Previous consultancy projects

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Business challenges 

• Higher digitalization 
• Business model change from hardware to solutions
• Strategic response to disruption
• Innovation planning and monitoring (in consortia)
• Global IP team reorganization
• Competition benchmark, performance dashboard & annual updates
• Operational rationalization in portfolio management

Context  

• Global leader in digital identity moving toward higher digitalization of their innovation base and IP portfolio. 
• Recent M&A activity and integration. 
• In-house business strategy team.
• IP team consists of ~10 IP coordinators based in Europe and USA 
• IP portfolio 1,000+ families. For 1 year they tried to categorized the portfolio themselves.  

What we delivered

• Developing IP department roadmap with other functions. 
• Methodology to help Client achieve 2025/6 objectives (integrating technology roadmaps and product roadmaps) 
• 1 holistic, dynamic analysis of their IP portfolio to serve the Divisions in their business goals 
• Showing the current situation and the desire situation 2025/6, 
• Recommendations as to how to achieve 

Impact

•  5 strategic plans for the five divisions (co-construction at corporate/transversal and Division levels). An indicator for further digitalization of the portfolio was set up. Internal invention harvesting trends was mapped at sub-level. 

Context  

• Global leader moving from hardware to solutions. 
• Acquisition of software companies. Legacy technology base obsolete. 
• Competition offensive (market share erosion across the whole technology portfolio). 
• C-level management: How to link IP and technologies to financials? Do we use the right resources for the right activities? Which differentiated approaches across our portfolio? What is the optimum model and balance (resource allocation)? 
• IP team consists of ~10 IP coordinators based in Europe and USA  

What we delivered

• New tools: categorization, Business scoring, IP scoring, Measuring and visualizing gaps 
• New dashboards: Transition 2021-2025, Gap analysis, Steering dashboard, Scenarios for portfolio rebalancing, IP department roadmap with must do / good to do / nice to do
• New processes: Review of the whole portfolio (for annual review by IP Board); Scenario making; Roadmap 

Impact

• Implemented at Division/BU level with specific targets for 2025 and roadmap to develop there separately in 2022

Context  

• FMCG global leader
• Strategy making at intersection between its established business and digitization 

What we delivered

• In-depth cross-functional interviews (management, market, R&I and IP)
• Find technology options and potential external solutions (small/large partners, acquisitions) for development and manufacturing, 
• Cross-functional assessment of 200+ patent families by third parties.
• IP landscape at intersection between its established business and digitization
• facilitated co-construction with management. 

Impact

• Before the project, the company lacked technology focus. 
• During the project, 100+ technology options have been identified and assessed; 10 have been identified as high priority based on an opportunity-threat analysis (new partners, new in-house developments, possible threats). 
• This project helped the cross-functional team to combine views and gave opportunity to share, clarify and decide together (while they normally work in silos).

Context  

• Consortium of 15  partners (large companies, SMEs and research organization)
• Set up a strategic plan at consortium level  for 3 value chains
• Monitor implementation of the plan over the duration of the project (4 years)

What we delivered

• In-depth cross-functional interviews (management, market, R&D, IP) with the partners
• Assessment of the partners' current portfolio and competitors' IP 
• Data consolidation at consortium level, using DIPS tools. Validation by the partners  
• Analysis and generation of strategy options for the 3 value chains
• Prioritization during co-construction workshop to define priority areas/gaps and actions 
• Roadmap finalization (detailed actions, metrics/KPIs, budget) for each value chain
• Periodic review process and presentation to general assembly meetings

Impact

• 12 strategy options for innovation generation, protection and exploitation
• 4 options with high priority for the consortium
• 1 plan with allocated actions, responsibilities and KPIs
• Implementation monitored every 6 months

Context 

• Pharma company (5,000+ employees)
• IP team reorganization 

What we delivered

• 360 analysis across the group to identify and prioritize IP needs from other functions (multi-site R&D, global marketing, regional management/CEO, board); 
• Capability map
• Target model design with resource allocation for remote IP team (10) in 2019-2022. 

Impact

• Three areas of improvement identified: communication with senior management and within IP team, interfaces with other departments (R&D, business/marketing, regulations), and portfolio reviews. 
• An IP department roadmap (where most recommendations were implemented) was approved by the board. It was translated into personal targets for the IP team in 2019. 

Context 

• European cosmetics manufacturer
• Set up a performance dashboard for management (business and innovation) based Competition benchmark among 8 key players  of the same sector. 

What we delivered

• Data collection from the benchmark players relevant to the sector
• 50 metrics, KPIs and dashboards have been developed in relation to IP intensity, IP quality, IP value, IP finance and IP organization
• Co-construction workshop to identify the most relevant KPIs per target
• Every year the dashboard is updated with the data published during the previous period.

Impact 

• This project was the first benchmark for the IP team. It provided a macroscopic picture of the current IP positions of the company and its competitors. 
• The 50 KPIs were assessed and two profiles were defined for Innovation and Business. 
• Will be implemented in 2020 R&D roadmap preparation, financial audits and monthly board meetings. 

Context 

• National contract research organisation
• Seeking operational rationalization from ideation to prosecution (including opposition) to license and litigation. 
• 200 active families over 8 different divisions covering a wide range of technologies handled by 50+ patent attorneys. On average, 50 first filings per year. 

What we delivered

• Audit of the workflows and documentation across the whole portfolio
• Harmonize into a standard, minimum process
• Set up a new SLA with key IP firms
• Implement internally during portfolio reviews with BU managers

Impact 

• The project rationalized IP practice and case handling across the IP team and 40 external agents. Templates were developed for patent attorneys to clarify options. This simplified the biannual portfolios reviews with 8 division managers; there, we tagged strategic patents and opportunities for pruning. It created visibility on the current scope and helped steer portfolio development.