**6.4 Cognitive tasks in operation phase**

The ultimate goal of a technological innovation is to compile and assemble a production procedure so that the product can be reproduced with reliability and flexibility and in a certain quantity upon order at any time. The possibility of manufacturing automation is also a concern. It is not just the act of creating and making a new technological product; it is the act of creating a new industry. For example, more than one thousand steps are involved in the wafer manufacturing procedure. A huge quantity of material and human resources must be invested to create a production line. Problems such as inventory control, testing, packaging, delivery, recycling, and customer service are also essential components of production line management. Cognitive tasks in the operation phase include working out every detail about the routine manufacturing, packaging, testing, and delivery of the finished product to end users while making sure the product can function properly for them. In a manner similar to the implementation stage, many sectors and people are involved in the execution of the tasks. For example, in the semiconductor industry, a wafer manufacturing line consists of an engineering chain, a supply chain, a manufacturing execution system, an equipment engineering system, and an internet system to support the interactions of these separately operated systems. Problems, such as a bottleneck in scheduling, machine failure, defects in products, or consumer complaints, need to be dealt with constantly. Daily routine operations are accomplished by many people and facilities. Some mechanical failures or quality problems may call for innovative solutions, redesigning, or reengineering. The whole

#### *Creativity and Innovation for a Better World*

cycle of CDIO may be repeated again and again. In addition, with use, users can detect problems that were missed by the designers or manufacturers. Their feedback provides invaluable opinions for product improvement and innovation. When setting up the production system for the first time, the creative processes are described as follows:


#### *A Model of Technological Imagination and Creativity: Cognitive Task Analysis DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.110020*

Other than the test of the market, the Book of Chanel No 5 is now in a permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

As summarized in **Table 1**, the above cognitive task analyses show that CDIO represents different domains of knowledge involved in the innovation process of a new technological product. From the conceptualization of a need for a new product, to the design of the physical product, to making the first instance of the product, and, finally, to creating a manufacturing line for reproducing the product, the diversity and complexity of the tasks involved increase tremendously with the progression of the innovation. Crossdomain knowledge and collaboration among experts and professionals are crucial for the success of technological innovation. The criteria and methods to validate the viability of the innovation outcome for each phase of CDIO are different. Heavy reliance on crossdomain knowledge, user experiences, and cross-domain collaboration are unique features of technological innovation. Nevertheless, the creative cognitive processes, namely, the incubation stage and illumination, are similar across the 4 phases and are also similar to other types of creative works such as scientific discovery or art. Specifically, creative ideas are always conceived within and emerge from an individual's mind. However, it is very likely that the remote associates for conceptual combination may come from another person's mind. The opportunity to communicate and share thoughts with one another is important in technological innovation. A period of a brief or long pause from the current domain area is necessary for the mind to shift its focus of attention and wander away from the current problem so that remote associates from another domain may gain access to the conscious state. Thus, room to endure the ambiguity and uncertainty of the situation must be provided. An illumination of a solution popping out of the mind occurs when one of the team members recognizes the potential of relating the current problem to a remote associate, and an interpretation is formed and acknowledged by the team. This creative cognitive process can be succinctly delineated by a slight modification of Klahr and Simon's [8] model of scientific discovery, shown in **Figure 2**.
