As technology and automation continue to integrate into our lives, we grow accustomed to getting what we need quickly. Whether it is a product, service, or information, we expect rapid response. Laboratory professionals also experience this fast-paced way of life and feel pressured to meet demands. Haste can often lead to mistakes, and when life altering test results or research could be at stake, quality cannot be overlooked or taken for granted. The impacts and costs of potentially bad data can be devastating for everyone affected. Thus, effective workflow management in the lab is critical to achieving the speed and efficiencies needed, while maintaining the quality of results we are all striving for.
Given the limited resources of most labs, how can a lab manager effectively implement fast workflows while maintaining quality throughout the process?
The first step is to identify which workflow segment to initially optimize. While it is tempting to tackle the entire workflow all at once, that could get overwhelming and not allow for an effective workflow analysis. Start by choosing a segment that has key impacts on customers or researchers. Then break that process down into specific steps, perhaps by work area or type of test. For example, rather than focusing on an entire analyte identification process, select a part of that process. The sample preparation step may be a good starting point, for example. Once you identify a portion of your process you can begin looking at a few key strategies for increasing efficiency. As we explore each of these, we will also discuss how quality is maintained.
You may find it easiest to use a visual mapping tool, like a process or value stream map, or a fishbone diagram (see example below), to lay out the steps in the process. With such a tool, the steps are visible, and you can easily add sticky notes as you are working on the project. Honestly, the most effective and team interactive maps I have worked on are hand drawn and covered in sticky notes. Don’t forget to include preparation (getting supplies, instrument maintenance, etc.) or cleanup/shut down steps. The more detail the better.
The diagram or map used above provides an important tool to help you not only see how the process steps are laid out and how they work with (or possibly against) each other, but also to identify the types of inputs that go into this process. Make sure you detail your process completely, including obstacles or constraints. Here are a few examples of obstacles you may find: equipment strain (not enough equipment to meet test needs), bottlenecks due to work imbalance (one area having a lot of work, and another not having enough), or physical obstacles (such as work areas that are far apart and cause a lot of travel back and forth).
Identifying a constraint and/or obstacle is a great first step in increasing efficiency. Now that you have found it, what can you do about it? Can you modify or remove the process to alleviate the strain and free up resources? Could that process be performed at certain points of the day to reduce competition for resources? What about purchasing additional equipment or re-organizing a laboratory work cell? The solution will require cost/benefit analysis along with forecasting future growth needs. This exercise and associated solutions are unique to every lab due to the layout of the lab, resources available, and the type of work being performed (rush vs. research.)
As you evaluate opportunities for improvement and detail solutions, don’t forget about keeping quality assurance steps in place. It may be tempting to cut out a bottleneck or an unnecessary step and call it good, but what if there is an important quality supporting piece there?
Here are some questions to ask as you identify and work on your solution:
If you find that you need to modify a step associated with quality, look for alternative solutions that maintain quality, but improve your efficiency. For example, let’s say the process you want to change includes a quality review step during the procedure. Rather than removing that step, consider implementing automated tools that help you maintain quality, and also allow you to use resources more effectively. Keep in mind that your improvement evaluation and solution implementation will be unique to your lab and will require a critical eye. This is a great opportunity, as an exercise, to involve multiple team/department members and to gain various helpful perspectives.
Variation in processes can have a large impact on efficiencies. If we are all approaching the same process differently, it becomes difficult to gauge how long the process will actually take to perform. We all bring different perspectives and experience to our work – which can enrich our productivity in the long run – but in optimizing any particular process we need to agree on all details as well as the overall approach. Using standard operation procedures (SOPs) or work instructions can help keep us on the same page with the order and details of the steps, and unified training (for current and new employees) is a key element to ensuring these SOPs are executed correctly. Standardization allows for more effective timing, planning and management in the laboratory and hence for improved efficiency.
Standard operating procedures or work instructions help reduce variability in the output of the process and therefore are critical for quality. Variability can also cause defects, confusion, and loss of results. Because of this, SOPs and work instructions may be a requirement or, at the very least, highly favored by accrediting bodies or review boards.
