| The scheduling engine uses a
Theory of Constraints-based Finite Capacity Scheduler to compute a due-date
or deadline driven plan by which to manage the activities of an analytical
laboratory (or any business process in which the aim is to improve the
performance without increasing resources). MS Project is used to store and display the computed plan. The
Btt software controls and manages MS Project's functions enabling MS Project
to work as a scheduling system. The
system database holds details of the laboratory processes and the rules
which apply. Those rules include factors such as which sample-types can
legitimately be combined or campaigned into shared assays, which tasks have
to be carried out sequentially and which can, if resource availability
allows, be carried out in parallel. It also stores details of capacities of
instrumentation, an Analysts skills matrix, set-up times, analysis process
times and the resource requirements of each laboratory activity.
Planned Incoming Samples: information
on forecasted or arrivals of samples can be received as 'flat files' from
sources such as order management systems, ERP systems or LIMS (Laboratory
Management Information Systems).
Samples Currently in Lab: information
describing the current progress and status of each analysis task in the
laboratory can be be received as 'flat files' from, for example, a LIMS.
In the
case of the project we've discussed, a rolling project plan with a 4-week
outlook was regenerated at half-daily intervals. The frequency with which a
new plan is generated will depend upon the rate of change of activities in a
particular laboratory (eg. the rate at which new samples arrive or the
average cycle time from arrival of samples to their analysis completion).
The outlook period of the plan - 4 weeks in
this case - will depend primarily upon the planning horizon available in the
planned incoming samples information We
have published and presented on this approach to laboratory management. The
original conceptual work was described in an article in the June
1998 issue of the "European Pharmaceutical Review". The concepts were also presented
at the Royal Society of Chemistry in London in an AAMG 1999 conference and
the LIMS Conference in Barcelona, Spain 2004.
Client comment: "Btt introduced planning
logic and disciplines to the laboratory reducing the need for continual
rescheduling and firefighting"
Microsoft, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Excel, Windows 95,
Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation
ProChain is a registered trademark of ProChain Solutions Inc.
Back:
Laboratory Process Flow Back: btt Technology
|
