Hello from the Quality First Team!It is cold in South Africa, we are in winter, and also in the grip of wave 3 of Covid. Hospitals are staggering and struggling, vaccinations are slow. It appears that our New Normal is here to stay a while longer.

While the previous edition focussed on the Back To Basics of quality management, this edition focus a bit on the future. The 4th Industrial Revolution, or The Internet of Things (IOT) is discussed in this edition. We also have an article on LEAN QMS and working smarter and not harder. This article is by a Guest Author. If you want to be a Guest Author on our platform, let us know!

Topics in this Edition include:- The Internet of Things (IOT)

- Work Smarter and not Harder- ISO 15189 and LEAN Principles- Fast Facts – 4th Industrial Revolution

All the best in Quality,

Janette Wassung and the rest of the team.

NEWSLETTERApril - June

2021

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The Internet of Things (IOT)What should Laboratories be thinking about?

The 4th Industrial Revolution is upon us, and Tracey Evans, one of our consultants, aim to shed some light on the topic for us as laboratory

professionalsMs Tracey Evans: tracey@quality-first.co.za

For many of us, the INTERNET OF THINGS (IoT) is a future concept, but something we have heard of perhaps, alongwith bitcoin, blockchain, and AI. What is IoT, and how does it relate to Business Intelligence (BI) and Laboratoryinformation management systems (LIMS)?

IoT technology is all about networked and internet-connected solutions where physical devices are brought into thedigital realm to interact. Without our human intervention, they collect and share data. The usefulness is intelligent,intuitive automation of monitoring and control tasks between these connected devices. This is not only convenientbut results in improved efficiency of repetitive tasks in the workplace.

The simple news is this - You do not need to decide whether to adopt IoT technology in your laboratory or not. Thedecision has been made for you because the new instruments you procure will likely have the technology built intothem. The important issue is knowing how best to utilise the Internet of Things and creating a structure suitable forfuture developments or needs. It is crucial to carefully map out your user requirements and create a suitableframework that will gather, store, filter, and analyse information. This is essential to support new IoT devices and yet-to-be-discovered solutions.

Besides process automation at work, there is an increase in available applications for home automation. Acommonly used word applied to IoT devices is “smart.” A simple example is a smart TV. We already consider theinternet connectivity and app service functions to be standard features. However, the IoT technology we take forgranted happens in the background. The devices “talk” to each other, so the user is not needed for the setup orconfiguration. Seamlessly, the TV detects and connects to the home Wi-Fi network and pairs with the TV remotecontroller.IoT technology has evolved from computer-controllingdevices to connected devices. The first known IoTdevice was in the 1980s. A couple of computer sciencestudents connected a Coke vending machine at theiruniversity campus to the ARPANET (the wide-areanetwork that preceded the Internet). Why? Forconvenience, now they could confirm how many coldCokes were available before they took a walk to gettheir refreshing caffeine fix!

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The Internet of Things (IOT) - Continued from previous page….

Traditional LIMS systems track sample information andother data such as QA and QC results, assist with workflows,and generate test result reports. That is a sample in, dataout as a report with assurance in between. Then what? In alaboratory, monitoring, measurement, and trend analysis fordriving improvement is the core of a healthy QualityManagement system. We need to make better use of datafor analysis to support decision-making.

Now is the time to plan for the future - become more informed. Contact your key equipment and device suppliersand ask them how their companies are moving with IoT and BI developments and what plans you should make tomake the best use of their effort. If you already have a LIMS system, sit down with the LIMS expert/supplier, anddiscuss IoT and BI developments with them. A LIMS today should be a source of data with integrated analytics, not justa data destination. Most LIMS will accommodate a BI module or apps. Ensure that your LIMS can support the changesahead. If you don’t yet have a LIMS system, engage with forward-thinking experts and suppliers knowledgeable of IoTand BI.It may seem impossible to keep up with technology developments and scary at times, but most of all, it should be exciting.Embracing IoT will involve some planning, knowledge gaining, and contracted IT expertise. Make it work for you!