Automation is a broad category with many different meanings. For data tracking, it can mean incorporating a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) or simply adding macro functionality to excel sheets. Whereas for instrumentation it could mean installing a new automated liquid handler or an electronic repeat pipettor. Automation does not have to be large scale to provide benefits, but should be a good fit for the process and flexible enough to grow with your lab. A word of caution before adding new instruments or personnel: Thorough review of the cost and benefits should not be overlooked; throwing in software or equipment for the sake of automating won’t necessarily solve the efficiency problem. (The same goes for adding more people to try to speed up a process.) Make sure you have the space, resources, and that it makes sense for the process in question.
Automation can bring great accuracy and precision benefits, as well as time savings, but it can also amplify quality issues in the lab if it’s not specified and set up correctly, and not properly maintained. Implementing new software or equipment into the laboratory should follow a quality check system prior to running your samples. This ensures that the equipment is functioning properly before it is integrated. Also, double check that maintenance and/or calibration schedules are setup and adhered to for the new software or instrument being added. Just because your process is automated does not mean perfect results are automatic.
As discussed, there are various ways to increase your lab’s workflow efficiency while maintaining high quality standards. Small updates or changes can result in substantial gains. Improving work instructions, scheduling, or maximizing bench top layout design can also help overcome obstacles and remove bottlenecks. All this can have substantial impacts on efficiency as well as the quality of work being produced. Wherever your workflow efficiency and quality journey take you, remember to be thorough, critical, and fair in your process evaluation. It can be a fun and rewarding journey of growth and a great team unifying experience.
Breeann Bryan is a dedicated laboratory professional with a LEAN Six Sigma Black Belt. Her background ranges from the bench to operational administration and project management. She is proud to share her knowledge and empower others to tackle their process improvement challenges, whether it’s troubleshooting data quality issues, finding out how to maximize efficiency in the lab, or keeping teams on task. She firmly believes that everyone deserves to have the right tools needed for the job.
As a co-founder and President, Kirby’s role at Artel is similar to that of an orchestra conductor—he melds the different elements of the company into a powerful whole, bringing out the best in his colleagues and creating synergies that together overcome customer challenges in liquid handling, quality, and regulatory compliance.
Through a combination of curiosity and discipline, creativity and precision, he works with his fellow Artelians to build outside-the-box solutions that are efficient, easy-to-use, highly effective and based on science. Their goal: to ensure that each customer finds new opportunities and executes new solutions to achieve productivity and compliance objectives.
When not at Artel, Kirby takes up his own instruments, the saxophone and piano, playing for the approval of Charlie Parker and Gabriel Faure.
“Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. Master your instrument, master the music. If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn.” Charlie Parker
Table 1. Regulations that require demonstration of pipette competency training and/or assessment
ISO Standards | |
ISO/IEC 17025:2005 | General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories |
ISO 15189:201 | Medical Laboratories; Requirements for Quality and Competence |
ISO 15195:2003 | Laboratory Medicine; Requirements for Reference Measurement Laboratories |
FDA cGMP regulations (current Good Manufacturing Practice) | |
21 CFR Part 211 | cGMP for Finished Pharmaceuticals |
21 CFR Part 225 | cGMP for Medicated Feeds |
21 CFR Part 820 | Quality System Regulation for Finished Devices for Human Use |
21 CFR Part 1271 | Human Cells, Tissues, and Cellular and Tissue-based Products |
GLP (Good Laboratory Practice) | |
FDA: 21 CFR Part 58 | GLP for Non-clinical Laboratory Studies |
EU: Directive 2004/10/EC | Principles of Good Laboratory Practice 1997 (Part 1), from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) |
GCP (Good Clinical Practice): | |
International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) E6 | Good Clinical Practice – Consolidated Guidance 1996 |
Richard combines his scientific education, love of learning, curiosity, and passion for making things work better to build products that help life science labs meet quality and productivity goals. His favorite challenge is finding the bullseye at the intersection of corporate strategy, market need and available technology, and then figuring out how to create a product which hits that target. His leadership has been instrumental in shaping Artel’s products and services into the effective, easy-to-use, and quality-focused offerings that they are today.
