The old masters signed their paintings.
Rembrandt did it. Dürer did it. Picasso did it.
A signature was more than a name in the bottom corner of a canvas. It stated: this is my work. I created it, I stand behind it, and I am proud to put my name on it.
IP managers should be able to feel the same way about their work.
Of course, IP management is not a painting. Much of the work happens behind the scenes: keeping portfolios accurate, following deadlines, coordinating inventors and attorneys, reviewing costs, maintaining records, supporting decisions and making sure that nothing important falls through the cracks.
But that does not make quality any less important.
There is a big difference between simply getting through the work and building an IP management process that you are genuinely proud of. If every day is spent searching through spreadsheets, fixing inconsistent data, chasing information and reacting to the next urgent deadline, the job quickly becomes a struggle.
You may get through it. But it is difficult to feel satisfied with the result. And your boss is unlikely to be completely satisfied either.
Good IP management should be accurate, structured, transparent and reliable. It should give management a clear picture of the portfolio. It should help inventors, product teams and attorneys work together. And it should give the IP manager enough control and overview to improve the way things are done instead of merely keeping up.
That requires a certain mindset: keep improving. Look for unnecessary manual work. Question processes that have grown complicated over the years. Raise the quality of the data. Make responsibilities clearer. Create better reports. Give colleagues easier access to the information they need.
The aim should be work that you would be happy to sign.
That is also what Patent Cockpit is built for. It unites portfolios, tasks, documents, costs, inventions and other IP information in one structured environment. It reduces repetitive administration and gives IP managers more time and better information to focus on the quality of their work.
Software cannot create pride in your work for you.
But it can give you the tools and the space to do work you are proud of.
And perhaps that is a good indicator for every IP manager: at the end of the day, could you put your signature underneath it?
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