Equipment Setup

Equipment is the foundation of the QC system — every QC parameter, maintenance task, and verification schedule is tied to a specific piece of equipment. This guide covers how to add, configure, and manage lab equipment in Impart QMS.

Access: Directors (lab_admin) and Network QA Managers (org_admin) only.

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Accessing Equipment Management

Go to Admin Panel from the sidebar, then select Equipment. You will see a table of all equipment configured for the current laboratory, including both active and deactivated items.

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The Equipment List

The table shows each piece of equipment with:

• Name — The display name staff see during QC checks
• Type — Equipment category (e.g., CO2 Incubator, Freezer)
• Department — Which department it belongs to
• QC Schedule — How often QC is required
• Status — Active or deactivated
• EOD Enabled — Whether end-of-day checks are configured

Search by equipment name to find specific items quickly.

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Adding New Equipment

1. Click Add Equipment.
2. Fill in the equipment form:

Basic Information

• Equipment Type — Select the category. Common IVF types include:

  • CO2 Incubator, Tri-gas Incubator, Benchtop Incubator
  • Warming Block, Heated Stage
  • Refrigerator, Freezer
  • Cryogenic Tank (LN2), Cryo Freezer
  • Gas Analyzer
  • Laminar Flow Hood / Clean Bench
  • Centrifuge
  • Thermometer, Pipette, Balance / Scale
  • Laser System, Sperm Analyzer, Microscope

  When you select an equipment type, the system may auto-populate suggested QC parameters, maintenance tasks, and verification schedules based on pre-configured templates.

• Equipment Name — A descriptive name your staff will recognize (e.g., "Incubator 1 - Embryology" rather than "Inc1").

• Model — Manufacturer model number (recommended).

• Serial Number — Unique serial number for asset tracking (recommended).

• Location — Physical location within the lab.

Department and Equipment Group

• Department — Assign to a department (e.g., Embryology, Andrology). This controls which staff see the equipment when filtering by department.
• Equipment Group — Optionally assign to an equipment group for additional organization within a department.

QC Schedule

Configure when QC checks are required:

Schedule	Description
Daily	QC every day — default for critical equipment like incubators
3x per week	Select three specific days (e.g., Mon / Wed / Fri)
Weekly	Select one specific day per week
Monthly	Select week and day of month
None	No routine daily QC — use for equipment verified periodically only (thermometers, pipettes, balances)

Equipment only appears in the Morning QC Check on its scheduled days.

End-of-Day Checks

Toggle EOD Enabled to require end-of-day QC checks. Typically enable this for:

• CO2 incubators (verify stability after a full day of use)
• Cryogenic storage tanks (verify overnight conditions)
• Any equipment where overnight drift is a concern

QC Parameters

When you select an equipment type, default QC parameters are loaded from your organization's templates. Review each suggested parameter and adjust as needed:

• Parameter name and type
• Unit of measurement
• Lower and upper acceptable limits
• Target value (setpoint)

You can accept, modify, or remove any default before saving.

Maintenance Tasks

Add recurring maintenance tasks:

1. Click Add Maintenance Task.
2. Enter:
   • Task Name — e.g., "Filter Replacement"
   • Frequency — Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually
   • Description — Detailed instructions or notes
3. Add as many tasks as needed. Remove any with the X button.

Verification Tasks

Add periodic verification tasks:

1. Click Add Verification.
2. Enter:
   • Verification Type — e.g., "Temperature Verification"
   • Frequency — How often (monthly through annually)
   • Pass Criteria — The standard that must be met (e.g., "Within ±0.5°C of reference thermometer")
   • Description — The verification procedure details

Saving

Click Save to create the equipment with all its QC parameters, maintenance tasks, and verifications.

Use Save & Next to immediately start adding another piece of similar equipment.

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Editing Equipment

1. Click on an equipment row or click Edit.
2. Modify any fields.
3. Click Save.

Changing QC parameter limits on existing equipment does not affect historical QC records. Changes take effect for future checks only.

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Deactivating Equipment

When equipment is retired or no longer needs QC tracking:

1. Open the equipment for editing.
2. Click Deactivate (available to Directors and above).
3. Confirm the deactivation.

Deactivation is a soft delete — no data is lost. The equipment stops appearing in QC workflows but historical records remain accessible. The equipment can be reactivated later if needed.

Always deactivate rather than delete. Deletion would create gaps in your quality documentation.

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Equipment Types and Templates

Equipment types serve two purposes:

1. Categorization — Grouping equipment by function for clarity.
2. Default templates — Pre-configured QC parameters, maintenance tasks, and verifications that auto-populate when you add new equipment.

Some equipment types (Thermometers, Pipettes, Balances, Microscopes) are configured without a daily QC schedule by default, since these items are typically verified periodically rather than checked daily.

If you need a new equipment type added, contact your Network QA Manager or the Impart QMS support team.

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Best Practices

1. Use descriptive names — "Incubator 1 - Embryology East Wall" is more useful than "Inc1" when staff need to identify equipment during a QC check.
2. Record serial numbers — Serial numbers are essential for asset tracking, maintenance contracts, and regulatory documentation.
3. Set appropriate schedules — Not everything needs daily QC. Weekly or monthly schedules for less critical equipment reduce staff burden while maintaining oversight.
4. Review default parameters — Auto-suggested parameters are a good starting point, but always adjust limits to match your specific equipment manufacturer specifications and lab standards.
5. Enable EOD checks thoughtfully — Only enable EOD for equipment where post-use monitoring adds real value.
6. Add maintenance tasks at setup — Configure preventive maintenance tasks when you add equipment, not after a failure.
7. Deactivate rather than delete — Preserve the historical record when retiring equipment.