United States DEPARTMENT of Commerce

A P P E N D I x C : P e r f o r m a n c e M e a s u r e s D e f i n i t i o n s
Performance Measures:
Patent average first action pendency (months)
Patent average total pendency (months)
These two measures reflect the time it takes to grant a patent. The first measure tracks the timeliness of first office actions
on patent applications. It measures the time from the application filing date to the date of mailing the first office actions.
The second measure identifies the timeliness related to issuance of the patent or abandonment of the application. It measures
the average time from the application filing date to the date of issue or abandonment.
Data Source
Frequency
Data Storage
Internal Controls
Data Limitations
Actions to be Taken
PALM system
Daily input, monthly reporting
PALM, automated systems, reports
Accuracy of supporting data is controlled through internal program edits in the PALM system. Final test for reasonableness is performed
internally by patent examiners, supervisors, and program management analysts.
None
N/A
Performance Measure:
Patent efficiency (cost per patent production unit)
The labor productivity measure is generally defined as production output divided by labor input. It measures the overall effectiveness
of labor deployment at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in terms of patent production. The measure is in the form
of a ratio so that production output relative to labor input can be tracked and analyzed. It is designed to incorporate the widest
possible labor input from USPTO employees in all work areas, both directly and indirectly supporting the Patent organization, and
from contractor staff on the same basis.
Indirect labor is assigned to patent support on the basis of cost accounting distributions. All labor hours include actual work
hours, excluding annual leave, sick leave, and holidays. In addition, contractor labor for significant one-time projects, such as
space acquisition, is excluded. Production is measured in terms of production units. The productivity measure viewed over time
serves to provide a helpful insight into changes in the effectiveness of labor deployment throughout USPTO.
Data Source
Frequency
Data Storage
Internal Controls
Data Limitations
Actions to be Taken
PALM system
Daily input, monthly reporting
PALM, Data Warehouse, Activity Based Management (ABM) system
Accuracy of supporting data is controlled through internal program edits in the PALM, Momentum, and ABM system. Quality control
review of data by Activity Based Cost Accounting (ABC) system and program business teams.
None
N/A
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