A custom chemical solutions manufacturer depended on a homegrown LIMS that could no longer keep pace with its growth. Techlancer took over support of the legacy system, then modernized it in place — automating critical processes and expanding the software department by department.
Key outcomes at a glance:
- Business Process Automation
- Labor reduction
- Increased throughput
- Reduction in errors
Client: Custom chemical solutions manufacturer
“Before working with Techlancer on these updates, the client was frustrated. Their processes had become inefficient. They had to create external docs, work with spreadsheets, write things down, and jump through hoops to accomplish their day-to-day tasks. They felt there must be a better way to work but weren’t sure how to get there.
After their systems were updated, they were thrilled with the problems that were solved and the process improvements that were implemented. They were eager to continue to tackle more issues.”
Problem
Our client operates in a niche market, so traditional LIMS systems were not an ideal fit. Instead, they had developed a custom LIMS that supported many of their key functions — but its functionality was limited. As the company grew, process inefficiencies were constraining production capacity.
On top of that, the client’s industry had undergone significant regulatory changes. They needed to update their processes and integrate with a third-party packaging compliance service to generate compliant documentation.
Solution
The updated software automated critical processes, increasing production capacity while reducing manual effort. It tracked more of the information required by regulatory authorities and customers, and it expanded over time to improve processes in additional departments.
Results / Outcomes
- Labor reduction
- Increased throughput
- Reduction in errors
Capabilities Demonstrated
- Custom 3rd-party software integration
- Web App Development
- Business Process Automation (BPA)
- Business Process Improvement Assessment
- Business Process Improvement
- Business Intelligence
- Data accessibility
- User Interface Design
- User Training
- Legacy software modernization
- Legacy software support
- Legacy software assessment
- Strangler Fig Pattern methodology
Overview of the Custom Software Updates — Support, Enhancements, Modernization
The system enhancements spanned many years and were developed and deployed in multiple phases, driven by the client’s business priorities. Working together over time, we improved many aspects of the client’s operations and gave them room to dig into the problems that mattered most.
Two related case studies highlight specific pieces of software we developed along the way:
- Custom Business Process Automation Software – integrating business systems to reduce manual labor and errors
- Custom Business Process Automation Software – automating manual data entry and integrating with 3rd-party software
What Did the Support Phase Involve?
When we took over support, the application was fairly stable. Our role at that stage was to address any errors that occurred during daily operations and to implement minor functionality changes requested by the staff, including:
- Expanded options for preset lists
- Additional reporting
- Modifications to the format and layout of system-generated product documentation
When errors or requests arose, we followed a consistent process:
- Worked with the staff to understand what they expected from the system
- Analyzed the source code to follow the logic
- Developed the code
- Tested the changes
- Planned and oversaw client UAT (User Acceptance Testing)
- Deployed the software updates
And throughout the process, we created lots of backups.
What Were the Main Risks in Updating the Software?
Given the nature of the client’s industry, the LIMS must make precise scientific calculations. Whenever we modified the code, we took additional care and performed extra QA to ensure those mathematical formulas returned the correct values in every case.
The main steps we took to mitigate those risks:
- Extensive manual and unit testing
- UAT testing to confirm the formulas were accurate
How Was the Switchover for In-Place Development Handled?
We were left with no backup resources — just the source code. The original developer had moved on and was inaccessible, and the remaining IT staff had no coding knowledge.
So we interviewed the staff to understand how they expected the system to work, read through the code to identify what it was actually doing, and rolled out upgrades in phases to deliver improvements as soon as possible. In parallel, we shipped changes that laid the groundwork for future enhancements.
What Did the Modernization Assessment Look Like?
The modernization effort was implemented in phases based on the client’s pain points. We engaged with various departments to understand what they were struggling with, identified their priorities, and then performed walk-throughs and staff shadowing sessions to pinpoint where improvements could be made.
We asked questions about the parts of each process that were:
- Complicated
- Repetitive
- Seemingly unnecessary
Eventually we made our way through all the departments — and we still periodically reevaluate how the system is serving each one. Sometimes changes in other departments make new functionality possible, and sometimes new items rise to the top of the priority list once earlier priorities have been resolved.