# How Do You Customise the Stages in the Patent Pipeline in the TIP Tool™ ?

Source: https://help.triangleip.com/knowledge-base/how-do-you-customise-the-stages-in-the-patent-pipeline-in-the-tip-tool/
Category: Idea Manager
Last updated: 2025-07-06

**Prefer to watch?**
Start with our short walkthrough video that shows you exactly how it works, step by step.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d59OczbyDRU

**Prefer to read?**
Scroll down for the full written guide with screenshots and detailed explanations.

The TIP Tool™ pipeline has six stages, but not every team uses all of them. Some teams like to keep things simple and go straight from **Capture to Drafting**. Others add steps like a **Patentability Search** or **Internal Vetting**. Some even include a **Patent Review** stage to decide whether the drafted application should actually be filed.

You can customise your workflow by turning stages on or off from the **Admin Panel**.

Let’s walk through how to tailor the pipeline to fit your internal process.

## What You Can Customize

The default pipeline in the TIP Tool™ has six stages:

1. Capture
2. Patentability Search (optional)
3. Internal Vetting (optional)
4. Drafting
5. Patent Review (optional)
6. Filed

Depending on your process, you might want to:

- **Remove stages** you don’t use (e.g., Search or Vetting)
- **Keep only Capture → Drafting → Filed** for a fast-track process

**How to Turn Stages On or Off**

1. Click your **profile** in the top-right corner
2. Select **Admin Panel**
3. Select the **Customize Page Preference** you see on the left side menu bar towards the bottom
4. If the setting is locked to your enterprise, uncheck **"Inherit from Organization"**
5. You’ll now see a list of all stages.
   - Uncheck any stage to hide it
   - Check it to keep it in your pipeline
6. The changes are applied automatically once you save it.

**💡 Pro Tips**

#1. If you're managing multiple portfolios, it's best to experiment with changes at the portfolio level before implementing them across the organization.

- Select a specific portfolio from the dropdown.
- Customize the workflow stages to match that team’s process.
- Evaluate how the changes perform in practice.

This lets you validate adjustments in a controlled setting and refine them as needed, ensuring your workflow mirrors real operational needs, not default settings.

#2. While fewer stages mean a simpler interface and faster onboarding, using more stages can help you refine ideas more thoroughly, involve the right reviewers, and ensure that you’re only filing high-value, strategically important patents.

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Full list of articles: https://help.triangleip.com/llms.txt