The Situation

A quality control team is an important part of every laboratory operation.  The QC group must analyze samples for the production team to ensure that the intermediate and finished products meet the required specifications.  As the QC laboratory often services several different projects for the organization, it often becomes a busy hub of incoming samples and outgoing results.  The owners of those samples need to know the turnaround time for each test, and when they should expect to get their results.  An organized and well functioning sample management system is key to keeping track of the workload and ensuring results are sent on time.

When we first met with the client, they were relying very heavily on paper submission forms and emailed communications.  The submission form would accompany the sample through acquisition, storage, analysis, and disposal.  When samples were first submitted to the laboratory, they were recorded in a logbook.  There was little agreement among the technicians as to the order in which samples were to be analyzed.  When samples were finally analyzed, a separate logbook would record the details of the test they ran.  The results were prepared and copies were retained with the submission form while the original results were sent back to production.

“We really needed a way to track the throughput of our laboratory.  We were barely delivering on our responsibilities, and we wanted to be in a place where we could provide better service and track key indicators for where we might do better.”

– Katie McDonald

The Results

After understanding the client’s processes and expectations, we went to work to develop a system to improve transparency, efficiency, and communication of the quality control lab.  The result was a system with a graphically interfaced front end for both the QC team and the people who depend upon them.  The paper submission forms were completely eliminated in favor of an electronic record for sample acquisition, chain of custody, storage, processing, and result delivery.  Incoming samples were received, matched with a requisition from the production team, and immediately labeled with a barcode for easy entry during analysis. 

The lab began working in a new way with very little paper and instead, recorded data electronically at the time it was being generated.  These data points, paired with superior reporting, allowed both the lab staff and the production team to know where in the process every sample was with just a few clicks.

“The dashboards and sample queue reports were game changing.  It allowed us to measure our performance and re-assign resources in areas where they were needed most.”

– Jeff Simmons