Situation

A global biopharmaceutical client needed a better way to process samples and work requests in R&D labs. To better serve its laboratory customers, the research organization wanted to replace their paper request process with an electronic process within their existing LabWare 7 LIMS™.

Objectives

The R&D group’s goal was to increase customer satisfaction by automating their sample login and work request processes with existing tools and on a small budget.

Challenges

  1. Minimal existing requirements documentation: stakeholder interviews and workshops consumed part of the development project’s budget.
  2. Limited customization budget: because customizing LabWare was cost prohibitive, the team needed to develop a tool outside of the LIMS that could still leverage data in the LabWare database.

CSols’s Role in the Solution

  • Gathered requirements from IT, the business, laboratory end users, work requestors, and data consumers
  • Configured LabWare 7 LIMS out-of-the-box functionality, leveraging previously unused LabWare capabilities
  • Recommended best practice implementation strategies and developed related business processes
  • Designed visual workflows to align the various users, systems, and methods
  • Developed external tool to interface with LabWare LIMS
  • Developed user-friendly, interactive web interface that interacts in real time with LabWare LIMS
  • Allowed seamless user authentication to streamline the request process, eliminating needless steps for the end user
  • Minimized project and support costs and time by leveraging the client’s existing IT standards: .Net, MVC, C#, and Oracle 11g technologies
  • Executed project by following software development best practices including error checking, messaging, and consistent data conventions

Benefits

  • Improved turnaround time with more efficient electronic request processing
  • Eliminated hard copies of requests, therefore removing the possibility of losing a paper form
  • Improved sample and work tracking via electronic chain-of-custody and a request audit trail
  • Increased visibility of laboratory data
  • Improved user experience
  • Increased value from LabWare 7 LIMS investment by activating previously unused functionality without additional license costs
  • Supported long-term IT maintenance and growth with state-of-the-art technologies
  • Prepared for future growth by leveraging a solid technology foundation

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