Is web based sofware the answer?

I found a software development company looking at developing and supporting a web based application for laboratories. The company was doing an online poll to determine the demand for this kind of service in the laboratory environment.

This company custom develops laboratory information management systems (LIMS) that should theoretically be able to automate all processes and include a sample-tracking module. However, as the entire world keeps telling us, we are facing an economic crisis. Lower implementation and development costs seem to be the driving forces behind the planned new product.

This got me thinking about the kind of relationship software vendors have with their clients. Things have changed since the 1990s. Many companies have the know-how and legions of geek armies at their disposal. Getting good software solutions for your money is a lot easier than it used to be. This means that software development companies need to provide business solutions, not just develop and implement software.

Offering web based applications could provide a short-term solution, but it simply isn't sustainable. It is the responsibility of the vendor to communicate the downsides of this software solution, even if it means losing a couple of bucks per month in subscription fees.

In a perfect world (where software vendors deliver on promises and the economy isn't going up in flames), software should make things easier. In a laboratory there should be a simple and effective system to track samples, monitor who worked on each sample and automate reporting and invoicing. When all these aspects are taken care of, laboratory staff can focus on their most important task: analysing samples. This will automatically increase productivity and therefore profit.

Unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world, the economy is going up in flames and laboratories need sample tracking software. Investing hundreds of thousands in a LIMS might not be a viable option for many laboratories at the moment, but renting a software solution on a monthly basis is throwing money into the water.

It takes as much effort to implement a custom-made sample tracking LIMS module as it does to implement a web based software programme. With a LIMS module the laboratory stays in control of its data and the module can serve as a platform for other models to be added at a later stage. Implementing a LIMS module is a once-off investment, with no additional monthly expenses. Furthermore, the vendor will be sure to be attentive to the laboratory's needs to ensure the implementation of more models in the future.

Desperate times don't always call for desperate measures. Spending time and energy to implement a web based model in tough economic times could end up costing your laboratory more than the initial LIMS investment.

South Africa needs a different approach

I recently stumbled (actually it was more like a virtual stumble) upon an article on managing modern laboratories by Joe Liscouski of Scientific Computing. The article contains a wealth of information on laboratory information management systems (LIMS). The focus is on the integration of existing LIMS software with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems.
The integration of a LIMS with an ERP system seems an obvious evolution to any developer. What really intrigues me is how the entire article is based on the assumption that all laboratories use LIMS software:

"Managing laboratories in this age of informatics encompass not only science and scientists, but also systems that assist people in doing their work — work that has expanded to support the legal and regulatory requirements of modern research, development and testing."

Internationally this may be the case, but many South African laboratories still rely on the good ol' paper trail to get the job done. I've always been curious about this. I wonder how much longer it takes to get a sample and a report back to clients in a laboratory where everything has to be done manually?

We recently installed Lab-i at the Food and Drugs Assurance (FDA) laboratory in Pretoria. The system was fully customised to adapt to FDA's unique environment and to ensure as little disruption to the business process as possible. The laboratory's existing financial software was kept in place and Lab-i was built around it.

Of course it would make sense for a laboratory that's responsible for the safety of products that end up on our dinner plates to have a software system that automates time-consuming processes. The system frees up staff to focus on tests instead of paperwork. What bothers me is that FDA is one laboratory out of hundreds that realises that automation is important.

We are in the process of pitching a Lab-i to a local branch of a major international pharmaceutical company. I find it astonishing that a company with five laboratories across South Africa is still without a LIMS.

What I'm getting at is: LIMS articles and information available on the Internet is an extremely useful tool for vendors to understand the potential of the systems, but to the South African consumer it is virtually worthless.

In South Africa the key to reaching laboratories lies in education on basic technology. There is such an untapped market for LIMS systems, but this market will remain largely untapped until South African software developers start communicating the value or automation. Only once laboratories start to realise the value of the basic automation processes can more advanced integrations be considered.