testing and analytical labs Considerations when choosing a LIMS solution
l Look for a software solution that is quick to install, easy to use and is provided by a company that can maximise the lab’s return on investment by improving the effectiveness, productivity and quality of the processes being addressed by the software.
l Choose a vendor that has track record delivering both standard and bespoke software solutions.
l Look for a provider that addresses the detail. This requires vendors to have worked in laboratories who will recognise the significance that even small functional changes in software can make and how that can affect the day to day utility
from CRO to their respective customers,’ suggests Sasaki. ‘Without full knowledge of this information, the customer’s analytical experts are forced to start from scratch and repeat the same analyses over again, and identify for themselves which experiments need to be run,’ he adds.
Effective communication Tere are undoubtedly certain ‘gaps’ in current informatics systems - not least of which, according to BSSN Soſtware’s Burkhard Schaefer, is effective management of the relationship between outsourcer and lab. ‘Initially, you need to transfer the work order to the outsourcing provider. Ideally, this would happen by obtaining the work orders from your existing in-house data systems. Many organisations have a LIMS in place for this purpose, so it would be nice if any work orders present in the LIMS could automatically be turned into work tickets for a service lab,’ he explains. Te partner organisation could then perform
of their solutions in each laboratory context.
l All laboratories are now regulated by different bodies, so it is imperative that data is always traceable, audited by the software and is available for review in case of inspection.
l Clearly the solution needs to be cost effective with a good ROI/payback and needs to meet or exceed both the user and business requirements.
l The user interface should be capable of matching current and future working practices.
l Software is only part of the overall solution. Look for a vendor that wants to achieve a close working
relationship, working with customers and taking a hands-on approach to ensure optimum efficiencies and performance. These are essential factors for creating and maintaining customers’ competitive advantage. This partnership starts in early discussions and continues through implementation and support from the vendors specialists.
l Make sure that the solution has ‘longevity’; i.e. is fully supported by the vendor who will always continue to develop innovative solutions with the latest technologies while maintaining a deep level of expertise in your chosen field.
Comments supplied by Keith Huxford, marketing/ project implementation manager at CSols
IF DATA IS ANNOTATED WITH FULL INTERPRETATIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS, THE OUTSOURCER GAINS AN IMMEDIATE ADVANTAGE IN THEIR INVESTIGATION
the requested experiments and transfer the results back. He adds that a strict workflow for quality control and approval needs to be in place on both sides, ensuring that only properly reviewed data gets sent across. ‘Te customer side is oſten interested in ways of measuring the efficiency and cost-savings generated by working with the outsourcing provider,’ he continues, ‘and a system should thus be capable of capturing relevant efficiency metrics.’ Another issue he identifies is the
question of how results are transferred back to the customer. ‘Traditionally, PDF or paper reports are transmitted to the customer, requiring expensive re-keying of result information. Electronic data deliverables are gaining more and more relevance; however, PDF is not the silver bullet. Although the format provides a nice way of transferring a report, PDF documents are only static images and text. Te underlying raw data is not transferred,’ adds Schaefer. Tis trend towards
requesting access to raw data and not just final reports, is growing and Schaefer comments that even agencies like the US EPA are thinking about extending their electronic
10 SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING WORLD
data deliverable formats to include raw data for their Superfund Contract Laboratory Programme. Tis presents a possible aid, if not a solution, to the underlying problem of ‘interpretation’ mentioned in this article. Ryan Sasaki explains that having direct
access to this data gives outsourcers the ability to quickly review it and that sometimes this analysis will save them the trouble of re-acquiring the data for the sample again. ‘However,’ he comments, ‘even in instances where re-running the data is required, direct access to the CRO data is useful for direct comparison. If it looks different, this is oſten a sign that issue lies somewhere else.’ He concludes that in addition to being accessible, if this data is annotated with full interpretations and assignments, the outsourcer gains an immediate advantage in their investigation.
Further information:
ACD/Labs
www.acdlabs.com
Autoscribe
www.autoscribe.co.uk
BSSN Software
www.bssn-software.de
Cayman Chemical
www.caymanchem.com
CSols
www.csols.com
Genedata
www.genedata.com
Labware
www.labware.com
Sciantec Analytical Services
www.sciantec.uk.com
www.scientific-computing.com
Sciantec Analytical Services
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