The following nine Competitive Assessment Tools and Viewpoints for the Idea stage (Tools 1-9) are designed to shorten the time to expand an idea. They allow the inventor to ask/answer the right expansive questions and prepare the idea for consideration as a formal project / program.

Tool #1 Map of Similar Ideas, Art & Markets
Tool #3 Table of Inventors
Tool #5 Patent Activity Chart
Tool #7 Tree Showing Idea’s Environment
Tool #9 Document Thoughts and Analysis
Tool #2 Table of Assignees
Tool #4 Chart of Similar Technologies
Tool #6 Chart Narrowing Areas to Explore
Tool #8 Root-tree Showing Idea’s Environment