Kodak Files for Chapter 11

It might not seem like big news in our Laboratory Informatics world, today, but there was once a time when chemical and oil companies were our bread and butter. So, yesterday, when the Eastman Kodak Company of Rochester, New York, USA filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, it brought back some LIMS memories.

Some of you might not know or remember, but the initial LIMS systems were more oriented toward analytical labs and mainly for companies in industries such as Chemical and Oil. There were no stability modules, we didn’t care about Pharma, and if you’ve ever thought LIMS consulting was a wlid west full of cowboys and cowgirls shooting from the hip, it’s nothing compared to those olden times.

I learned the Sample Manager LIMS while at Kokak. Even some of the names in LIMS and ELN come from Kodak. Wayne Bates, a lead developer at LabWare came from Kodak, and gave me my Advanced VGL training while I was at Kodak. Many other names worked on those Kodak projects such as Pat Babbitt of Fisons then LabWare and Jo Webber of Fisons then LabWare, now at an energy delivery company. I think I remember Ben Yellin from my days at Nalco Chemical with the Beckman LIMS, then Eastman Kodak with the Sample Manager LIMS, then working for him at Fisons Instruments (and these days with Accelrys).

And John Trigg, ELN expert and founder of TheIntegratedLab.com (http://theintegratedlab.com/) is yet another ex-Kodaker. He and I worked on LIMS together, there — sort of — by telephone, I mean.

No-one thinks much of these companies any more, since Pharma and Biopharma has all the money, but these types of companies were once the cornerstones and the most important customers of our industry. Times have certainly changed.

To read more:   http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/19/news/companies/kodak_bankruptcy/

Gloria Metrick
GeoMetrick Enterprises
http://www.GeoMetrick.com/

5 Tips For LIMS/ELN and Other Integrations

Currently, I’m working on a LabWare LIMS and Symyx ELN integration. Regardless what two brands we work with and even regardless what two types of systems we’re integrating, certain things apply. Here are five tips to get you on the right path for your integrations:

1. Describe the main purpose of each system to be integrated. It’s good to have this definition around. When you’re unsure of which system should be handling which tasks, it sometimes helps to have a simple definition in which to return. That sometimes clarifies the situation.
2. Map the workflows for each system to be integrated. Really understand what each system is doing and/or intended to do.
3. Map the intended workflow between the two systems and determine how it will affect the users. By doing this, you’ll better understand whether the integration will be clumsy for the users.
4. Identify the owner of each piece of data required for the integration. This is another way to help you decide which system will manage specific data. If you can say that specific data “belongs to” one system or another, then that data most likely should be managed by that system. It’s rare that this isn’t the case.
5. Determine which data is most appropriately shared versus which information is better to give to the other system. What I mean is this: sometimes, one system owns a particular list that is frequently updated and it is sometimes easier to share that list with the other system than to make the second system keep that same list and to try to keep the two lists in-synch.

Gloria Metrick
GeoMetrick Enterprises
http://www.GeoMetrick.com/

There Are No Projects in the USA Except on the Coasts?

Just the other day, another consultant told me that the only projects going on here in the USA are on the East or West coasts — that that’s why we should all be willing to travel to those coasts to projects — that those are the only really “quality” projects, in any case.

My Response
Ridiculous! That’s not what I said, just what I thought. My actual response consisted of my jaw dropping down and giving the person a look as if they had two heads.

Examples
Just here in the Cleveland area, alone, there’s a big LabWare LIMS project at the Boehringer Ingleheim site. I know that Nestlé has a site here and has had ongoing work on their LabWare installation happening at their worldwide plants. Going a little further from town, there’s a LabWare LIMS installation at Goodyear, which is closer to Columbus. Going over just one state, I believe that Eli Lilly’s massive LabWare LIMS implementation project is still keeping a multitude of consultants busy, as well. Those are just the few I know about so I’m sure there are even more than that and I’m not even talking about the entire state or area.