When not creating tools and knowledge to help life science labs get the right answers every time, Richard enjoys the great Maine outdoors—canoeing, camping, and gardening—as well as woodworking (usually in the great Maine indoors).
“When you have eliminated every possibility for inaccuracy, then accuracy remains your only option.”
Kathleen extends Artel’s commitment to using innovative processes for error-free results to Artel’s finance-related activities. Responsible for financial planning and analysis, evaluating strategic opportunities, budgeting, benefits, and compensation, Kathleen uses her long history of doing mergers and acquisitions from a consulting and business side to bring analytical excellence to strategic evaluations, and her experiences at larger companies to advance established processes.
When not at Artel, Kathleen uses all her experience in efficiency and productivity to care for her two daughters and their cat, dog, and horse and, in the very little time left over after that, enjoys travelling to other countries, meeting new people and learning about other cultures.
“Live life as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” Mahatma Gandhi
Officially, Graham is responsible for overseeing sales, strategic marketing, business development, and applications of Artel’s technology. In practice, this means listening to customers and leveraging his broadly eclectic scientific and business background to identify technological solutions that improve data quality and productivity.
Initially trained as a molecular biologist/protein biochemist, his many years troubleshooting misbehaving assays and analytical methods make him particularly well-suited to a role helping customers with their data quality. The many years at the bench have given Graham a deep appreciation of the importance of reducing sources of noise and variability which, together with experimental controls, can help save weeks and even months of wasted time.
When not at work, Graham’s total embrace of the experimentalist’s spirit is evident in his approach to cooking and baking, also known as “the experiment you get to eat,” which requires precision and tight QC of the ingredients as well as exact execution of the recipe steps to get the desired tasty outcome.
“I often say that when you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind.” Lord Kelvin
With a specialization in metrology and a lifelong interest in both science and engineering, George is ideally suited for his role as Artel’s representative to metrology and standards organizations, laboratory accreditation bodies, and government regulators, where he helps shape regulatory frameworks around liquid handling processes.
These activities give George a deep understanding of regulatory compliance which, coupled with his metrology and quality expertise, he uses to help customers improve data quality and efficiency while maintaining regulatory compliance. This help is especially critical for customers making process improvements, as change can be challenging in regulated environments.
George’s interest in metrology and standards extends beyond his work at Artel (see how he celebrated World Standards Day in 2016). For example, in George’s words, “Deflategate could have been avoided with a properly defined and validated measurement process. With no stated reference temperature, the NFL cannot possibly regulate ball pressure to plus or minus 0.5 psi. A game of inches and seconds, $15 billion annual revenue, and zero metrologists!”
“Every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.” Often attributed to W. Edwards Deming, but more likely from Paul Batalden.
With years of pharmaceutical industry experience centered around analytical chemistry, automation, and new technologies, as well as a background in teaching assay development and validation, Nat’s a natural in his role at Artel as the primary driver and chief communicator of product applications. From optimizing assays, processes, and workflows to pipette user training and calibration, Nat communicates to customers how Artel products and services can improve quality and productivity.
At the same time, he keeps track of key assay trends and applications to inform new product development and strategic guidance for business development, partnering, and collaborative opportunities.
While typically a casual and friendly person at Artel and at home, Nat’s aggressive commitment to quality comes out when he homebrews beer and other fermented beverages and he’s even been known to kick people out of the kitchen to avoid contamination.
“Fast is fine but accuracy is everything.” Wyatt Earp
Bernadette is the driving force (and friendly face) behind Artel’s content-heavy and customer-centric approach to marketing. She develops marketing/branding strategies and communications campaigns, and leads program execution and analysis by coordinating internal and external efforts, managing budgets, and ensuring consistency and adherence to Artel’s high standards.
