Benefit from employees' knowledge – Infraserv offers workshop to map company processes.

The optimal laboratory requires the knowledge of all employees

When a company takes the step of building a new laboratory or modernizing an existing one, the new laboratory should not be a mere copy of the existing one, but should optimize and support the workflows and processes in the best possible way.

It is very important to incorporate as many different perspectives as possible. Ideally from all levels - from the management to the specialists in the laboratory.

However, while it is relatively easy to collect the wishes and requirements of management and laboratory management, it is usually much more difficult to gather collective knowledge from the workforce.

Which employees have specific suggestions for improvement that should be included in the planning? And how do I encourage employees to actively contribute to the planning process?

Laboratory planning workshops as a proven tool for knowledge transfer

At Infraserv, we therefore see it as one of our most important tasks as a laboratory planning service provider to work out this knowledge with the laboratory operator and compile it in a structured manner. To do this, we hold several planning workshops with the customer's various stakeholders. In order to reliably capture both the big picture and the details, we take a step-by-step approach: The process usually starts with the management, which sets out the framework conditions and clarifies with its vision what is to be achieved with the new construction or conversion of the laboratory.

The processes are then worked out with the laboratory management and ideas are developed as to how these can be optimally implemented in the new laboratory. This usually takes place at laboratory management level, as they have the best overview of the issues and interrelationships involved.

The third and final step is now about getting feedback from “real” day-to-day laboratory work. To do this, we involve the employees from the laboratory in the deliberations. Together, we challenge the ideas and suggestions from the two previous workshops:

• What can really be implemented in reality?
• What are the advantages and, above all, disadvantages of the proposed plans?
• What might have been overlooked?

The employees are happy to make use of their opportunity to participate and in this third part of the workshops, good and justified objections to the previous draft are therefore repeatedly raised. These can then be fed back to the management level and used to optimize laboratory planning.

As an external service provider, Infraserv helps provide a neutral perspective

One challenge when involving employees is the existing hierarchies in the company. Many employees find it difficult to criticize or optimize their superiors' ideas.

This is where it pays off that, as an experienced laboratory operator and laboratory planning expert, we know and can assess many of the processes in the laboratory ourselves. This enables us to evaluate comments and suggestions for improvement neutrally. This gives employees the certainty that their ideas will be heard and provides support and backing in discussions with management.

This ensures an effective transfer of knowledge from all hierarchical levels. And this is precisely the basis for optimal laboratory planning.

If the topic of laboratory expansion or modernization is currently occupying you more intensively, then we recommend our article Laboratory design: Questions you should answer before starting construction . And if you have any specific questions, our experts will be happy to help and advise you.

P.S.: Our planning workshops also have an attractive side effect: they actively involve employees in the laboratory project . In this way, you can ensure that as many people as possible identify with the project and have a positive attitude towards the change.