Traditional LIMS features are often built by people with limited laboratory experience. At the OpenELIS Foundation, nearly all our staff have laboratory experience in public health settings —ranging from bench technicians to LIMS administrators to project managers and developers. We understand the difference between features that look good on paper and those that actually work in real lab environments.
Our vision is simple: lead community-driven development where lab professionals shape the technology they use daily. The inventory module in OpenELIS has been significantly enhanced, with every feature built to address real problems identified by real labs.
Inventory Module Enhancement - A Community-Driven Success
The challenge: Public health laboratories struggled with inefficient inventory management processes that consumed valuable staff time and led to costly waste through expired reagents, stockouts, and poor vendor coordination.
Community collaboration: The OpenELIS Foundation embarked on an extensive collaboration process with multiple clients, conducting numerous user group meetings and requirement documentation sessions. Labs shared their specific pain points, from small labs managing limited stock to large state labs coordinating complex multi-location inventories.
Development approach: Rather than building features in isolation, the Foundation facilitated collaborative design sessions where laboratory managers, technicians, and procurement staff demonstrated their current workflows and identified bottlenecks. Multiple prototype demonstrations allowed labs to review and refine features before final implementation.
Comprehensive solution: The enhanced inventory module addresses the full inventory lifecycle:
- Streamlined receiving processes that reduce data entry time and improve accuracy
- Intelligent distribution management for labs with multiple locations or departments
- Advanced inventory tracking that monitors usage patterns and prevents stockouts
- Vendor Order Support that generates purchase orders using reorder levels and usage history to simplify restocking
- Cost tracking and reporting that helps labs optimize their procurement spending
Real-world impact: Labs using the enhanced inventory features will see significant improvements in operational efficiency. The automated reorder alerts prevent costly emergency purchases, while better distribution tracking reduces waste from expired materials. The cost reporting features will help labs identify budget savings opportunities and justify inventory investments.
Ongoing refinement: The collaborative approach didn't end with the feature launch. The Foundation continues to gather user feedback and implement improvements based on real-world usage. Recent enhancements include user preference settings that streamline daily tasks and provide a more targeted view of the inventory users manage day-to-day, along with new reports to monitor inventory quantities and costs.
Community validation: The success of this collaborative development model demonstrates how user-driven design creates features that labs actually use and value. By involving the people who work with inventory daily, OpenELIS developed a comprehensive solution that addresses diverse lab needs while maintaining the flexibility to adapt to unique workflows.
The inventory module enhancement exemplifies how OpenELIS Foundation's community-driven approach creates practical solutions that solve real problems. When lab professionals drive development, the results work better for everyone.
Getting Involved
Join our collaborative development community by participating in User Group meetings where your suggestions directly shape OpenELIS features. Work with your laboratory LIMS Administrator to submit formal change requests or contact OpenELIS Foundation staff to schedule dedicated sessions reviewing potential inventory enhancements. Your real-world expertise drives innovation—every workflow insight helps create better solutions for the entire public health laboratory community.
The best laboratory technology comes from laboratory professionals. Join our community-driven development process and help us build the LIMS you need. For a complete list of the new inventory reports, see this article.