So, these do qualify as projects and not coming from either the East or West coasts. Let me stretch myself a bit to say that some of these might even be “quality” projects but since I’m not on them, I can’t comment on that.

If These Projects Are So Plentiful and Terrific, How Come I’m Not Working on Them?
So, before you ask why I’m not working with these customers, why I’m working with customers in other states and countries and why consultants are flying in from all over to service these customers when I’m so close, there are plenty of reasons and none of them have to do with whether I believe these projects to be lower or higher quality than any others. Here are the reasons why I’m not working on these projects:

1. These projects that are closer to me are serviced by their preferred services vendors and my company, GeoMetrick Enterprises, is not on those preferred vendor lists.
2. The timing doesn’t always work out. Thus, consultants work on projects that they can fit into their schedules, which aren’t necessarily the closest projects.
3. Not all projects need the same types of talent. So, just because I provide some specific expertise doesn’t mean necessarily every company would need that expertise. It can depend on the personnel that a company has employed as full-time staff, specific project needs, and a number of other factors.
4. Since travel isn’t always necessary, some companies don’t care that much about the location of the consultant, which is why some of my customers are in places like Switzerland and Belgium (and California and Boston and etc…). It’s not that these customers are willing to spend a fortune on travel but that they have needs that can be met and are willing to have them met by my services and without extensive travel.
5. Some companies aren’t interested in saving money on travel. I know it’s hard to believe, especially in these tough economic times, but there are still plenty of companies that are happy to pay whatever they have to in order to have consultants travel to their sites. Some of you find this incredible to believe, but those companies I see that have people doing a lot of travel don’t seem like they’re cutting back on this travel, either.

Bottom Line
Don’t sneer at the center of the country. It exists, has people and projects in it, and doesn’t feel bad about it. Well, you can sneer at us but we’ll just laugh at you when you do it.     And, yes, as ridiculous as it might sound, people do travel from the East and West coasts to service projects here in the center just as people travel in the other directions to service the East and West cost projects. But they wave at each other as their flights pass each other so that makes it all okay. 

Gloria Metrick
GeoMetrick Enterprises
http://www.GeoMetrick.com/

Accelrys Buys Velquest – Might Buy More

The press release came out a couple days ago, now, but Accelrys (Symyx ELN, for one) bought VelQuest (ELN/LES). ELN stands for Electronic Laboratory Notebook, LES stands for Laboratory Execution System. See the press release: http://www.thepharmaletter.com/file/109993/accelrys-acquires-velquest-for-35-million.html

Accelrys might buy more and you can read about that, here: http://www.fiercebiotechit.com/story/accelrys-ceo-hints-more-buyouts-after-velquest-acquisition/2012-01-05

Gloria Metrick
GeoMetrick Enterprises
http://www.GeoMetrick.com/

LIMS & ELN Overview in LifeSciSoft.com

For those of you interested to read an overview of LIMS and ELN, from the standpoint of whether to buy one over the other and of some of the other issues that go into the purchase process, I was recently interviewed by LifeSciSoft.com (http://www.lifescisoft.com/) and that interview is now posted at:
http://www.lifescisoft.com/blog/lims-qna/

LifeSciSoft.com is a web-site  for life science software searches. To read more about them, here is their “About Us” page: http://www.lifescisoft.com/about-lifescisoft

Gloria Metrick
GeoMetrick Enterprises
http://www.GeoMetrick.com/

Laboratory Informatics Travel: Bothering With Preferred Programs

If you don’t travel frequently enough that you think you should bother with preferred traveller programs or don’t want to bother with them for person travel, you might want to reconsider.

It annoys the non-travellers to no end the way the frequent travellers go on-and-on about the programs they belong to and how to maximize those benefits. But these programs aren’t just about getting points and other benefits — sometimes they get you better treatment.

It takes only a few minutes to fill-out the application for some of these programs. Although, for someone who moves as often as I do, I’ll admit it becomes a royal pain to keep them up-to-date with your most current information. Sometimes, they expire and it’s almost easier to apply for a new program number.

