Introduction¶

In this section, we will discover:

The purpose of stucturing projects.
Each entity of a project structure:

Program.
Project.
Step.
Study.
Experiment.
Test.

The user guide to manage your project:

How to create a program.
How to create a project.
The common functions of the project hierarchy.
Special functions offered in order to maximise your experience.

Definition¶

The key to efficient research is to use knowledge, a quality-based system, and continuous improvement. With its deeply minded project structuration, Laby offers the easiest way to:

Organize a project.
Structure and retrieve information following the ALCOA++ principles.
Speed up new team member integration.
Improve learning curve.
Anticipate resources needs.
Distribute information for actuals vs budget and forecast comparison.
and more.

Laby contextualizes all the project-related information you consult! Through a single view and in a second, you can understand:

The way the project has been developed.
The finalized steps (milestones, work packages, etc.).
The ongoing activities.
The planned studies.

../_images/project_hierarchy_full.png — View of a project inside Laby. With steps, experiments, tests, and all its information.¶

Here is a short description of each level of the hierarchy and its purpose:

Entity	Description	Example 1	Example 2	Example 3
Program	Collection of projects managed to reach a strategic goal. May regroup projects around a specific research area, partner, or business focus.	“Neuroscience Research”	“Polymer Chemistry Development”	“Antibody Drug Conjugate Development”
Project	Groups all activities for specific projects. Usually defined by a target product profile or attached to a contract and budget.	“Alzheimer’s Drug Development”	“Novel Coating Materials Project”	“ADC Manufacturing”
Step	Groups activities for a project milestone or phase. Marks a major development stage, may lead to Go/No-Go decisions, or represents a work package.	“Pre-Clinical Testing”	“Synthesis Optimization Phase”	“DSP Phase”
Study	Addresses a specific research question. Develops methods for validation, calibration curves, or product assessment criteria.	“API Solubility Analysis”	“Thermal Decomposition Analysis”	“Purification Method Validation”
Experiment	Set of tests to validate or refute a hypothesis. Shows cause-and-effect relationships and what happens when factors change.	“Solubility in Different Solutions”	“Reaction Temperature Variation Study”	“Column Chromatography Optimization”
Test	Lowest hierarchy level. Collects analysis results with experimenter, protocol, date, and raw materials. Centralizes raw data, videos, photos, and related files.	“Solubility in Saline Solution”	“Thermal Stability Test at 80°C”	“Protein A Affinity Column Run 001”

Note

The step level has a special role in access rights.
A specific right access can be set between a step type and a user.
Thanks to that, a user can have by default transversal access to a step type in all projects as soon as this step is created, without necessarily having access to the whole project.
This is particularly useful for users with specific expertise.