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Title: What are the key elements of a LIMS for construction and engineering?

Author for citation: Shawn E. Douglas

License for content: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International

Publication date: November 2023

Base LIMS requirements for construction and engineering labs

Test, sample and result management

• Sample log-in and management, with support for unique IDs
• Sample batching
• Barcode and RFID support
• End-to-end sample and inventory tracking
• Pre-defined and configurable industry-specific test and method management, including for a wide variety of physical, mechanical, and chemical analyses
• Pre-defined and configurable industry-specific workflows
• Configurable screens and data fields
• Specification management
• Test, sampling, instrument, etc. scheduling and assignment
• Test requesting
• Data import, export, and archiving
• Robust query tools
• Analytical tools, including data visualization, statistical analysis, and data mining tools
• Document and image management
• Project management
• Facility and sampling site management
• Storage management and monitoring

Quality, security, and compliance

• Quality assurance / quality control mechanisms
• Mechanisms for compliance with ISO/IEC 17025, ISO 9000, AASHTO, ASTM, and state DOT requirements
• Result, method, protocol, batch, and material validation, review, and release
• Data validation
• Trend and control charting for statistical analysis and measurement of uncertainty
• User qualification, performance, and training management
• Audit trails and chain of custody support
• Configurable and granular role-based security
• Configurable system access and use (i.e., authentication requirements, account usage rules, account locking, etc.)
• Electronic signature support
• Data encryption and secure communication protocols
• Archiving and retention of data and information
• Configurable data backups
• Status updates and alerts
• Incident and non-conformance notification, tracking, and management

Operations management and reporting

• Configurable dashboards for monitoring, by product, process, facility, etc.
• Customizable rich-text reporting, with multiple supported output formats
• Custom and industry-specific reporting, including certificates of analysis (CoAs)
• Email integration
• Instrument interfacing and data management
• Third-party software interfacing (e.g., LES, scientific data management system [SDMS], other database)
• Data import, export, and archiving
• Instrument calibration and maintenance tracking
• Inventory and material management
• Supplier/vendor/customer management
• Customer portal

Specialty LIMS requirements

• library of materials specifications
• recipe, mix, and blend management/design https://www.lastradapartners.com/
• configurable lab test forms
• pre-built and configurable reporting templates "of which follow regulatory standards for ASTM, AASHTO, a variety of state DOTs, as well as other industry governing organizations" https://www.agileframeworks.com/forms-library/
• mobile-supported for field data collection; " Mobile data collection automatically synchronizes across your operations and labs to deliver results anytime, anywhere. Use any mobile device to upload data onsite in real time, making it instantly accessible to everyone who needs it, including readings, calibration of field test equipment, and photos." https://www.agileframeworks.com/who-we-serve/construction-materials-testing-software/ "upload data onsite in real time, making it instantly accessible to everyone who needs it, including readings, calibration of field test equipment, and photos" https://www.agileframeworks.com/who-we-serve/geotechnical-engineering-software/
• supporting field documentation
• "Review pending field work alongside availability of qualified technicians." https://www.agileframeworks.com/who-we-serve/construction-materials-testing-software/
• "supports a broad range of geotechnical engineering services including site investigations, conventional drilling/sampling, soil testing, and in-situ testing." s
• data consolidation across multiple offices "can store data of Laboratory, Site Investigation, In Situ Testing and Instrumentation in one database" https://www.geoengineer.org/software/datgel-lab-tool
• support for construction formulations for concretes, cements, glues, coatings, etc.
• support for "SENVOL, MMPDS, JAHM, and many other databases containing commercial grades or standardized materials" https://www.bassetti-group.com/teexma-teexma-for-materials-data-data-base-analysis-environmental-environmental-compliance-smart-material/?lang=en
• "AGS compatibility that not only allows you to support projects using AGS 3.1 and AGS 4" https://www.bentley.com/software/keylab/ https://virtuosity.bentley.com/product/gint/
• "electronic worksheets that cover approximately 600 different test methods" https://www.spectraqest.com/lab-operations-overview/
• support for industry-specific forms such as break sheets https://www.elmtreesystem.com/
• dispatch scheduling for field testing
• 3D modeling and analysis of subsurface data https://virtuosity.bentley.com/product/gint/
• mark whether a sample is from disturbed or undisturbed substrate https://www.marshall.edu/cegas/geohazards/2010pdf/presentations/Session2/3_GEO-LIMS_presentation_revised_8-2-2010.pdf
• sample disposal management https://icon-computers.in/i-lims/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/05/I-lims-Broucher.pdf