How Low-Code LIMS Help Cannabis Labs Compete

Blog Summary

In the well-regulated cannabis market, traditional LIMS vendors often struggle to keep up with the constant need for new features and compliance updates. These traditional SaaS products, built with custom code and lengthy development cycles, lead to mounting technical debt and a lack of agility. In contrast, a low-code LIMS is built on a foundation of pre-built components that significantly reduces the time and expense required for development and adaptation. This approach allows labs to avoid a rigid, one-size-fits-all product and instead gain a "technical glide path" where they can personally drive their product roadmap, prioritize their own feature requests, and implement fine-grained automation to distinguish themselves from competitors.

Key Questions Answered by the Article

What is the main difference between a traditional SaaS product and one built on a low-code platform?

The main difference lies in the development process and cost. Traditional SaaS products, built with custom code, require multi-year development cycles and large teams. Low-code platforms, however, use pre-built components and templates, which drastically reduces the time and expense needed to build and adapt to new features, integrations, and regulatory changes.

How do traditional LIMS vendors often acquire "technical debt"?

Traditional LIMS vendors add new features to their products based on a roadmap that prioritizes what most labs want. This can lead to a backlog of specific client requests, which accumulates as "technical debt." This debt stems from the time and cost required to continuously adapt their rigid, custom-coded platform to meet unique, fine-grained automation needs.

How does a low-code LIMS empower labs to avoid commoditization?

A low-code LIMS empowers labs by allowing them to drive their own product roadmap. Instead of being a commodity, the low-code approach provides a "technical glide path" that enables labs to implement personalized services, fine-grained automation, and specific compliance features. This allows them to distinguish themselves from competitors, preserve operating margins, and capitalize on new business opportunities as they arise.

How Low-Code LIMS Help Cannabis Labs Compete

One of the biggest problems is the reliance on manual processes and outdated laboratory information management systems (LIMS). Traditional LIMS are built on rigid platforms with configuration options designed to appeal to the masses. They have out-of-the-box data models and workflows that often fly in the face of a lab’s actual processes. Labs that choose out-of-the-box solutions must adapt their workflows to the design of their software. The need to train workers on software AND new business processes can be overwhelming enough to kill a lab’s modernization ambitions.

As the cornerstone of a well-regulated cannabis market, labs focus on providing accurate, timely results while meeting changing compliance requirements. Many use laboratory information management systems (LIMS) to help automate daily workflows. However, as labs grow and gain multi-state footprints, many traditional LIMS need help supporting their evolution. When labs request new features, LIMS vendors add them to the product roadmap, adding to mounting technical debt.

There is a significant difference between traditional software products and products built using a low-code platform.

The main difference between a traditional SaaS product and a product built using a low-code platform is the time and expense needed to develop and adapt to keep up with feature requests. Traditional SaaS products are typically created using custom code, which requires a team of experienced architects, developers, project managers, UI/UX, and quality assurance developers running multi-year development cycles. On the other hand, low-code platforms allow developers to create applications using pre-built components and templates, significantly reducing the time it takes to build new applications and adapt to meet client needs for new features, integrations, and regulatory changes.

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In addition to the technical advantages and adaptability, low-code platforms allow labs to drive their product roadmaps. Low-code vendors can separate one client’s feature request from others, enabling them to add new features, integrations, and workflow changes instead of growing technical debt.

Low-code LIMS allows labs to compete with personalized services, fine-grained automation, and compliance features that distinguish them from their peers. With a low-code LIMS, labs avoid commoditization, preserve operating margins, and take advantage of the new business opportunities they encounter.

About Slingr

Slingr works with cannabis, diagnostic, genetic, and research labs to create extensible low-code LIMS solutions.