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Laboratory Assessment & Enhancement Services

At Schwarz Forensic Enterprises (SFE), our process includes comprehensive assessment of laboratory procedures to identify specific areas that can be improved or updated. Our assessments include workflow design, gap analysis, and compliance with the industry standard, as well as assays or processes specific to your laboratory. Based on our findings, the experts at SFE will develop recommendations for improving overall laboratory operation, including the use or integration of new technologies. These assessments are performed by experts in the field as well as directors of successful laboratories.

In some cases, process improvements will require redesign of all or part of a laboratory. SFE has experts in laboratory design who can consult on these matters, working in tandem with laboratory directors and subject matter experts as appropriate.

Laboratory Design & Planning

Let Schwarz Forensic Enterprises (SFE) save you time and money by identifying critical issues before any architectural designs are made. Time and again we have seen new labs built in less than optimal ways, forgetting important elements and bringing inefficient practices and outdated technology along. Building a new lab is a time to evaluate needs and update processes, procedures and equipment so that improvements can be in place when the doors open. We have found that staff are most accepting of work flow changes and training at this early juncture, when everything is starting anew. SFE has experience and expertise in working with laboratory directions all the way through the process, from assessing needs to actual architectural design.

Process Mapping

As part of our Laboratory Assessment & Enhancement Services, we can develop a process map, a key tool used by organizations to provide an efficient and graphical means for understanding and improving the flow of work and information through their organization and thereby strengthening the effectiveness of operations in meeting their goals.

Process mapping involves the development of a model of operating methods, including flow charts showing the sequence and connectivity of the process steps. As illustrated here, the maps are developed hierarchically, with the major steps expanded into component steps. For each step, one has to consider the following questions:

• What is the input?
• What is done?
• How long does it take?
• What rules or regulations apply?
• What resources are required?
• Who is responsible?
• What gets delivered?
• Where does the output go?
• What are the decision points?

As part of a comprehensive process improvement program, process maps are typically developed for the current condition, and then modified for a greatly improved future condition. The mapping of the current process, followed by brainstorming, benchmarking, root cause analysis of system failures, and other techniques, helps generate ideas on:

• How can we do this better?
• How can we improve our speed, quality, and economy?
• Is each step adding value? What can be eliminated?
• Are there faster, less expensive, simpler ways to achieve the same or better results?

Those ideas are amplified and refined by development into a map of the potential future operations. The graphical nature of the maps enhances the understanding of complex operations, provides a shared communications tool, and stimulates innovative thinking.

The "before" and "after" process maps are then used to identify high impact initiatives for improvement , along with the associated tasks, schedules , costs, expected benefits, responsibilities, and plans for the implementation of those improvements.

Process mapping helps identify and resolve bottlenecks, increases alignment on shared goals, provides guidelines for automation, and energizes people to get "out of the box" and reach for a stronger future. These techniques often identify opportunities that can increase productivity by more than 100%.

We recommend process mapping for laboratories intending to rebuild or remodel, and those that want to streamline workflow.