Lab work can produce tremendous results, but getting there can be expensive — and anything that unnecessarily slows down the journey is a certified money-waster.
And poor productivity levels don’t just affect the budget. It can have a slowly corrosive impact that prevents the lab from reaching its full potential. Think of a frustrated employee who decides they could make better use of their talents elsewhere, or simply the fact that poor productivity can stifle the momentum, can be vital for achieving goals.
With that said, while poor productivity can cause problems, it’s also not an inevitability. Most labs that aren’t as productive as they could be are that way because of fixable issues. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at some of the main culprits for slow productivity, as well as run through their solutions.
Unoptimized Workflows
Labs tend to have longstanding ways of doing things, but just because that’s how things have always been done, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the best or most efficient way to do them. All too often, lab procedures are established early on and then rarely questioned, audited, or improved upon afterwards.
If you suspect that your lab is losing productivity, then it can be worthwhile taking a close look at the steps involved in your processes (i.e., how things are done). The simple step of critically assessing the workflow can help to identify issues that might be creating delays. Even timing how long a step takes versus how much time it should take can have an impact.
Equipment Failure
Lab technicians can’t work well, or possibly at all, if they’re dealing with equipment failure. When that happens, things tend to quickly grind to a halt — and all the while, scientists are left waiting around, which not only drains any momentum they’ve built up but can also impact morale.
Unexpected equipment failure usually happens for one of two reasons. Either the equipment was of poor quality to begin with, or it has been poorly maintained. The solution is relatively straightforward: buy laboratory equipment from a reputable supplier that ensures your team has access to the equipment they need to deliver their best work, and stick to a regular maintenance schedule. In addition, having back-ups of your most crucial equipment and teaching your staff to spot the warning signs of potential issues can provide extra insurance against unexpected problems.
Looking For Information
Scientists continually need information in order to work their best, yet all too often, acquiring that information proves to be more difficult than it should. When there are data silos, scientists have to go around the houses searching for data, and all that time, they’re being pulled away from doing the work that actually makes a difference. In some cases, poor access to information can result in duplicate experiments that waste considerable time, money, and resources.
Having information and data all in one place, such as in a Lab Information Management System (LIMS), ensures that everything is easily accessible. With that said, having a centralized system only works if people actually use it. Ensuring that team members know that sharing information is the default position can help prevent employees from only saving their information in personally accessible folders.
Meeting Overload
The impact of meetings on productivity is a problem for businesses across all industries, including in labs. Indeed, you could argue that it’s an even bigger problem in laboratory environments than in other settings. Scientists work their best when they have the time and space to focus deeply on their task, and that’s less likely to happen if they’re continually in and out of meetings.
It’s inevitable that some meetings will take place, but it’s often possible to keep their number to a minimum. One effective strategy is a simple mindset shift that says that any update that can be given via writing should be given by writing. Employees usually grow frustrated with meetings because they’re asked to attend them just to be given updates, but understand when the meeting is focused on decisions and problem-handling.
Procurement Issues
Scientists would like to have everything to hand when running experiments, but they also know that it’s not always possible to have every piece of kit or chemical on the shelf in front of them. Some things simply have to be procured.
What’s harder to accept — and which really impacts productivity — is when the procurement process takes much longer than it should. That usually happens when procurement requests are slow and/or the supplier takes too much time to deliver them. Reviewing the procurement process and making improvements, such as by pre-approving reputable suppliers and automatically signing off on purchases below a certain amount, can quickly get procurement requests sent. If there’s an issue with a supplier, then it can be worthwhile looking for new suppliers to work with.
Lab Layout Issues
The layout of a lab can make sense during construction, and even for certain types of experiments/projects. But just because it made sense once upon a time, that doesn’t mean that it’s always the best layout. Sometimes, it’s only through observation that we realize that the lab layout isn’t as productivity-friendly as we thought it was. Even if the lab’s layout is great, there could still be an issue with the sheer amount of stuff on display. Clutter impacts productivity; if it’s not needed, then it shouldn’t be there.
Ignoring Small Issues
Nobody expects a lab to run perfectly, but there’s also a danger in being too accepting of small issues. This can produce two problems. The first is that multiple minor issues can add up to significant waste of time and money. The second is that issues rarely resolve themselves; if anything, they become more pronounced, to the point where they become a major problem. Putting procedures in place to identify and manage even the smallest of issues early on can keep things on track and help avoid the expensive and time-consuming issue of fixing them when they become larger.