Does your lab ever make modifications to its software? Well, if so, version control is something you should understand and be managing thoughtfully. Not only is version control good practice, but it’s also necessary for maintaining compliance in a regulated lab environment.
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As computing technology has progressed and testing methodologies have evolved, so too has the need for process changes, workflow automation, and capturing, understanding, and visualizing data. How can laboratories ensure their LIMS implementation will provide them with this level of functionality and continue to live up to ever-changing needs over time? [Read More]

This article is going to dive deeper into LIMS and look at both how it works and also improves lab operations.  We’ll do that by looking at one type of service testing lab as an example – a water quality testing lab – and seeing how the components of a LIMS can improve its operation.  Because service testing labs have many common functional characteristics, it should be easy to translate this material to your lab’s needs. [Read More]

In this 2022 paper published in The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, the Molecular Pathology Section of Cleveland Clinic describes its collaboration with Semaphore Solutions in order to customize a laboratory information management system and other tools to meet the needs of Cleveland Clinic's molecular pathology department. The authors first describe their goals, technology approach, and software approach within the framework of project development and management, including validation steps. They then provide details about how their implementation affected their work. They conclude that "a significant amount of customized software engineering" was required to get a system that met their needs, as was a Scrum-based development approach, "which may be emulated for scalable and cost-effective laboratory-authored software." They also add that "[a]n important lesson learned in executing the LIMS project was the concept of a minimally viable product (MVP)."