards?
What if you had to make it upside-down?
What if you interchange the components?
What if you put the first bit at the end?
What if you put the last bit at the start?
What if you put the middle bit at the end?
What if you put the parts in alphabetical order instead?
What if you reverse past changes?
What if you reverse past trends?
What parts could you swap?
What would your competitors do?
Why did people do it a different way ten years ago?