The oven full of jars
There are samples of eleven formulas in the stability oven, the fridge and on the shelf, plus some in the light cabinet. Each study started on a different date. The checks are marked on a wall calendar in the lab, but the calendar was not updated when two new studies started while the formulator was busy with a launch. Two check points passed unnoticed.
Some results are in a notebook, some in a spreadsheet, with photos on a phone.
Why checks are missed
Stability work is a long-running background task alongside daily development and production. The schedule is complex and the reminders depend on someone looking at a calendar.
- Each study has several conditions and check points starting from its own date.
- The calendar or spreadsheet has to be updated by hand when a study starts.
- Samples are labelled by hand, and labels fade or get confused.
- Observations are written in notebooks, with photos on personal phones.
- Results are not linked to the formula version tested.
What a missed check costs
A missed check point is a gap in a study you have spent time and product on, and it may mean repeating the work, which delays a launch or a formula change. Results that cannot be tied to a formula version are of limited use later. What studies you run and what they must include is for you and your adviser or assessor. We do not advise on testing. We make sure the schedule you set is followed and the results are kept.
The load also grows at exactly the wrong moments. Studies tend to start in bunches before a launch or after a supplier change forces several formula tweaks at once, which is when the formulator has least time to keep a calendar up to date. Check points from those studies then fall due together weeks later, in the middle of something else.
A stability tracker
- A new study is set up from a template you define, with its storage conditions and check points, linked to the formula version and packaging being tested.
- Sample labels are printed with a code for the study, condition and sample number.
- Check dates are calculated from the study start and appear on a shared calendar, with reminders sent to the person responsible ahead of each one.
- At each check, the person scans the sample and records observations against the parameters you check, with photos taken on a tablet attached to the record.
- Results for each condition are shown side by side over time, so changes are easy to see.
- The finished study, with every observation and photo, is stored against the formula version, and can be added to that product's document index.
| Part of the study | Now | With the tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule | Wall calendar | Calculated from the start date |
| Reminders | Someone looks at the calendar | Sent ahead of each check |
| Sample labels | Handwritten | Printed with a code |
| Observations | Notebook and phone photos | Recorded with photos per sample |
| Link to formula | Written on the notebook page | Tied to the formula version |
A lab that does not rely on the calendar
Check points are done on the day they are due, by whoever is responsible, because they were reminded. Results for every study live in one place, with photos, tied to the formula they tested. When a formula changes and a new study is needed, it starts from a template rather than a new spreadsheet.
Does your stability work look like this?
- Check dates are on a wall calendar or spreadsheet.
- A check point has been missed.
- Results are in notebooks and photos on phones.
- Samples are labelled by hand.
- Results are not tied to the formula version tested.