LIMS or Excel: when the spreadsheet stops working
A spreadsheet stops working in a testing lab when more people touch it than one person can keep track of: several people registering samples, requisitions arriving on paper, the same data typed twice and clients phoning to ask where their samples are. At that point a LIMS pays for itself by replacing the retyping with one record per sample, from intake to invoice, and by showing the whole lab what is waiting, what is urgent and what has been delivered.
Most labs start on Excel, and for good reason. It is free, everyone knows it and it can be shaped to the lab's own way of working. The trouble is not the first year. It is the day the lab has grown, the person who built the spreadsheet is on holiday and nobody is quite sure which file is the current one.
When does Excel stop working?
- More than one person registers samples, and the sheets drift apart
- Requisitions arrive on paper or by email and are retyped before work can start
- Nobody can say what is due today without asking someone
- Clients phone to ask where their samples are, because there is nowhere for them to look
- Deadlines are counted by hand and holidays are forgotten
- The invoice is built from the sheet days after the report went out
One of these is an annoyance. Three or four means the spreadsheet is no longer a tool. It has become a job.
What does a LIMS change inside the lab?
The difference is not in the features. It is that every step writes to the same record instead of to a separate list.
- Receiving: a sample is matched to its order by its code and marked as received once. Read how receiving works.
- Deadlines: the expected date is calculated from the turnaround time, the receipt time and the lab's own working days and closed days. Read how delivery dates are calculated.
- Custody: the history of a sample builds up as it is handled, instead of being assembled afterwards. Read what to expect from chain of custody software.
- Overview: a dashboard lists the most urgent deliveries and analyses, soonest first, so the day starts with a sorted list.
- Invoicing: the invoice follows from the order and the report, without typing it again.
What is a spreadsheet still good for?
Ad hoc analysis, one-off lists and quick calculations. A LIMS does not make Excel worthless. It removes the one job Excel was never built for: being the system of record for samples, deadlines and custody.
How do you move without stopping the lab?
In steps. A realistic move takes a few months, and the lab keeps working throughout. The sample types and analysis setup are migrated, paper is retired next, and clients are invited once the lab is comfortable. See the Commercial LIMS service page for the flow, and the buyer's checklist for what to ask a vendor.
A quick test: count how many fields in your last week's orders were typed more than once. If the answer is most of them, the spreadsheet has already stopped working.
Frequently asked questions
When should a testing lab move from Excel to a LIMS?
When several people register samples, requisitions arrive on paper, data is typed more than once and clients phone for status. Three or four of these together mean the spreadsheet has become a job in itself.
Can a lab use Excel and a LIMS together?
Yes. Excel remains useful for ad hoc analysis. The LIMS becomes the single record for samples, deadlines, custody and invoicing.
How long does it take to move from Excel to a LIMS?
A few months, in steps, while the lab keeps running. Sample types and analysis setup are migrated first, then paper is retired, then clients are invited.
What is the biggest risk of staying on Excel?
Hidden work and hidden errors: retyped data, unclear deadlines and a custody history that has to be assembled when someone asks for it.
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Where is manual work holding back your growth?
Five questions on quotes, status calls, invoicing, and reporting. See where your lab loses time and revenue to manual steps.
Martin Mikkelsen
CCO, Milva Lab