In our new four-part blog series, we explore why you should implement a laboratory information management system (LIMS) in your lab, what factors you need to consider in the selection process, and how to plan your implementation. This fourth and final blog explores how to implement your LIMS smoothly and effectively.
You’ve seen the benefits a LIMS can bring to your workflows, discovered their capabilities, and decided what type of LIMS is the best fit for your lab’s needs. Now, all you need to do is purchase and implement it. Straightforward, right?
Not quite. Getting your LIMS implementation right is crucial to the success of your lab both now and in the future. A smooth implementation requires proper planning, communication, and most importantly, the right LIMS partner. Without these aspects, your implementation is subject to a host of pitfalls including extended timelines, unanticipated costs, scope creep, and even low user adoption.
Choosing the right LIMS partner who will support you through the entire process will lead to a much smoother implementation and help to address change management to drive adoption of the new solution. Vendors have many different approaches to implementations, so it is imperative you find one who meets your needs and you can trust. At Thermo Fisher Scientific, we put the customer first, leveraging our extensive range of products, solutions, and expertise to help customers push the boundaries of scientific innovation.
To help you make your decision, we explore four key considerations in this blog that will help you get the most from your vendor and clear the path to a successful LIMS integration.
1. Engage any stakeholders early
Lab personnel are busy, and so organizing a meeting to discuss a LIMS can be a challenge in itself. As a LIMS partner, Thermo Fisher Scientific has Business Analysts to facilitate your LIMS adoption, with minimal impact on personnel time. A Business Analyst can visit your labs and observe your processes as they happen. They will ask probing questions about your lab activities in real-time, as well as about the whole lab process. These questions lay an important groundwork for continuous process improvement.
The Business Analyst can also observe any unvoiced requirements from lab personnel, such as whether they wear any personal protective equipment (PPE) that prevents them from interacting with the LIMS using a mouse and keyboard, or repeat processes that could be simplified or automated.
Although the focus of a LIMS is the end user, there are many more stakeholders involved, and you must gather their requirements too. For example, database administrators and IT colleagues should be involved early in the process to avoid any unseen hurdles later.
2. Use process maps to define your workflow
To determine the best solution that meets your requirements and implement it optimally, you need to clarify your lab’s needs by fully understanding your processes. Mapping your end-to-end workflows is an effective way to do this. Three steps are important here:
- Draw your process maps and SIPOCs (suppliers, inputs, process, outputs, and customers). This approach doesn’t have to be hi-tech — a whiteboard will work — but investing in diagramming software accelerates the process by cutting out the translation from a whiteboard photo to a shareable diagram
- Validate your process maps against your current in-lab procedures
- Ask end-users for advice and input to help understand the flow of data and interactions between scientists and systems
3. Leverage process maps to optimize vendor time
A LIMS digitally reflects your real-life lab processes. Your process mapping will have helped you determine what you need your LIMS to do — you can then talk to your LIMS partner with these process maps at hand, which will save substantial time and expenditure by reducing the costs for discovery work.
For those who want their LIMS built against their current lab state, the vendor can use your existing process maps for design and development. But if you want to simultaneously optimize your lab processes, you should work with your vendor to develop “future state” process maps.
4. Collaboratively design your LIMS
A quality vendor will engage you in frequent meetings to begin designing your solution. Earlier on, the sessions will translate process diagrams to LIMS functional requirements. Further into the process, there will be “show and tell” sessions to see specific LIMS functionality.
Make sure to include as many stakeholders as possible in these meetings, as early feedback can help avoid costly reworks down the line. There should be open dialogue in the meetings, encouraging end-user buy-in and ultimately ensuring higher usage of your LIMS.
A stress-free journey to greater lab efficiency
Adopting a LIMS is the most important step you can take to unlock efficiency and productivity in your lab — but actually implementing it can be challenging. When planning your LIMS implementation, it is essential that you fully understand all your lab processes and engage stakeholders early in the process. Not only does this make sure your new LIMS will help your lab achieve its goals, it also aligns users on the benefits of using it, thereby encouraging adoption.
Selecting a quality vendor is crucial for a smooth implementation, and working with one that provides Business Analysts to understand your lab makes sure that you get the most appropriate solution. Thermo Fisher Scientific is the world leader in serving science, offering a broad range of tools, expertise, instruments, and support systems to assist you at every step of the way. With a clear path to LIMS implementation, what will your lab achieve?
To learn more about LIMS selection, download our eBook. Ready to take your next step towards LIMS implementation? Then contact our team today.
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