Considering Multisite Deployment in LIMS?

Good science depends on collaboration, and collaboration depends on communication There are opportunities to improve the way different labs work together by leveraging a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS). But perhaps your teams are spread over two sites – or even 200. Can a single LIMS serve all your needs?

Some of the same attributes that have made LIMSs so useful at a single site, like enabling different teams to turn centralized data into valuable insights, make it ideal for multisite deployment as well.

Multisite deployment has emerged as a crucial need for many organizations aiming to implement LIMS globally. But rolling out a LIMS with multisite capabilities requires careful planning, thoughtful implementation, and continual support. Here are some considerations to help you establish a detailed plan that will support a global LIMS for multi-location lab management, and then execute in collaboration with a leading LIMS platform provider like LabVantage.

Planning for Multisite Deployment

Successful multisite deployment requires preparation to synchronize data, maintain consistency and uphold security standards, so that users have a controlled and consistent experience no matter where they access the LIMS.

With thoughtful planning, many of these elements can be completed or at least initiated even before engaging with LabVantage.

Certain elements of planning are universal, whether applied to a single site or multiple locations. For additional ideas, check out How to Prepare for a New LIMS: A LIMS Implementation Readiness Blueprint.

There are five important pieces to any plan for multisite deployment:

1. Harmonize processes: working across multiple sites will require standardization to reduce the risk of issues like functionality or implementation deviations. This includes harmonization of documentation like standard operating procedures (SOPs), reporting, and work instructions. Requirements, labeling, and naming conventions must be made consistent. It’s essential for relevant instruments and systems to be able to interface seamlessly.  Security should be uniform, and this is also the time to develop a plan for validation and verification.

   a) key stakeholders including management and sponsors will be charged with global oversight. This includes reviewing the new functionality, changes, impact, budget and timelines, and assigning the required resources.

2. Assemble key resource groups: thorough preparation will require participants from each site, who can identify resources and coordinate with the rest of the organization. Each site should be represented by at least one person in each of the following groups:
   1. the harmonization team, which oversees the above work
   2. the system administration team, with members who will be responsible for enabling and managing user access at each site
   3. the master data team of lab administrators, who will develop the necessary processes connected to master data creation and usage

Two other key teams are needed, although they may not require the involvement of personnel from each site:

1. 1. the validation team, which must consider specific local requirements and review use cases to ensure broad functionality as it develops its methodology
   2. the change management team, including system and/or lab administrators, which will design and implement a formal process to assess and approve every and any change before it is rolled out globally – as well as a tiered support process for use once multisite deployment is complete

1. Prepare master data: before master data can be created, the master data team will need to build consensus for what it must look like. This includes standardizing naming conventions, reviewing SOPs, prioritizing the master data that must be created and when it will go live, developing timelines for master data creation, and determining who or which site should have access to specific objects. The team must also identify who is responsible for collecting and creating common objects, as well as who will assess data volume.
2. Identify and prepare relevant locations: this review should be designed to clarify the kind of transformation that will be required and at which sites.

Ready to implement your Multisite Deployment in LIMS?

You’ve planned. You’ve interacted with your LIMS provider. You’ve consulted What You Need to Know When Planning for a Successful LIMS Implementation. Your global LIMS deployment is almost ready – but first, a few decisions must be made.

The most critical decision for multisite deployment is whether to proceed in stages – by site, function, or department –  or  have all sites going live simultaneously.. This choice will impact multiple factors,  such as verification, validation, and change control strategies  tailored to requirements at individual sites. Similarly, it will be necessary to decide whether all products are promoted from a site at once or more selectively.

For implementation, final decisions must be made about how master data – including site-specific master data – should be promoted between environments, and how it will be validated. Review and approval by quality assurance or quality control must be established, as well as any verification, validation, or testing to be performed.

Additionally, personnel must be selected to implement the LIMS at all global sites. At least one person at each site should undertake familiarization and administrator training, which LabVantage provides. Someone at each site will need to review and approve the functional requirement specification, as well as individual requirements for local site needs. These requirements can be shared with the LIMS provider in specialized workshops.

Functionality testing, validation planning, and test script creation will also be performed by staff at each site. Someone on site will provide requirements for local instruments and systems to interface and be integrated with the LIMS.

Finally, at each site, multiple personnel should be prepared to create master data.

Turn the LIMS key

After much planning, preparation and deploying of resources, your LIMS is now ready to support optimization of multi-lab environments. This opens up new possibilities through enhanced efficiency and productivity and positions your LIMS for the future with scalability and adaptability for all users’ needs.

Through seamless integration, an all-in-one laboratory system can be a critical tool for this new era of collaborative science. Here are some best practices following implementation to get the most of your LIMS.

To understand how the LabVantage team strategizes for multisite deployments, reach out to our team with any questions specific to your lab’s needs and challenges.