How the University of Illinois VDL swapped binders for a digital quality system

The challenge

Dr. Rick Fredrickson, Director at the University of Illinois Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, stated: "We were spending a large amount of time on paperwork; making sure all the binders were up to date, that the table of contents were current and maintaining numerous SOP manuals. It was a full-time job for someone that should have been overseeing the quality assurance program and not taking care of a daily paper shuffling job. It was very frustrating. We needed to find something that was more efficient, could maintain and monitor many aspects of our quality program and was adaptable. We were looking for something that could be a central repository for all quality aspects, including equipment management and maintenance logs."

In addition, Dr. Fredrickson wanted to identify a way to develop and maintain better personnel records and data, including training records and annual reviews. 

Why ECL2 and Ideagen Quality Management?

Several reasons led Dr. Fredrickson to choose Ideagen Quality Management through ECL2, an Ideagen company. 

It was very important to them that the system be customizable, adaptable, user friendly and diversified.

The solution

Implementing Ideagen Quality Management (IQM)

The University of Illinois VDL implemented IQM, utilizing ECL2's expertise in the system as well as their knowledge of the VDL industry. Dr. Fredrickson felt this was vital to their success.

He stated: “There is no way that we could have implemented Ideagen Quality Management effectively without having ECL2 [an Ideagen company] here to get us from step one to where we are today. No way possible. ECL2 being here and the subsequent follow-up visits were critical to getting us moving in the direction we wanted to go. They listened, asked questions, provided ideas and worked with our team to create components in IQM that were customized to our needs."

Quality Assurance Manager Kirstin Dohrer joined the U of I team in early 2017 and she has found Ideagen Quality Mangaement to be incredibly user-friendly. She did not have any previous quality management system electronic training and yet was able to get up and running on IQM very quickly.

Kirstin continued: "With the increased efficiency and the ability to utilize my time for other key components in the VDL, I can be more proactive in identifying opportunities for improvement. Ideagen Quality Management as a timesaver is a godsend. However, it's not just about the time-saving, it is also about accountability. It allows QA managers to push out responsibility to the people that are directly involved in the issues. That in turn helps them take more ownership in the quality system at their section and bench level.

They feel more invested in our process because they're responsible for elements of it and they understand how their part fits into the bigger picture."

ECL2 Quality Support Program

The University of Illinois VDL also utilizes ECL2's Quality Support Program; on-site visits to help further enhance the VDL's success in not only IQM but their entire quality management system.

Dr. Fredrickson acknowledges that much of their success has been due to their partnership with ECL2, an Ideagen company, and the responsive and personalized service.

He stated: "At the end of the day, it's all about the personality of the staff. We could have somebody come in with an extensive IT background that gives us the cookie-cutter canned approach and then leaves us to figure out the rest. Or we can have consultants that listen, give opinions, work personally with us at our current level and show us ways to increase our expertise to move our organizational goals forward. So, at the end of the day, everybody's happy and satisfied, they go home with a smile on their face and that's the experience we have had with ECL2. It's really the personal aspect that is extremely important in our relationship with the ECL2 team."

The results

By implementing Ideagen Quality Management and ECL2's Quality Support Program, the University of Illinois VDL replaced paper-heavy processes with a centralized digital system that puts quality ownership at every level of the lab. 

Key outcomes include:

• Paper eliminated: Binders, manual SOP manuals and table of contents updates replaced with a single digital repository.
• Quality staff freed up: The team shifted from daily paper shuffling to proactive identification of improvement opportunities.
• One central hub: Equipment management, maintenance logs, training records and annual reviews all managed in one place.
• Increased staff ownership: Responsibility pushed to the people directly involved in issues, driving deeper investment in the quality system.

By partnering with ECL2, an Ideagen company, the VDL built a quality management foundation that supports its diagnostic, research and training mission for the long term.