Choosing Calibration Management Software
Have you have found yourself lost in a software hell? You
are not alone. Every magazine you pick up advertises new and
improved software; your junk email, I like to call g-mail, tells
you of the latest products; you see it in catalogs; and your
phone rings and some vendor is pushing you to purchase their
latest package. You know you need software, or newer software,
and colleagues are telling you that the latest software will
help your business, make you more profitable, and help your
customer service experience. But how do you determine what
software is good for your business?
Lab and quality managers are forced to wear several different
hats when choosing software for their business. Labs that have
the resource of an IT department or an employee that has some
software experience get frustrated trying to sift through the
software maze and give up (more often than not). They decide the
only way they are going to get what they want is to build it
themselves. This fix seems to be a simple solution up-front but
anyone who has been through this process will tell you it is far
from simple.
Classifications
Software can be classified into different functional areas. Some
packages do a good job of overall functionality, but most of the
"best in class" applications specialize in a few specific areas
of function. General classifications of software would include
bench top, management, internet, mobile, enterprise, PDA and
instrument packages.
The Environment
The first evaluation that needs to be done is to review the
hardware that will be used by the new system. Will it be the
same hardware, new hardware, some of both? You will want to look
at the oldest machine that will be used by the software and make
sure it meets the specification requirements of the software. In
some cases, the upgrading of the hardware can be just as
expensive as the software. If the hardware being used does not
meet the requirements of the software, then your first decision
point has been reached: do you replace the hardware or look for
different software? If the life cycle of the hardware is to
expire before the life cycle of the software, then it is usually
easy to determine which way to go.
The second evaluation should be your connectivity to the outside
world. If the software package requires any connection to the
internet you will need to understand the capabilities of your
facility. Like the hardware, this too can be upgraded if
required and many of the high speed cable or DSL connections are
as cheap as dial-up. If your bandwidth to the internet is
limited, this may hinder or stop functionality of some software
products. As a general rule, each user going out to the internet
will consume about 16k of bandwidth utilizing a standard
browser. If the user is requesting data on a regular basis, this
utilization will increase. As a general rule of thumb, divide
the bandwidth by 64k to determine how many people can 'work'
through the internet connection.
The third evaluation will be the location of work. Is all of
your work done in the lab or is some done on-site? Depending
upon the ratio of on site work, the ability for the software to
support the on-site process may be a factor. Additionally, if
work is being done on-site and the software requires an internet
connection, does the facility you are working at have a
connection you can use? Many companies have requirements and
limitations in allowing outside users access to their system.
On-site work may require the use of a laptop or other portable
computer device. Make sure you understand the basic requirements
of the software for performing the work onsite before purchasing
or upgrading any hardware. Licensing of on-site software should
also be evaluated; if the on-site license cannot be used while
that technician is not on site you may be forced to purchase
more licenses than you have users. Software packages that allow
the license to follow the user whether on-site or in the lab can
be more cost effective.
The Workflow
Before seeking a software package sit down and develop a simple
work process flow chart of your facility, starting from the time
you contact the customer through the time you return the
equipment to the customer. Include notes about other
applications being used that impact your business or any
requirements that you have to export data. It is recommended
once you have developed the baseline chart that staff from
different areas of your business review the chart. Technicians
on the bench will most certainly have a different view from the
quality auditors or business managers. Get as much input as you
can for the business model. This will make it easier to evaluate
how your software should support your business.
Once you have developed a good work flow model then the
difficult task begins analyzing each of the work processes to
determine if they will fit your future business needs and how
critical they are to your business model. Some software packages
expect you to change your business practices to meet the needs
of the software. If you are highly flexible in how you do
business, this aspect of the software decision will not be too
difficult. However, if your business practices are supporting
other processes outside of your business model, then it is
important that the software be able to adapt to support your
critical processes as well as the other outside business
practices.
The Platform
The next step is to determine what operating system and style
platform you want to run on. Some packages can run on Windows,
Unix, Linux, or Mac operating systems and do not care what data
storage product you choose. Generally these packages come in one
of two platforms: Browser-based or Desktop.
Asking the Right Questions
Now you have some good tools to help you evaluate each software
package. If you have determined the platform and the type of
application you want to use this will narrow the number of
applications you need to review. Next you will need to determine
what types of software you need to review.
In Summary
Do your homework and don't be afraid to ask for some help.
Remember, every product was new at one point. New software will
take advantage of new technology which usually means you get
more bang for the buck. Examine all the angles and trends. You
want to mitigate the risk, improve your processes, create a
better work place, provide better customer service, and, of
course, make more money.
About the author:
Brad Price is the President of One Red X Calibration Management
Software, Inc. in Covington, Washington. Price has spent
many years working with the Metrology industry optomizing
workflow and software solutions. Brad along with the One Red X
Software team have developed a product called EMX. The EMX
Software is the latest, greatest software solution for
Calibration Lab and Asset Management. New Impro