Bernie’s strength lies in her ability to reach across all disciplines at Artel—scientific, engineering, metrology, technical support, product development, production, sales, and field support—to make sure that customers are getting the valuable information they need.
Bernie’s passion for detail, quality, and authentic content is expressed in her extraordinary culinary skills, whether the cooking is for an (extensive) family gathering or making a meal for the local community teen center.
“What people do with food is an act that reveals how they construe the world.” Marcella Hazan
As the person in charge of Artel’s Quality Management System, Cary plays a critical role in making sure that Artel’s commitment to quality is always being met. By training employees and keeping all quality processes and procedures well-documented and up-to-date with current regulatory standards she ensures regulatory compliance, and by assessing and evaluating performance both internally and externally (Suppliers) and customer feedback, she supports overall productivity and effectiveness to ensure we meet our customers’ expectations.
When not working closely with her team members to maintain Artel’s quality management processes, Cary enjoys the peace found hiking in the beautiful Maine outdoors.
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” Lao Tzu
“Random is not one of my strengths.” Doreen Rumery
With a strong work ethic, thorough attention to detail, inquisitive mind that needs to know why things work (or don’t work), and passion for standardization, Doreen is exactly the right kind of person to manage Artel’s chemistry and calibration labs. She’s responsible for making sure the labs run smoothly, ensuring product and instrument quality, calibrations, regulatory compliance, lab personnel training, timely delivery of products, troubleshooting, and process improvements.
Doreen’s need for standardization is apparent even in her home life where spreadsheets and planning tools are used to ensure the household runs smoothly. When not at Artel, Doreen likes to spend time with her family (some of whom she also sees at Artel), gardening, and travelling with her many sisters and brother.
“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skilful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.” William A. Foster
An important part of building high-quality products, and providing services that rely on those products, is ensuring that the components and supplies are also high-quality and readily available. Which is why Jack focuses on keeping supply-side relationships top notch. Responsible for the extended supply chain—procurement, purchasing, inventory control, warehousing, shipping, and trade compliance—as well as Artel’s facilities and physical plant, Jack ensures quality by being both a good customer and delivering good customer service.
Jack’s adherence to high standards, quality, and attention to detail are a great fit for his work at Artel and can also be seen in the years-long home renovation project he and his wife have been undertaking. When not at Artel, Jack is an avid traveller, gardener, and connoisseur of cinema and literature.
“No one knows the cost of a defective product – don’t tell me you do. You know the cost of replacing it, but not the cost of a dissatisfied customer.” W. Edwards Deming
As the Production Manager, Jim maximizes Artel’s productivity and quality by ensuring that all supplies and components are in place, providing proper training for production personnel, maintaining effective processes, and supporting an overall positive, sound and safe working environment.
Driven by a desire to help others, Jim uses his 30-plus years of experience in the photometric instrument field to ensure that customers know they can rely on Artel, answering questions, solving problems, and guiding them through to complete resolution of any issues they have with their lab’s systems.
Like many at Artel, Jim enjoys cooking and home renovation, and is currently combining his helpfulness and home renovation skills by working on his daughter and son-in-law’s house.
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” Stephen R. Covey
Wendy puts her years of experience in the laboratory and her passion for helping people and problem solving to good use as Artel’s Technical Services Manager. Her background has given her hands-on knowledge of customers’ tests and assays, enabling her to understand their pain points since she has experienced them herself. Her goal is to ensure that first-class service is provided by Artel’s customer-facing team, whether it’s directly interacting with customers or through her management of the team. Through hiring, training and guiding her team, she nurtures productive, long-lasting customer relationships.
Wendy’s focus on customers also makes her an excellent internal customer representative to Artel’s teams, where she provides input on product development to the R&D team and communicates any quality issues with Artel products and services to the operations team.
Wendy’s drive to help others resolve problems is not limited to Artel but is evident in all aspects of her life, especially with her children. When not assisting customers, Wendy likes to stay active by biking, boating, and taking long walks in beautiful Maine.
“Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.” commonly attributed to Theodore Roosevelt