But all that aside, if you think you’ll be travelling any amount, seriously consider getting a card for items such as your rental car, hotel and airline. Use it even for your personal travel. Those of us who travel have noticed that we get better treatment when we use our program numbers. One consultant was telling me about how well he’s always been treated by one of the rental car companies whose program he belongs to. But he recently went to make a vacation rental and didn’t think to use his program number that he uses for his business travel and was surprised to find that he was treated quite badly. That same car company had treated me extremely badly when I rented without a preferred renter number and now that I have joined their renter’s club they have been extremely good to me.

There are other companies where we can tell these types of stories, as well. Once again, these are all free programs. It isn’t as if any of us are spending money on this but it makes a big difference, apparently. It’s not like the airport lounge clubs where you do often have to pay (unless you get it as a benefit through some other means). So, while it doesn’t seem to make sense that you’d be treated differently by enrolling in a free club, it does seem to make a difference.

So, even if you aren’t interested in the points or other benefits, there might be times when having these numbers can make your life easier in other ways.

Gloria Metrick
GeoMetrick Enterprises
http://www.GeoMetrick.com/

Laboratory Informatics Travel: Luggage and Other

Those who travel extensively each have their own theory about what type of luggage, laptop case and accessories are best and necessary.

Luggage
Some people buy the cheapest luggage possible with the knowledge that it will be destroyed, anyway, so why spend any real money on it. I actually do use the free luggage I get for hand luggage (e.g., that bag we all get at Pittcon, each year). It’s not going to last long, but it’s often the right size for a short trip. But for me, I buy somewhat expensive ballistic nylon bags for when I need to check my luggage. It’s sturdy and takes a beating. I’ve never had an urge to buy leather. It looks like a scratch waiting to happen to me.

Laptop Case
I used to have an briefcase-style laptop case with a shoulder strap from L. L. Bean. I had it for 14 years. It took a lot of abuse over those years and fit under the seat in front of me on even the smallest plane even when there was a bar across the middle of the footwell, even when the plane had entertainment boxes under there taking up part of the space. One day, one of the plastic latches on it finally broke (good plastic, though, to last all those years) and I ran out to MicroCenter and bought just about the first thing I saw.

Over the years, I’d heard other consultants talk about how much they loved their backpack-style laptop case and that’s what I bought. I bought a nice, sturdy Swiss Gear bag. Unfortunately, in my haste, I bought one that is just too big for my needs. It occasionally doesn’t fit under the seat in front of me. Since, unlike some of my cohorts in consulting, I don’t happen to need to carry every cable known to humanity, nor do I carry the multitudes of paperwork that I used to carry, I don’t need a case that’s quite so huge. I just didn’t realize how large it was until the day a few months into its service that it didn’t fit under the seat in front of me on a tiny commuter flight. Drat! Additionally, although Swiss Gear advertises that the bag stays upright, which is another reason I bought it, mine keeps flopping over. It’s annoying. Other than that, the bag seems sturdy.

While I’ve considering buying something else, I hate to casually spend the money on another since they’re not cheap nor do I quite know that the next choice I make will be any better. For now, I’ll live with it and just complain endlessly about it. 

For those of you looking to buy new luggage or cases, there are pieces of luggage where you can piggyback the laptop case (instead of the cables that just attach a second piece of luggage, I mean). Also, there are more options for laptops where you don’t necessarily have to take the laptop out of the case, where there’s a fold-out pocket for a brief case where you unfold it, put the whole thing on the airport scanner, then refold it once you’re through, as opposed to taking the laptop out and taking the chance on dropping it (which I haven’t done, lately, but am probably about due for, sigh…).

Other Gadgets and Such
Anyone you talk to who travels any serious amount will have their favorite gadgets or items they travel with. Some love those pillows that fold flat that you blow up to give extra neck or back relief. Others have some kind of electronic organizer that they think makes they’re travel life better.