Have a look at a great example of a smart device already available to laboratories; the Gilson Trackman Connected: https://www.gilson.com/default/trackman-connected.html

For more information on the use of IoT in laboratories, see these articles:https://www.technologynetworks.com/informatics/articles/how-can-the-internet-of-things-improve-lab-research-335090https://www.labmanager.com/laboratory-technology/how-the-internet-of-things-is-affecting-laboratory-equipment-2199For more information on BI, have a look at https://www.tableau.com/learn/articles/business-intelligence

That is where IoT moves from automated convenience to intelligent support for an informed decision, data-drivenlaboratory. Business Intelligence Analytics (BI) is needed to make sense and get value from all the data, whereinformation is automatically filtered for you based on criteria and specific parameters (rules) and presented in avisual, useful way. Imagine a scenario of stock control where, as you scan a bottle of

reagent or reference material out for use, a workflow is triggered.Here as per your pre-set rules, the procurement system checks theminimum level specification, and if necessary, automatically sends arequest and then an order to your supplier!Imagine, too, equipment preventative maintenance of the future. Ascenario where after two repetitive events needing troubleshooting,an alert is sent to the maintenance dashboard, and the issue isadded to the risk register and agenda for the next meeting!

It is tempting to jump in and adopt a well-marketed platform from a supplier, for example, to monitor thetemperature in a fridge or laboratory work area. It may seem revolutionary that you can be alerted through an appwhen the temperature is out of range. It is necessary to exercise caution and consider the risks of adopting ad-hocsolutions. These may not be flexible nor upgradable into something bigger. The trouble is you may land up being tiedinto contracts with different suppliers for your various solutions, where the solutions themselves are notinterconnected, and can’t integrate into your LIMS system. One objective of a sensor monitoring system may be analert via an app to your cellphone, while a second objective may be to automatically generate control charts andtrend analysis from the monthly data.

When adopting new technology and systems, it is fine to start with “monitoring and alert” systems, but they must beable to grow into something more. Typical LIMS systems already have a large volume of data flow each day.As new devices and equipment are introduced into the laboratory, this flow will increase. Don’t waste thataccumulated data.

Working Smarter, and Not HarderFor the full article, click here

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Why is it important to work smarter, not harder?There are several reasons why it's important to work smarter, not harder. Working smarter:Saves energy: Working in short bursts, for example, allows you to accomplish challenging tasks with greater energy and produce better results.

Increases productivity: It encourages you to streamlineprocesses and combine tasks, saving on labour and costs.

Increases motivation: It fosters feelings of positivity about your job, colleagues and yourself.

Makes you more valuable: Companies are alwayslooking for ways to get more accomplished with lesseffort and looking for ways to work smarter, not hardercan allow you to save valuable resources for yourorganization.

Increases self-esteem: Working smarter allows you tocreate a better quality product with less effort, which inturn naturally will boost your self-esteem.

How to work smarter not harderHere are 12 ideas for how you can work more efficiently:ü Establish a morning routine.ü Keep your to-do list short.ü Establish a closing routine.ü Block your calendar.ü Respond quickly.ü Measure your results, not your time.ü Enhance your communication skills.ü Make meetings productive.ü Work in 90 to 120-minute blocks.ü Focus on one task at a time.ü Set short deadlines.ü Practice stress management techniques.

Learning to work smarter, not harder can improve your productivity and performance while increasing your overall job satisfaction. It can also make you a valuable asset to the organization for which you work, increasing your job security. Implementing the strategies necessary to work smarter, not harder takes some practice and development.

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The synergistic power of ISO 15189 and Lean ManagementThe WHAT and the HOW for Laboratory Professionals

Part 1 of a 2 Part article

Article by Guest Author Mr Jan Erasmus from Authentic ConsultingMr Jan Erasmus: jan.erasmus@authenticconsulting.co.za

When one thinks of a quality management system, whatoften comes to mind is the compliance to a pre-determined set of criteria. However, on closerexamination, these compliance requirements serve as aguideline for good practices. The notion that goodquality comes at a premium was established centuriesago. However, from a customer perspective, productsand services should instill quality and credibility.

ISO 15189 serve as the guidelines for outstanding qualitymanagement practices. It prescribes these in enoughdetail to guide an organization on WHAT to do. It leavesthe opportunity for innovation and creativity to decide

Problem solving is one the important skills enabling team members to identify root causes and solve problems. Severaltechniques, including root cause analysis, 5 why’s fishbone diagram and others are used. Managers’ time is freed up byteam members solving their own problems and who are allowed to implement solutions. Often team members“outsource” their thinking to managers. A3 problem solving engages teams and several countermeasures are identified.Ideas, suggestions and innovations are put forward by team members through these problem-solving techniques.Identifying several human wasteful activities in the companies are the responsibility of all. Identifying activities thatlooks like work, is difficult at first. Activity sampling is used to measure the ratio of value adding versus human wastefulactivities.

