The right LIMS needs to support more than your current workflows. It also needs to provide the flexibility, scalability and infrastructure to support your laboratory as it evolves.
In Part 1, we looked at six questions focused on the core capabilities of a genomics LIMS. But selecting a LIMS is a long-term decision. Before committing to a platform, you also need to consider how it will perform as your laboratory grows and how much control your team will have after implementation.
In Part 2, we explore six more questions to ask before choosing a LIMS, covering traceability and audit history, scalability, cloud infrastructure, reporting, vendor dependency and total cost of ownership. Here are six more questions to add to your LIMS evaluation checklist.
7. Can the system provide complete traceability and audit history?
Genomics laboratories need to know not only what happened to a sample, but also who performed an action, when it occurred and what changed.
This becomes increasingly important as laboratories scale and workflows become more complex.
Ask whether the LIMS provides:
- Audit trails
- User activity history
- Role-based access
- Controlled data changes
- Traceability across sample and workflow
For regulated laboratories, also consider the specific compliance requirements relevant to your environment.
8. Can it scale with our laboratory?
A LIMS that works for a small laboratory may not necessarily be suitable when sample volumes, users, instruments and workflows increase. Think beyond today’s requirements.
Ask the vendor:
- What happens when sample volume doubles?
- Can we add new workflows?
- Can we support multiple laboratory sites?
- Can we add new instruments?
- Can the system handle increasing data volumes?
- How does the infrastructure scale?
Scalability should not mean buying a completely new system when the laboratory reaches its next stage of growth. The right platform should provide a foundation that can evolve with the laboratory.
9. Is the LIMS suitable for our IT strategy?
Cloud-based and SaaS LIMS platforms can offer significant advantages for laboratories that want to reduce infrastructure management and make their systems easier to scale.
Ask:
- Where is laboratory data hosted?
- How is data protected?
- How are backups managed?
- What is the disaster recovery approach?
- How are software updates handled?
- What access controls are available?
- Can the deployment meet our data residency requirements?
- What responsibility remains with our IT team?
For organisations already using cloud infrastructure, it can also be useful to understand how the LIMS fits into the broader cloud environment.
For example, QLIMS is delivered as a SaaS platform and hosted on AWS, providing a cloud-based foundation for laboratories looking to modernise their laboratory information infrastructure.
10. Can our laboratory access meaningful reporting and operational insights?
A LIMS should not simply collect information. It should help your team understand what is happening in the laboratory.
Consider whether the system can provide visibility into sample status, workflow progress, turnaround times, workload, outstanding samples and operational KPIs.
Ask vendors to demonstrate dashboards using scenarios relevant to your laboratory.
For example: “Show us which samples are currently waiting for QC.”, or “Show us which workflow stages are creating the longest delays.”
These are much more useful demonstrations than a generic dashboard walkthrough.
11. How much will we depend on the vendor after implementation?
This is one of the questions that is often overlooked during LIMS selection. Implementation is only the beginning of the relationship. Your laboratory will continue to change after go-live. Requirements might change after the implementation.
So ask:
What can our laboratory team manage itself?
Compare vendors based on configuration capabilities, training, support model and upgrade process.
A system that gives your laboratory more control can reduce dependence on lengthy vendor development cycles.
12. What is the total cost of ownership?
The initial software price is only one part of the cost of a LIMS.
When comparing solutions, consider implementation, configuration, support, ongoing maintenance and upgrades. A lower initial price does not necessarily mean a lower total cost.
Likewise, a more expensive system may not deliver better value if your laboratory needs significant custom development for every workflow change.
Look at the full lifecycle of the system and ask:
What will this LIMS cost us to operate and adapt over the next three to five years?
QLIMS For Genomics Labs
Choosing a LIMS for a genomics laboratory is ultimately about more than finding the longest feature list. They need a platform that can connect complex workflows, samples, instruments, quality control, data and reporting while remaining flexible as the laboratory evolves.
QLIMS is a configurable, cloud-based LIMS designed to support complex laboratory environments, including genomics and sequencing workflows. It brings together the capabilities laboratories need to manage their workflows from sample intake through processing, QC, sequencing and reporting.
If you’re currently evaluating LIMS solutions, our guide to the QLIMS for genomics laboratories provides a closer look at the capabilities to consider and how QLIMS can support complex genomics workflows.
Book a demo with us today to see firsthand how we could support you.
