Three frequently asked questions about laboratory automation answered

Although lab employees work in different types of organizations and have diverse activities, they encounter the same problems. We ask the resulting questions to Sascha van de Ven, owner of QAducation. She gives us clarity about aspects involved in laboratory automation.

1. What should you pay attention to with new laboratory automation?

When you purchase a new car, you list all the requirements. Consider a specific color, number of doors, five seats and a tow bar. But when you list these requirements, you are actually already thinking in terms of solutions. Take a step back and ask yourself: Do I really need a car? Perhaps there are alternatives to replace the car. What does this step of choosing your new car have to do with automation? “Looking carefully at the problem and coming up with out-of-the-box solutions: this process part is often skipped when new automation is sought. An obvious solution is quickly chosen. Try to get to the core and talk to the users of the hardware or software. Where are the bottlenecks? What are they up against? Formulate the right solution based on those answers.”

Put users, IT people and the director at one table and listen to each other's interests. Together you will get to the core of the pain points. – Sascha van de Ven, owner of QAducation

2. What is an important requirement for laboratory automation?

Only when the solution is clear is it time to list the requirements. “An example of such a requirement that occurs in many laboratories is user-friendliness. It must be as easy as possible for employees to work with systems. If that is not the case, resistance and frustration will arise.” “Just think about it: if you have to click 23 times to place an online order, that is twenty too many and you will drop out with the umpteenth mouse click. It also works this way with equipment and systems. Actions must be quick and easy. Always."

3. Which automation systems do you need to validate?

Validation is like the number eight: an infinite loop. “The process always returns. This applies to everything that happens in a laboratory: from the moment the sample arrives to the report that is sent to the customer. This obviously means that new software and interfaces are extensively validated. But also that staff is properly trained and data is properly secured.” Validation does not only apply to new systems. “You also do this when new versions are installed and, for example, you go from LIMS 1.0 to LIMS 2.0.”

Make it easy on yourself

Validation is time-consuming. How do you handle that? “It's actually very simple: make it part of the purchasing requirements. Have the supplier validate it and ask for substantiation in the form of a validation report. This way, the work is done by someone else, without losing control.”

Even more answers to your questions? View the LabAutomation knowledge base