LIMS Implementation Project Hindsights: How to Avoid Pitfalls and Delays
Oral Presentation
Prepared by K. Smith
Narragansett Bay Commission, One Service Road, Providence, RI, 02905, United States
Contact Information: [email protected]; 401-461-8848
ABSTRACT
This paper identifies the difficulties in a long road to successful implementation of a LIMS. Having gone through a large complicated implementation from one LIMS to another it identifies the most likely causes for a failed LIMS project. It describes not only the positives but the pitfalls presenting approaches to avoid failure, delays or cost overruns. It is a candid account of an LIMS implementation from the project manager’s vantage point. The implementation is a great case study having run 600 plus days over and through it all were able to keep users engaged, energized and on track; delivering a solid system with data defensibility and mutiple components beyond LIMS. The implementation included LIMS, LimsLink, iLab, data migration, sharepoint new reporting software and a mobile solution for sample submissions.
Successful implementations are directly tied to communications, good resources with strong project managment and starts with the selection process. This paper covers each component of the implementation and how each component can negatively impact the process as it is driven to completion. It is straightforward and open dialogue about things going wrong on both sides. How to avoid many of the pitfalls, defining processes upfront to help minimize issues, having a detailed plan and how to get the project back on track minimizing the bad press and having a successful LIMS delivered at the end of the day.
This paper will be open and frank case study of what was under the covers and how we succeeded. The good and the bad and at the end day no regrets for selection of LIMS.
Oral Presentation
Prepared by K. Smith
Narragansett Bay Commission, One Service Road, Providence, RI, 02905, United States
Contact Information: [email protected]; 401-461-8848
ABSTRACT
This paper identifies the difficulties in a long road to successful implementation of a LIMS. Having gone through a large complicated implementation from one LIMS to another it identifies the most likely causes for a failed LIMS project. It describes not only the positives but the pitfalls presenting approaches to avoid failure, delays or cost overruns. It is a candid account of an LIMS implementation from the project manager’s vantage point. The implementation is a great case study having run 600 plus days over and through it all were able to keep users engaged, energized and on track; delivering a solid system with data defensibility and mutiple components beyond LIMS. The implementation included LIMS, LimsLink, iLab, data migration, sharepoint new reporting software and a mobile solution for sample submissions.
Successful implementations are directly tied to communications, good resources with strong project managment and starts with the selection process. This paper covers each component of the implementation and how each component can negatively impact the process as it is driven to completion. It is straightforward and open dialogue about things going wrong on both sides. How to avoid many of the pitfalls, defining processes upfront to help minimize issues, having a detailed plan and how to get the project back on track minimizing the bad press and having a successful LIMS delivered at the end of the day.
This paper will be open and frank case study of what was under the covers and how we succeeded. The good and the bad and at the end day no regrets for selection of LIMS.