I don’t think I have anything that’s so great that I couldn’t live without it. But I do have a few things in my arsenal that I’m quite fond of. Everyone now has the thumb drives but I think they’re the best things ever invented and always have one with me to transfer files. I also quite like my travel mouse with the retractable cord. Also, I often travel with a combination network cable and phone cord that has a retractable cord. These things break with little use but I don’t need to use them very often considering most hotels have wireless access, but they can come in handy to keep around.

These days, large customers often hand consultants a company laptop to use for the duration of the project. If you have to travel, travelling with more than one laptop is a royal pain at the airport and just makes your bag even heavier. So, on these occasions, I’ve copied all my own files onto a USB external hard drive that I carry along. That way, I can access my articles, e-mail and other files that I might want to use while I’m on the road but without carrying my own laptop along to do so. However, having done this for awhile, I realize that if I setup this hard drive to act as a virtual machine, I could also bring some of my applications with me, as well, which could come in handy. While I have not yet done this, it’s something I want to explore to see if this can work with these locked-down corporate laptops.

Suggestions
With regards to laptop cases, travel gadgets and other ideas to make travel easier, I’m always interested to hear what others are doing. Feel free to comment here or, the next time we see each other, tell me about your great travel idea or gadget.

Gloria Metrick
GeoMetrick Enterprises
http://www.GeoMetrick.com/

Laboratory Informatics Travel: Your Health

Here it is the end of the year. Many of those who were travelling heavily are getting a break, but my sympathies to those who are travelling this final week of the year, battling with the holiday travellers. While I try to minimize my travel, I’ve been travelling the last six weeks and sick three of those six weeks. With many of those in the industry getting ready to get back on the road, next week, here are some thoughts on this.

As those who have travelled extensively know, travel not only gets you in-contact with a multitude of people, but is stresses your body and makes it susceptible to more viruses. That, plus planes are dry and are the perfect atmosphere to catch those viruses that are locked-up in that relatively tiny cabin.

That’s a problem for those of us who are fairly hearty and healthy people. I can’t imagine how those with weak immune systems deal with the onslaught of viruses that we have to deal with.

We could all refuse to travel but the truth is this: first of all, some tasks are hard to do when you don’t see people face-to-face; second of all, many companies don’t care enough about the health and well-being of consultants to make the effort to work on the travel issue. Third of all, junior consultants are often treated like cattle — like they should be so grateful for the opportunity that they should keep quiet and do whatever it takes to get the experience. Thus, many consultants will continue to travel, each year, getting sick and getting the customer sick.

All we can do is do our best to stay healthy. Personally, I’ve tried all those expensive remedies for jet lag, keeping your immune system going, and the like. For me, nothing works as well as water. Staying hydrated doesn’t prevent getting ill but I find that it helps keep me from getting as outstandingly sick as I might, otherwise. It seems to help keep me from getting all the full-blown symptoms that are possible. Other than that, I have no suggestions.

Anyone that wants to comment and give their own tips is welcome to but with the caveat that I’m not responsible for any of these tips. Try them at your own risk as this isn’t a medical blog — just people giving their personal opinions.

Gloria Metrick
GeoMetrick Enterprises
http://www.GeoMetrick.com/

Networking in the Labs and Laboratory Informatics

I often tell people in the labs, those who are consultants, and anyone else I know that networking is important. Some of these people think I’m just nuts to suggest this. They don’t know why they should bother.

For example, people sometimes want to find out which companies are reliable for laboratory informatics software, for consulting services of one type of anoher, or for equipment. They don’t bother getting to know anyone. When the day comes that they need help, they don’t know someone at another company who might know them well-enough to bother helping them and to trust them with the possibly negative comments they might have, because many people won’t give negative comments to people that are strangers and/or that they don’t trust. Those very people that don’t want to spend the time getting to know the others in their industry get frustrated. They put a question out to the industry and get little or no useful responses. Without the work to make those links with others to develop that social capital, the response isn’t what it might be for people like me or for those in the lab that reach out to others to get to know them.

