Strategy is not a document, forgotten in the bottom drawer.  Strategy is actually what you did, not what you planned.

Your organization already has myriad policies on intellectual property, it just may not realise it.  In many cases they are ‘we know we should do something one day, but lets ignore it for now’, or something similar.

A key part of a strategic review is working out what the default situation is so that you know what you have to build upon as you evolve towards best practice.  (You can also better understand how to make these changes and the reasons that people will have in resisting change.)

So, how do you figure out what your company’s real IP policies are?  Take a step back, observe and make notes.  That’s it.

‘What is our approach to freedom to operate?’  Well when was the last time that we thought about this for a new product launch or a new geographical region and what did we do?  How good is that and how can we improve?

and the killer question?

‘How do I build something into our current processes that is (or can become) IP best practice while adding zero (or minimal) friction?’

and better still – how can I do this while adding incentives for the team to pick up and run with this particular IP issue.

[Image credit: miss_rogue]