HOW to do it, and this is where Lean Management Principles serve as enablers of the ISO standards – itprovides excellent tools, techniques and frameworks on HOW to implement good operations managementpractices and strengthening the quality management of the organisation.

The first cluster of Lean Management practices or modules are to get thebasics right. Starting with the engagement of people through a dailymanagement reporting system. Daily meetings, leader standard work,service level agreements, visual management of performance (includingquality) and action plans for improvement is the absolute foundation of LeanManagement. Organising for efficiency through the 5S methodology lies thefoundation to eliminate searching. Through several techniques to label items,demarcate equipment and having a place for everything, ensures that work isdone effectively.

Once the basics start to show results, the next cluster of LeanManagement is improving quality of the products and/or services ofthe organisation. Through the Quality Assurance module, where teamsare expected to measure quality, creating a quality focused workplacethrough visual standards, standard operating procedures and tomeasure the cost of non-conformance, the focus is to involve peopledoing the work, to take ownership of quality outputs. Determining theProcess Capability assist to identify the variables that makes a processcapable to deliver within a specification limit. Reducing the variationon work processes depends on data availability.

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The synergistic power of ISO 15189 and Lean Management - Continue from previous page….

Once confidence is established in the quality output of the organization,the focus then shifts to the Lean Management cluster of throughput andflow. Through Value Stream Mapping, processes are mapped, times areallocated, value adding and non-value adding activities, bottlenecks,delays, handover risks and many more are identified, and action plansdrawn up for improvement. Customers are not willing to pay forunnecessary checks and delays. Processes are designed to create arhythm of One-Piece Flow and guaranteed output volume and time.Labour efficiencies are measured using Capacity Utilization measuredand all work is measured against time standards. Best practices requiredto measure productivity of labour in all departments, not only operations.

If you are implementing ISO 15189 or planning to implement it, and you are still not sure how the Lean ManagementSystem can enable you to implement, or not sure about the HOW of ISO, consider contacting Authentic Consulting (Pty)Ltd.If you are interested to see a matrix showing which ISO clauses are supported directly by which Lean Management tool,feel free to request this from jan.erasmus@authenticconsulting.co.za.

Supplier Development is strengthened through service level agreements. Suppliers are treated as an extension of yourcompany’s supply chain. On-time delivery, in full, to the correct quality, is strengthened by assisting supplier companiesestablishing a continuous improvement capability within their organisations. Standardisation is achieved throughStandard Operating Procedures, Standard Customer experience and Standard Work Routines. Asset Care enables the teamto use daily asset check sheets for asset and equipment condition monitoring. Users of equipment (or operators of assets)have a primary responsibility to look after assets by eliminating the three evils, i.e., poor lubrication, mishandling andimproper cleaning. Assets in good condition have a direct impact on quality of products and services delivered tocustomers.

Resource Conservation aims to identify at least four areas of cost saving, i.e., energy and materials, wastehandling, yield and consumables. Output capacity is hampered by lost capacity through extended changeovers.Single Exchange of Dies assist throughput by freeing up capacity.

The fourth cluster of Lean Management is to focus on speed of delivery andshorter lead times. More and more customers are not satisfied only with cheap,good quality, they also expect it fast. Lean management principles are thenapplied to establish Pull through available capacity. A Multiskilled Workforceusing a skills matrix supports the ability of companies to have a flexibleworkforce distributed where work demand is highest. Quality is improved byskilled operators having a back-up to deliver on time. Work scheduling enablesthe company to utilize the capacity optimally as inefficiencies and cost isincurred by capacity underutilized. Load leveling in processes and departmentsensures smooth delivery according to a pre-determined capacity through takttime.

The Quality First Team

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FASTFACTS

Janette is the owner of Quality First.She has more than 20 yearsexperience in Quality Managementand is very actively involved in theinternational arena of quality. 7

The 4th Industrial Revolution – What NEXT??

5 Simple Tips To Help You Survive The 4th Industrial Revolution

ü Get a job in data. ...ü Consider the future of your job. ...ü Use data to find your perfect job. ...ü Become data-savvy. ...ü Make friends with your AI colleagues.

5 Essential Ways Every Company Should Use It

ü Improve decision-makingü Understand customersü Deliver new customer value propositionsü Improve and optimize operationsü Generate an income and improve the value of the

business

Contact us if you need any assistance with IOT/4th Industrial Revolution