Book:Laboratory Informatics Buyer's Guide for Medical Diagnostics and Research/Taking the next step/Blank LIMSpec template for medical diagnostics and research labs/LIMSpec in Microsoft Word format

-----Return to the beginning of this guide-----

A8. LIMSpec in Microsoft Word format

Microsoft Excel is often used as a tool to document requirements specifications. However, one downside to Microsoft Excel is its inability to handle multiple hyperlinks in the same cell. If you've looked over the LIMSpec in Appendix 1, you've likely noticed there are multiple hyperlinks to regulations, specifications, and guidance documents in the first column of the tables. Translating these wiki-based documents to Excel makes for a challenge when trying to maintain those hyperlinks. As they add value to not only your laboratory's requirements research but also to vendors' understanding of the sources for your requirements, it was decided the hyperlinks should be maintained in any portable version. As such, a Microsoft Word version was created.

You can download a copy of the Microsoft Word version of LIMSpec from LIMSwiki by going to File:LIMSpec for Medical Diagnostics and Research Labs v1.1.docx, right-clicking the URL under the white box, and selecting "Save link as..." (Alternatively, you can just click the link, open the file, and then save it.) A compromise was made between keeping the hyperlinks in the first column readable and leaving enough room in the third column for a vendor to provide a response. This response space admittedly may be a limiting factor for vendors wanting to include screenshots. If this situation arises, you may encourage the vendor to select the entire first column and delete it, then widening the response column.

Note that this downloadable version of LIMSpec is released under the same licensing terms as this guide. Please see the first paragraph of the download for more details.