Sometimes, other consultants ask me for advice. They want to know how to find work, for example. Over the years, I’ve suggested to them various organizations that they could get involved with and ways to network with others to develop the links with others to get recommendations and work. Often, those consultants are quite angry to find that the suggestions I give don’t give them business leads. The suggestions I give are a way to learn how to find business leads not some handout. Learn to network. It’s hard. It’s hard for me, too. It’s hard but you have to do it if you want to get business. It’s the way it is.

Bottom line:  When you need help, those who know you or who see you as active in the industry or helpful to others will be much more likely to help you than if no-one knows who you are and haven’t seen you active or helping others. When you wait until you suddenly need help, you’re asking strangers for help and less likely to get it. The users I know who are kind of active in the industry get better help. I’m active in the industry and get good help. I don’t want another person to tell me how they don’t have time to network and don’t see the value and, by the way, no-one helps, anyway. Of course they don’t — many people want to think you kind of deserve it before they’ll help you.

What got me on this track is that I just had supper wtih a couple of consultants I know. We had a social night but also did have the “so, what do you do to get business” discussion and shared some useful information, as well as other business information. That comes from meeting others and giving them your time. In return, you’ll get their time, too. And, the bonus is that you not just share tips but have great conversations about how to run your businesses, both the good and the bad things you’ve tried. If I sound like I truly value connections like these, even though they’re not even in my industry to give me potential business leads, it’s true — I do value them. These are the connections that make a difference in the information we get. The more people we know with good information to share, the more information we personally have, as well.

Gloria Metrick
GeoMetrick Enterprises
http://www.GeoMetrick.com/

Project Problems

I’ve been travelling around the New Jersey area (inevitable in the laboratory informatics industry, I think). Because of that, last night, I had supper with a couple consultants I hadn’t seen for a couple of years. Our conversation was not entirely about work, but the parts that were led us to the usual conclusion — nothing really changes.

They do much work with COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) systems, too. In our discussion, we talked about some of these issues:

• Customers buy COTS systems thinking they’ll actually be usable the way they are “out of the box.”
• Because of this, customers don’t understand the true value of good project management and how difficult and expensive these projects will be.
• because of this, customers don’t realize how many of the features they’ll have to pay to have built or extended to be truly usable for their implementation (costing yet more money).
• People get frustrated with a system or see a new system with a great new feature. They dump their old system and spend a small fortune to recreate it in the new system. They insist the new system be just like the one they got rid of.
• People get excited about new pieces of software and hardware that seem to be cutting-edge but that really aren’t doing anything much different than what they have or had in the past — it’s sheer consumerism – people see the advertisements and marketing and get excited about these things just as they might  be excited about buying a new gadget for themselves, personally. But in the corporate world, it costs a lot more because you’re buying it for a lot more people. If you squander a few hundred dollars on something you don’t need for yourself, it hopefully teaches you a lesson. If you squander hundreds of thousands to roll-out something no-one needs or wants, it’s not your money and people don’t seem to learn from these mistakes they make with their company’s money.

What I didn’t happen to mention, before, is that these consultants are in an entirely unrelated industry to laboratory informatics. The problems are the same, everywhere. While we could all learn from each other, we often dismiss what’s been done in other industries or by other companies. We get NIH (not invented here) syndrome. If we don’t do it and see it, ourselves, we don’t recognize it.

But human nature being what it is, we remain so hopeful that things will “just work out” that we often remain blind to the chaos in our projects. We wonder why they’re sliding into the death spiral. We can’t figure out why we’re spending so much money and getting so little out of it. Does that sound familiar? If so, it’s time to do something about it and, here’s a tip, hope won’t fix it.

Gloria Metrick
GeoMetrick Enterprises
http://www.GeoMetrick.com/