The Importance of Boosting Lab Productivity
Due to the technical nature of the job, there is always an intense amount of effort involved in lab work, from writing publications to submitting patent applications. Often, the time and the allocated resources are limited, increasing the pressure to deliver efficient work. In such cases, it becomes essential to enhance your lab productivity through laboratory automation systems for routine testing and other procedures.
Before turning to lab automation instrumentation and lab automation software for assistance , you must carefully assess your lab’s current situation. It is wise to create a checklist that would provide a thorough assessment. Some questions that you can consider are as follows:
● What are the common problems that the lab is constantly running into?
● What is the maximum time spent on routine tasks?
● Are the resources present in the lab being utilized to their full potential?
● Are there any underused/overused lab equipment/resources?
● Are you experiencing frequent delays for tasks/projects/availability of resources?
1- Eliminate waste: If your lab is constantly dealing with material that does not add value to your work, it is best to eliminate them right away. Some of the wastage includes manual tasks taking too much time, product defects, under-utilized talent, under-skilled specialists, e.t.c
2- Organize Your Lab: A lot of labs suffer from low productivity because of the poor organization of the lab itself. In such cases, having Software for laboratories is not enough. Ensuring your organization follows a Quality Management System (TQM) or a 5S Lean method would significantly reduce wasted time searching for tools, supplies, or information.
3- Track Issues: Many experts and lab automation companies suggest keeping track of the issues faced by the laboratory. This dramatically reduces the amount of time taken to fix errors and with laboratory automation systems, in case they go awry. Having a logbook would greatly assist in enhancing lab productivity.
4- Manage Information: The best way to manage all the information in your lab is to utilize software for laboratories, such as LIMS, electronic notebooks, automation scheduling software or workflow scheduling managers. Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) couple with other scheduing and tracking software would provide a quick and effective method to help you track all your laboratory work and assist you in standardizing your protocols.
5- Automate Your Processes: Datasets are getting larger, and so is the need to increase repeatability and reproducibility. This is why it is important for labs to streamline their processes through laboratory automation systems and lab automation software such as Retisofts Genera scheduling software. Seeking help from automated processes would greatly reduce the chances of failures occurring during experiments.
Looking for a lab automation company that would provide you with smart assistance to all your laboratory needs? Retisoft is a company that aims to provide you with the best lab automation solutions to enhance the quality, productivity, and consistency of your lab work. Contact us today or visit our website for more information.
