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Are you wondering if it's time to upgrade your LIMS, ELN, CDS, or other software? If so, here are some things to consider:

1. Very old systems that don't work well should be replaced. If the system is old and you're happy with it, you shouldn't rush out to replace it. People in non-regulated industries with simple processes sometimes keep their systems for many years (to the consternation of their software vendors). "New" isn't always better, so don't be too hasty to throw an old system away if it still satisfies your needs but, if that's not the case, consider getting rid of it.

2. You don't really know what it's doing. If your system is one of those for which some brilliant person created a lot of complicated functions that they didn't document, and then he or she left your company, leaving you with something you've never been able to enhance, this is your chance to get rid of it. This time, require the appropriate documentation, additions, and variations. "What if the consultant refuses?," you ask. I say, "Find yourself another consultant." After all, in today's economy, there are plenty of people looking for work, many of whom are willing to do that "awful" documentation work along with the "fun" configuration and customization.

3. You can't get data out of it for knowledge sharing. There are many systems out there that can't be used for anything more than managing laboratory processes. They aren't practical places to gather information for statistics and trending, for reporting purposes, or to share in a data warehouse. Sometimes, this is because of technical reasons. Other times, it's because the system wasn't set up in a manner where it could do this, which is often the case in many projects, even now. It is often quite expensive to make these systems participate in data-sharing efforts. It could be more cost effective to replace them.

4. The technology is much out-of-date, and the system is critical. I don't think it's a problem to run something like a balance on a terribly old PC. If that PC breaks, it's not that difficult to integrate a balance into a new one, as long as it has an RS-232 connection. But when you're running a large system that is critical to your operation on an extremely old operating system or machine, you have to think that, as stable as it is, the day will come when something might break. On that day, if you can't find a new part, can you afford to go without access to that system until you implement a new one? And even when you get the new one running, you still have the issue of trying to access the data on the old, broken system and transfer it to the new.

5. Your needs have drastically changed. Your system might have worked fine when you first implemented it, but as your divisions are restructured, the work you do changes. Depending how quickly your system has kept up with your needs, it might be too hopelessly behind what you're doing to be economical to upgrade. Buying a new system might even be more cost effective than trying to cobble together an elaborate upgrade to the older system. This is especially true when companies merge. Their systems and needs are so different that, rather than forcing one to adjust to the other's system, and/or forcing that system to accept major changes, it's probably a better idea to start from scratch.

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