Once a patent application has been filed it is moved from the Ideas Stage and Gate onto the stages and gates associated with filed patent applications as shown the “Patent Application Status Map” figure.  In this mapping filed patent applications move from left to right consistent with patent office actions received from the national patent office. Again, the vertical axis shows the time spent in each stage. Leaving a breadcrumbs trail with a fine pen for each application gives person’s auditing the process an opportunity to see where the delays are.  These can then be addressed or built into the strategic plans. Having this two-dimensional mapping allows patent committee’s an ability to see whether their applications are moving smoothly along for suffering from delays.