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case study United Utilities undertakes a LIMS overhaul with strategic support from Scimcon Overview When United Utilities decided to review its Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), it decided it needed an independent consultant for advice and support. It chose to work with scientific management consultancy Scimcon, which has advised United Utilities throughout its LIMS overhaul. The project began in November 2000, since which time the companies have reviewed United Utilities' existing LIMS, and Scimcon has facilitated the selection of a new system and supported subsequent training and configuration. United Utilities and Scimcon and are now undertaking the final phase - validation and testing of the system - which should be complete by November 2002. United Utilities supplies water and wastewater services to nearly three million customers in the North West of England. Every year its laboratory tests 350,000 samples of water from an area stretching 14,000 square kilometres, from Crewe to Carlisle and the Irish Sea to the Pennines. These samples of drinking water and effluent undergo chemical and microbiological examination to guarantee that drinking water is safe, and sewage and waste-water are not harmful to the environment. The lab's role is to ensure that water samples meet the stringent compliance levels set by the Drinking Water Inspectorate and the Environment Agency, whilst adhering to the United Kingdom Accreditation Services' (UKAS) standards in testing procedures. Each year, the lab's sample testing produces 2.5 million results that need to be reported and documented. Once live, the new LIMS will enable United Utilities to track, record and access this data more efficiently and cost-effectively than previously. This will help United Utilities meet the imperative regulatory requirements and improve its information management. The LIMS overhaul The partnership between United Utilities and Scimcon began when United Utilities reviewed its LIMS in Autumn 2000. At that time, United Utilities was looking for options to improve its incumbent LIMS which was becoming out of date. It was a customised legacy system, designed to support a largely robotic laboratory. It had limited reporting functions and was becoming increasingly unable to meet the demands put upon it. It was also going to be difficult to find IT support and replacement parts for this old system in the longer term. Before making a decision about how to move forward, United Utilities wanted to bring in a consultancy that had experience of the market and a thorough understanding of the options available. Mike Eccles, Analysis Reporting and Management System (ARMS) manager at United Utilities, explains why it decided to work with Scimcon: "Although we had our own ideas on the direction we needed to take, we needed someone who was independent to test our ideas against and advise us on all of the options available. Having considered a number of options and LIMS solutions we felt we could trust Scimcon to give us sound, independent advice. Unlike many other consultancies, it has real-life experience of LIMS management in a laboratory and an unbiased understanding of the market." Scimcon advised United Utilities of the advantages and disadvantages of the three options it could take. It could have updated its existing software, which may have been easier than changing it, but this would have been expensive to maintain and limited in scope in the long run. A second option was to replace the existing HP ChemLMS based system with a bespoke software package. Although this could have ensured that United Utilities had a system developed to meet its precise needs, it would have been costly and time consuming to develop, and difficult to upgrade in the future. United Utilities decided upon option three: to invest in a new off-the-shelf LIMS. Although this meant that United Utilities may have to modify some of its business processes around the LIMS, a "standardised" LIMS came with the reassurance of it having been proven and tried and tested in similar environments. It was also more cost effective and allowed the lab to move onto a system that would be easier to upgrade and maintain. Mike Eccles explains Scimcon's involvement: "Throughout the review process, Scimcon presented the facts neutrally, and provided us with a sounding board against which to test our ideas. They also played a valuable role in liaising with a broad mix of United Utilities staff Ð from business managers to lab analysts. This meant that when they came back with a recommendations report, they took the needs of all parties into consideration, and so suggestions were accepted with less argument." The next stage was to choose a system, and United Utilities was assisted by Scimcon in drawing up a shortlist. To enable United Utilities to choose from the three, Scimcon undertook a review of user requirements with the potential users of the system. By involving Scimcon and the users, United Utilities was able to get users' buy-in for the project as well as thoroughly assessing their needs. Scimcon then prepared a document for United Utilities listing the user requirements for a new system. In June 2001, the three vendors under consideration were then asked to demonstrate how their systems could meet these requirements. Scimcon helped United Utilities set up the evaluation process and marking sheets against which the company project team could assess the vendors to check the best fit to United Utilities's requirements. Mike Eccles says: "Scimcon played a valuable role during the selection process. It helped us to interface with the vendors during meetings and demonstration workshops, and enabled us to make balanced judgements about what we could and could not realistically expect. When it came to making a final choice, Scimcon provided independent advice on the pros and cons of each option, and helped ensure we had considered all the relevant data required to make an informed choice of our own ." The selected vendor started to implement the new LIMS in November 2001. The new system will be used across two sites: United Utilities' principal lab in Lingley Mere, Warrington, and a satellite lab in Kendal, with a total of 155 users. The initial installation of the product was completed in January 2002. United Utilities and Scimcon are now working towards a final project completion date of March 2003. In recent months, Scimcon has worked with United Utilities on training and further developing the LIMS configuration. It is important that the product is configured to the users' needs and preferences. With this in mind, Scimcon has been invited to participate in a programme of workshops for the IT supplier and the users to discuss configuration requirements and deliverables. Next steps Scimcon is now helping United Utilities to define and undertake validation and testing of the system before it goes live. In order to retain UKAS accreditation and meet other regulatory requirements, the lab must have all of its systems thoroughly tested before use, with the test results recorded in a validation report. Mike Eccles again: "Because Scimcon has both experience of lab management and of validation, it makes sense for us to involve them in our validation phase. We are hopeful that Scimcon can help us to do what needs to be done, without undertaking unnecessary work and without cutting corners." Following validation, United Utilities plans to see the new system go live in November 2002. The lab will benefit from a system that is more user-friendly and can process more information more quickly, so will be more speedy and efficient, and the lab will be able to adopt more thorough and effective reporting practices. Mike Eccles concludes: "Scimcon's assistance has been important in developing and realising our LIMS strategy. Scimcon has provided impartial advice that we know is based on real life experience of responding to the same type of challenges we face. Scimcon has supported our LIMS overhaul, helping us to define our needs and hopefully to ensure that our new LIMS meets those needs." |
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Scimcon Limited,
Registered in Cardiff No
4844956, Registered Office: 57 London Road, High Wycombe,
Bucks, HP11 1B |
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