Plan vs Actual
One of the most common KPIs used to measure execution in labs and across other organizations is Plan vs Actual.
It measures what was planned for the analyst at the beginning of the shift versus what was actually executed by the end.
While it seems like a simple concept, it’s not truly feasible without digital scheduling and even then, it presents some complexity.
Let’s look at a few examples:
➡ What should be considered when an urgent sample arrives? Does it shift the current plan and is the urgent sample now considered “planned” or not?
➡ If a resource is pulled into a critical meeting, should that count as a missed plan or a legitimate deviation?
➡ If an assignment depends on another task that wasn’t completed, and therefore cannot be performed does that count as a missed assignment?
In all of the above examples, the key is to provide a platform where users can document the reason for not completing a planned activity. This enables teams to later review, analyze root causes, and take corrective actions.
Labs are highly dynamic environments and often need to adjust in real time to support the supply chain. As such, it’s important to recognize that not all planned activities will be executed within the original shift.
Smart-QC captures a snapshot at the start of the shift and another at the end, comparing the two while also incorporating logic to account for reassignments and urgent samples in real time.
While the concept is simple, managing this metric effectively without a digital tool is not.
Labs looking to track their Plan vs Actual KPI with greater accuracy and accountability are welcome to contact us at Smart-QC to learn more.