Why customisation is important

A good laboratory information management system (LIMS) will aid in the automation of most of a laboratory's processes, saving time and increasing the profit margin. Although some LIMS systems look good on paper, they often offer functions that aren't relevant to many laboratories.
Business solution provider QBCon realised that each laboratory is different and developed Lab-i. Lab-i has all the great features of a normal LIMS system and more. The difference lies in the implementation of Lab-i.

Customisation is an important part of QBCon's software development. We realise that no one knows your laboratory better than you. Therefore, we spend a lot of time at your laboratory, talking to everyone from the clerk at reception to the most qualified laboratory staff members. Based on your laboratory's unique needs, QBCon can combine features and functions or create new features and functions to benefit your laboratory.

Lab-i will make reporting in your laboratory easy and eliminate manual intervention to a large degree, leaving less space for human error. Lab-i will do away with the time consuming paper trail almost entirely.

Lab-i also offers functions like a biometric login system. With fingerprint recognition, the staff members involved in each test can be identified, resulting in full accountability.
A bar-coding option is one of Lab-i's standard features. You can generate and print a bar code for each sample in your laboratory at the touch of the button. When scanning the barcode all the information regarding the sample, including tests done and tests that need to be done are displayed.

Lab-i can further be integrated with new age business intelligence (BI) tool EasyAsk. EasyAsk allows everyone in the laboratory to draw reports or recall results by typing a question in natural English. With Lab-i, customers can track the progress of their sample in close to real time.
Don't bind your laboratory to a LIMS system that contributes very little to the functioning of your laboratory. Lab-i is an investment in the future of your laboratory.

LIMS and user specs

The most important part of any laboratory information management system (LIMS) is the user specification. Many people think a user spec is nothing but a plan, part of avoiding the mistakes that are inevitable if you do not prepare properly.

For me a user spec is much more. It is a set of ground rules that ensure the client knows what they are buying and the supplier knows what the client expects. We recently started the implementation process with a new client and found that the client had a different understanding of how the reporting module of QBCon Lab-i would work.

A good spec by the team helped QBCon understand that the client wanted non-standard reporting that was not previously mentioned. By understanding the client’s expectation early, QBCon was able to plan for the required customisation and make sure that the end product matches the client’s expectations.

The incident may seem trivial but it has far reaching implications. The client's satisfaction with the product is guaranteed, and future development work is now a possibility.

So it begins

Everything seems to be about social networking these days. One would think, as a software developer and computer geek galore, I would be the first to create a Facebook account, a Twitter account, a LinkedIn account, a Flickr account, a MySpace account, a YouTube account and a blog.

I was quite offended when a friend pointed out that my lack of social networking is ludicrous because I exist, as she so delicately put it, "exclusively for my computer". I tried to retort with a clever remark about my raging and legendary social life, but then I realised she had a point.

I am proud to report that this blog is the final step in an aggressive social networking campaign. My beloved laboratory information management system (LIMS), Lab-i, can now be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. I know there's about a thousand more social networking applications that I should get involved in, but Rome wasn't built in a day.

Lab-i is an awesome programme. I should know, I wrote it and I work on it all day, every day. The trick, I realised in the week past, is to convince others that this programme is much more than my passion project. Lab-i is a business tool. It can double turnaround time in a laboratory, it can increase profit and generally boost business for a laboratory.

I hope to spread the gospel of Lab-i through social networking.

Here's to Lab-i, and to the future!

Look for QLims on Twitter
Search for the QBCon LIMS group on LinkedIn
Join the Lab-i Facebook group.
Visit the QBCon website for more information.