Global Pharmaceutical Company IP processes harmonized after a $50B acquisition.
Our professionals helped a global pharmaceutical company consolidate its IP departments after a $50B acquisition, leading the global harmonization of 19 patent lifecycle processes that then defined the design of a single intellectual asset management system.
At a glance
- Service
- IP process harmonization and IP system design
- Scope
- Global IP sites; 40+ patent attorneys and paralegals
- Outcome
- 19 patent lifecycle processes harmonized, with process owners and metrics
What the problem looked like
Following its $50B acquisition, the company began consolidating its IP departments, including a single consolidated IAM (intellectual asset management) system.
The IP processes behind that system were fragmented across global IP sites, and the client needed support to finalize the system design.
What Swiftwater did
Process review
Our professionals conducted a process review. The assessment found fragmented processes across the global IP sites and recommended harmonizing the patent processes before continuing with system design.
Global harmonization
We were then engaged to lead a global process harmonization initiative, running off-site and virtual workshops with 40+ patent attorneys and paralegals across the globe.
Owners and metrics
We harmonized and optimized 19 patent lifecycle processes, many with multiple sub-processes, and identified process owners and metrics for each.
What changed
- 19 processes harmonized and modernized across the patent lifecycle.
- Detailed functional design specifications defined the screens, workflows and reports of the consolidated intellectual property management system.
Best for
- IP departments consolidating after an acquisition or merger
- Organizations about to design or replace an IP management system
- Global IP teams with different processes at each site
Frequently asked questions
Why harmonize IP processes before designing an IP management system?
A system built on fragmented processes carries the fragmentation into its design. For this client, the assessment found fragmented processes across global IP sites and recommended harmonizing the patent processes first; the harmonized processes then produced the functional design specifications for the system.
What does a global patent process harmonization involve?
Workshops with the people who run the processes, one agreed version of each process, and named process owners and metrics. For this client that meant off-site and virtual workshops with 40+ patent attorneys and paralegals and 19 harmonized patent lifecycle processes, many with sub-processes.
How do harmonized processes feed system design?
Each harmonized process becomes a functional design specification. Here, those specifications defined the screens, workflows and reports of the consolidated intellectual property management system.
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