Practical articles for laboratory managers, QA and lab IT: moving off spreadsheets, extending or replacing a LIMS, integrating instruments, building portals and digitizing methods.
Topics: Small laboratories, LIMS strategy, Portals, Lab execution, Integration, STARLIMS
A custom LIMS is the right answer for some small labs and the wrong one for many. This article sets out the trade-offs, the signals that point to purpose-built software, how to scope a minimum viable system and the ownership questions to ask any vendor.
Spreadsheets carry many labs further than they should. This guide covers where they break down, what data to move into a LIMS, a phased migration plan and how to pick the right kind of system.
Replacing a LIMS replaces the parts that work along with the parts that don't. A practical framework for deciding whether to extend your current system or move to a new one, with a comparison table and a decision checklist.
What clients and lab staff each need from a customer portal, how it should connect to the LIMS, how to handle multi-tenant security, and how to roll it out in phases.
A laboratory execution system guides analysts through a method step by step and captures data at the bench. What LES is, how it fits with LIMS and ELN, which labs benefit, and how to start without simply digitizing paper.
The main ways to connect instruments and systems to a LIMS, what each approach costs you in effort and risk, and a step-by-step plan for deciding what to integrate first.
The challenges that come up most often in STARLIMS implementations and in mature STARLIMS environments, with practical guidance, a health-check checklist and options that do not require replacing the system.
Describe the process, the systems involved and what is getting in the way. We will reply personally and suggest a sensible next step, even if that step is not a project with us.