Extend and modernize your LIMS without replacing it
A LIMS that has run for years holds your master data, your history and a lot of validated configuration. Replacing it is a large and risky project. Often the real problem is narrower: a workflow handled outside the system, a role that struggles with the interface, a missing portal or a report nobody can produce. We build what is missing around your LIMS, through the interfaces it supports.
Situations we often hear about
- Part of a workflow happens in spreadsheets because the LIMS doesn’t handle it well.
- One group of users needs a simpler, task-focused interface.
- A replacement has been discussed, but the case for it is weak or the budget isn’t there.
- Customizations have accumulated and every upgrade has become difficult.
What we deliver
- Companion applications
- Focused applications for a specific process, such as sample receipt, stability scheduling or investigations, that exchange data with the LIMS.
- Task-focused front-ends
- Simpler interfaces for specific roles, with the LIMS remaining the system of record.
- Reporting and data access
- Reports, dashboards and extracts that read from the LIMS without disturbing it.
- Modernization
- Reviewing, documenting and rationalizing customizations, and planning upgrades with fewer surprises.
- External applications
- Portals and apps for customers or partners, connected to the LIMS.
How we approach it
We start by understanding the LIMS as it is today: how it is configured, which interfaces it supports, what is validated and which changes would touch that validation.
Then we design the extension so that the LIMS stays the system of record and the boundaries are explicit. Our background in LIMS platform engineering helps here. We know how these systems are put together, and where extensions tend to cause trouble during upgrades.
See it in a working application
The Laboratory Customer Portal demonstration shows this kind of software end to end. Customers submit testing requests from your catalog, follow their samples through the lab and download released results and certificates. Staff review every request, and accepting one creates the work order in the LIMS.
A demonstration and starting point, not a finished or validated product.
Chapters and screenshotsQuestions we often hear
Which LIMS platforms can you extend?
The approach applies to most LIMS that expose an API, web services, database views or file-based interfaces. We have particular depth with STARLIMS; for other platforms we assess the available interfaces during scoping.
Will an extension affect our validated system?
It can, depending on how it connects. We design extensions to keep changes to the validated system minimal and clearly scoped, and we discuss the validation impact with your QA team before anything is built.
When is replacing the LIMS the better option?
When the platform is unsupported, the core data model no longer fits your business, or customizations block every upgrade. Our article on extending versus replacing a LIMS covers the decision in more detail.
Related
Tell us what your lab needs
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.