How to Use Tags in the TIP Tool to Organize Your Ideas?

“Assume you have 5,000 ideas in your IP pipeline…”

Some of them belong to the company.
Some were developed with external collaborators like a university or other enterprise.
Others fall under different product lines, technology or departments.

Now imagine trying to sort, prioritize, or budget for all those ideas – without any way to group them.

Taxing, right? That’s where tags come in.

In the TIP Tool™, tags are your way to organize innovation at scale. They help you filter, search, and segment ideas based on whatever makes the most sense for your team – from product lines and technology areas to legal ownership and filing deadlines.

Why Use Tags?

Tags allow you to:

• Group ideas by project, team, product line, or technology
  
• Instantly filter and sort large portfolios
  
• Run faster IP budget planning and quarterly reviews
  
• Align internal teams using consistent labels

🎯 Whether you’re tracking 15 ideas or 5,000 — tags make it easier to manage innovation at scale.

Types of Tags in TIP Tool™

There are two types of tags in TIP Tool™ – each with a unique role.

• Hard Tags – Predefined and managed by the admin. These tags are available for users to select when tagging ideas or applications, ensuring consistency across the organization. Eg., Product Line A, Region: EMEA, Mobile Team
• Soft Tags – Created by users directly within the idea or application form. These tags offer flexibility, allowing teams to label ideas freely as needed. Eg., AI, Quick Win, Q4 Filing, Urgent

How to Add a Tag to an Invention Disclosure/Idea Form

1. While filling out or editing the Idea Form, scroll to the Tags field.
   
2. Start typing:
   
   • If the tag exists, select it from the dropdown.
     
   • If it doesn’t exist, press Enter to create a new tag.

Note: All tags are visible across the organization to ensure collaboration and consistency.

Admin Panel: Managing Hard Tags

If you’re an admin, you can define structured tags for your team.

1. Go to Admin Panel → Tags
   
2. Click “Add Tag”
   
3. Set the name, tag type and portfolios where you want to see and use the tags.
   
4. Tags created here will appear as hard tags in the idea form dropdown

Best Practices for Using Tags

• Be consistent

Avoid using “AI” in one idea and “Artificial Intelligence” in another. Decide on a naming standard.

• Keep it meaningful

Use tags that reflect how you want to filter or group ideas – like product categories, target markets, or project codenames.

• Combine with scoring

Use tags alongside value and patentability scores to prioritize what to draft, file, or fast-track.

• Use tags to reflect ownership

For example: “Company-Owned”, “University IP”, “Joint Development” – helps during licensing or transfer reviews.

Coming Soon: Tags Tutorial Video

We’re working on a short video walkthrough showing how to:

• Filter ideas using tag combinations
  
• Use tags for IP budget planning

Until then, feel free to explore the Tags field – it’s lightweight but powerful.

Need Help?

Still unsure how to tag your ideas? Reach out directly to us from here.