User Requirements Workshops Bring Added Benefits

Defining user requirements is not only one of the most important aspects of purchasing a LIMS but frequently one of the most challenging. If it is not dealt with in sufficient detail, it can impact the quoted costs and lead to complications and delays at the later stages of the project. Recognizing the importance of this, we have undertaken a number of user requirement workshops in recent months with prospective customers.

This is the latest initiative in Autoscribe Informatics’ policy of helping customers with the definition of their user requirements. Taking up to 3 days, these workshops allow staff from all of the relevant parts of the customer’s organization to meet with Autoscribe technical staff to discuss their workflows and needs, while better understanding the capabilities that Matrix Gemini has to offer.

For some time now, Autoscribe has offered a ‘Requirements Definition Service’ in which we work in collaboration with all relevant departments and personnel that will be involved in the project and then deliver a comprehensive and independent User Requirements document.

However, the introduction of these workshops allows us to gather all of the key stakeholders in the project together to smooth the process. The inherent configuration capabilities of Matrix Gemini mean that during the workshops we can show how screens can be created and modified or the system managed to replicate individual requirements that the different interest groups might have. In addition, hands-on access to Matrix Gemini allows them to explore the ways that they will be able to interact with the system in future. Workshops not only provide clear requirements they also outline the proposed solution and provide the detail to be able to accurately quote for any professional services work required. We’ve had great feedback on these workshops.

While these are designed for potential customers who are about to invest in a LIMS, we have not forgotten potential customers who are just embarking on the search for either a new or a replacement LIMS. For them, we have published a comprehensive User Requirements Check List to help with the assessment of LIMS vendors and to fully understand how each vendor meets the specific user requirements. This checklist provides potential purchasers with the starting point to define their requirements.

The checklist ranges from commercial to system support issues. Consideration is given to programming and coding responsibilities, system configuration/customization and user access and security. There is a thorough review of functionality, including sample/work registration, sample receipt, sample preparation, work scheduling and result entry. There are sections concerning static data tables, reporting, and options.

The accurate definition of user requirements is the key to a smooth LIMS project. We’re here to help you with it! For more information contact us on +44 118 984 0610.