Process family
Outsourced testing: from the sourcing decision to contract laboratory review
Contract laboratory flowcharts in sequence: the outsourcing decision, contract laboratory qualification, sample transfer, external result review and performance review, plus the external laboratory deviation route.
Outsourced testing is the set of interfaces a laboratory builds when a test runs somewhere else: deciding what to outsource, qualifying the contract laboratory for a defined scope, handing samples over, reviewing the results that come back and reviewing the arrangement itself. This family orders five templates in that sequence and adds the route for a deviation that happens at the contract laboratory.
Laboratory outsourcing defines the testing need, decides whether external sourcing fits, selects a candidate and agrees the interfaces; contract laboratory qualification establishes whether a particular laboratory can be used for that scope. Sample transfer is a managed handoff between named parties, with identifiers, records and confirmed receipt. Result review then reads the report against the request, the sample and the intended decision, and performance review turns service evidence into a decision about the arrangement.
The failures are scope drift, where the contract laboratory is used for tests it was never qualified for; a report accepted as a conclusion when nobody checked it answered the question asked; a sample that arrived unidentifiable because the transfer record stayed with the sponsor; and a qualification treated as permanent. Each step above is aimed at one of these. The external laboratory deviation route handles the case with two owners: the contract laboratory manages its own event while the sponsoring organisation records it, requests evidence, assesses the impact on its own samples, work and decisions, escalates actions and tracks closure.
The samples leave the sample lifecycle at transfer with their chain of custody intact, and the results re-enter laboratory data review once the external review is done. Qualification and performance review are the laboratory case of supplier quality, and the sourcing decision usually runs through procurement.
The sequence
Step 1: Laboratory outsourcing process flowchart
An editable laboratory outsourcing workflow for defining a testing need, deciding whether external sourcing fits, selecting a candidate, agreeing interfaces and activating the arrangement.
Step 2: Contract laboratory qualification process flowchart
An editable contract laboratory qualification workflow for defining outsourced test scope, assessing capability, resolving gaps, recording authorization and setting review triggers.
Step 3: Sample transfer to contract laboratory process flowchart
An editable sample transfer workflow for planning an external laboratory handoff, preparing identifiers and records, confirming receipt, resolving issues and tracking follow-up.
Step 4: External laboratory result review process flowchart
An editable external laboratory result review workflow for checking report scope, obtaining missing context, assessing results, escalating concerns and recording follow-up ownership.
Step 5: Contract laboratory performance review process flowchart
An editable contract laboratory performance review workflow for collecting service evidence, resolving gaps, assessing concerns, planning action and recording the next review trigger.
Also part of this family
- External laboratory deviation process flowchart — An editable external laboratory deviation workflow for recording the event, checking immediate controls, requesting evidence, assessing impact, escalating actions and tracking closure.