Process family
Sample lifecycle: eight templates from collection to disposal
The laboratory sample lifecycle as eight linked flowcharts: collection, transport, receipt, log-in, labelling, storage, retention and disposal, with chain of custody, rejection, aliquoting, inventory and stability pulls alongside.
The sample lifecycle is everything a laboratory does to a sample other than test it: collect it against a request, move it, receive and accession it, label and store it, keep it for as long as a retention basis says, and dispose of it under a recorded authorisation. This family orders eight templates in the sequence a sample passes through them; chain of custody, rejection, aliquoting, inventory and stability pulls apply at points along the way.
The chain follows one container. Sample collection ties the request and the sample identity to a handoff record, and sample transport carries that record to an arrival assessment. Sample receipt is the first control point: what arrived, is it identifiable, does its condition support the work. Log-in creates the accession record, labelling ties the container to it, and storage places it in an approved location. After testing, which has a family of its own, retention decides whether the sample stays or is released, and disposal chooses an authorised route and records the disposition.
The failures are almost all identity failures: a label that matches no record, an aliquot made without a plan, a sample in an interim hold the inventory never caught up with. Chain of custody answers the first with a signed transfer record at every handoff; sample rejection gives a receipt exception a hold, a notification and a documented disposition; sample inventory reconciles what the record says exists with what a custodian can locate. Sample review, aliquoting and the stability pull cover the rest: a status decision on evidence, a plan every new label stays tied to, a scheduled retrieval with a condition check before transfer.
The laboratory sample management flowchart is the same lifecycle at overview level, from receipt and document checks through registration, storage and routing to testing or an exception path. When a sample leaves for an external laboratory, the transfer and the custody record continue under outsourced testing, and a discrepancy found at any step enters the laboratory investigations family through quality event triage.
The sequence
Step 1: Sample collection process flowchart
An editable sample collection workflow for planning a collection, confirming the sample point, recording identification, preparing a handoff and resolving collection discrepancies.
Step 2: Sample transport process flowchart
An editable sample transport workflow for defining transfer conditions and documents, preparing a package and handoff record, assessing arrival condition, escalating exceptions and closing the transfer record.
Step 3: Sample receipt process flowchart
A laboratory sample receipt process for delivery checks, documentation review, sample identification, condition assessment, acceptance, accessioning and exception handling.
Step 4: Sample log-in process flowchart
An editable sample log-in workflow for matching requests to accepted samples, creating an accession record, verifying traceability, correcting entry discrepancies and assigning routing and storage status.
Step 5: Sample labeling process flowchart
An editable sample labeling workflow for using source records, creating traceable labels, checking label-to-sample matches, correcting discrepancies and recording label status.
Step 6: Sample storage process flowchart
An editable sample storage workflow for assigning a suitable location, using interim holds when capacity is unavailable, verifying location and status, and updating inventory records.
Step 7: Sample retention process flowchart
An editable sample retention workflow for reviewing retention records, identifying retained samples, deciding whether an approved disposition can proceed, continuing secure retention and recording the review.
Step 8: Sample disposal process flowchart
An editable sample disposal workflow for confirming identity and disposition information, segregating material, selecting an authorized disposal route, retaining unresolved samples and recording status.
Also part of this family
- Laboratory sample management process flowchart — A laboratory sample management workflow for receipt, document checks, identification, acceptance, registration, storage and routing to testing or a controlled exception path.
- Sample rejection process flowchart — An editable sample rejection workflow for assessing an exception against local criteria, placing a rejected sample on hold or releasing it to receipt, completing disposition records and resolving documentation gaps.
- Sample chain of custody process flowchart — A sample chain of custody workflow for controlled handoffs, identity and seal checks, signed transfer records, discrepancy handling and an auditable custody trail.
- Laboratory sample review process flowchart — An editable laboratory sample review workflow for checking identity, custody, condition, storage and handling evidence, then assigning status or requesting an evidence-based disposition.
- Sample aliquoting process flowchart — An editable sample aliquoting workflow for verifying source identity and condition, preparing containers and an aliquot plan, checking labels and volumes, resolving discrepancies and recording the result.
- Sample inventory process flowchart — An editable sample inventory workflow for comparing item, location and status with records, assessing availability and condition, investigating discrepancies, applying approved holds or adjustments and recording review results.
- Sample stability process flowchart — An editable sample stability workflow for planning a pull, confirming sample and protocol information, assessing retrieved sample condition, transferring suitable material for testing and escalating findings.