QC Parameter Configuration

QC parameters define what your staff measures during daily quality control checks. Each parameter is associated with a specific piece of equipment and includes the measurement type, acceptable range, target value, and display settings.

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

Accessing QC Parameter Configuration

Go to Admin Panel from the sidebar, then select QC Parameters. Parameters are grouped by equipment, with each equipment section expandable.

The Parameter List View

The QC Parameters page shows:

Equipment sections that expand or collapse by clicking the equipment name
A count of active parameters per equipment
Each parameter row with: name, type, unit, acceptable range, target value, parameter group, and active status

Use the search field to find specific parameters quickly.

Adding a New QC Parameter

Find the equipment item where you want to add a parameter.
Click Add on that equipment row. (The Equipment page's inline parameter list has its own Add Parameter button.)
Fill in the form:

Parameter Name

The name displayed to staff during QC checks (e.g., "Temperature", "CO2 Level", "Door Seal Check"). Use names that are clear and unambiguous.

Parameter Type

Type	Use for
Decimal	Measurements requiring decimal precision: temperature (37.2°C), gas percentages (6.1%), pressure (14.7 PSI)
Integer	Whole number counts: alarm counts, cycle numbers, particle counts
Binary (pass/fail, yes/no)	Yes/no or pass/fail checks: door seal integrity, alarm function test, visual inspection
Date	Tracking dates: reagent expiration, calibration due dates, filter change dates
Dropdown (custom options)	Selecting from predefined options: media lot number, color indicators, condition ratings
Text (free-form)	Open-ended notes or observations

For Binary parameters, configure the label style:

Pass / Fail
Yes / No
True / False

For Dropdown parameters, define the list of options and which options are considered out of range.

Acceptable Range (Numeric and Integer types)

Lower Limit — The minimum acceptable value
Upper Limit — The maximum acceptable value

Any value below the lower limit or above the upper limit is flagged as out of range. Set these based on your equipment manufacturer specifications and laboratory standards.

Target Value (Numeric and Integer types)

The ideal or expected value. This appears as a reference point for staff during data entry and is used in Levey-Jennings charts and statistical analysis.

Examples:

Temperature target: 37.0°C (range 36.5–37.5°C)
CO2 target: 6.0% (range 5.7–6.3%)

Units

The unit of measurement displayed alongside the value. Suggestions include °C, °F, %, psi, mmHg, pH, mL, µL, mg/dL, ng/mL, mIU/mL, IU/L, pmol/L, µmol/L, g/dL, cells/mL, M/mL, RPM, CFU, lux. You can also type a custom unit.

Display Order

Parameters appear in the order you set by dragging. There is no number to type. See Reordering Parameters below.

Parameter Group

An optional grouping that collects related parameters across different equipment. For example, assigning all temperature parameters to the "Temperature" parameter group allows the QC workflow to present all temperature readings together in a single step.

Suggested groups: Temperature, Gas, Flow, Pressure, Humidity, General, plus any group name your laboratory already uses. You can also type a new group name.

QC Schedule

Sets which days this parameter appears in the Morning QC Check. Choose Same as equipment (follows the equipment's schedule; if neither is set, the parameter is checked daily), Daily, 3x / Week, Weekly or None. For 3x / Week and Weekly, select the days; 3x / Week defaults to Monday / Wednesday / Friday if no days are selected. None keeps the parameter out of the Morning QC Check. It still appears in the End-of-Day Check if it is included there. The Monthly option cannot yet be set to a specific day from this form, so use Weekly or contact support for monthly checks.

Auto QC Value

Marks the parameter as one that can be mapped to a connected sensor system for automatic data import.

Active Status

Inactive parameters do not appear in QC workflows, but their historical data is preserved. Use this to temporarily disable a parameter without losing its records.

Sensor-Linked Indicator

If a parameter is mapped to a PharmaWatch monitoring zone, a sensor icon indicates the link. During Morning QC, values are automatically imported from PharmaWatch. Staff can still enter manual values that override automated readings.

Westgard Rules (Numeric and Integer types)

Turn on L-J Monitoring and the rules you want for this parameter (see Westgard Rules Configuration). Rules are evaluated only when equipment QC Westgard evaluation is enabled for your laboratory; otherwise the panel says it is off. When editing an existing parameter, the Westgard baseline panel shows the mean and SD the rules use — the first 20 in-range readings after Westgard was switched on — or that the baseline is still being collected. Supervisors and above can Reset baseline after service, recalibration or a setpoint change; the next 20 in-range readings then set a new baseline.

Click Save.

Editing Parameters

Click Edit on a parameter row.
Modify any fields.
Click Save.

Changes to parameter limits affect future QC checks only. Historical records retain the limits that were in effect when values were recorded.

Reordering Parameters

Click Reorder at the top of the QC Parameters page. The button changes to Done.
Expand an equipment item and drag its parameters up or down. Each move is saved straight away.
Click Done to lock the order.

Reordering is available to Supervisors and above.

The display order affects how parameters appear in the Morning QC Check and End-of-Day Check.

Choosing Which Check a Parameter Appears In

Each parameter has a Shows in setting in the editor:

Morning QC only (the default) — expected during the Morning QC Check.
End-of-Day only — expected during the End-of-Day Check. No morning entry is expected, and the system never raises a morning "not completed" flag for it. Use this for shutdown checklists and other end-of-shift tasks.
Morning + End-of-Day — expected in both checks.

Two related behaviors worth knowing:

The check order controls visibility. Once a check has an order configured under QC Workflow Order, a parameter appears in that check only when its equipment (or its group) is listed there. If you enable a check type and the equipment isn't in that order yet, the editor offers to add it for you — accept, or add it later from QC Workflow Order. (A check with no order configured simply shows all eligible equipment.)
"Not completed" flags follow this setting and each parameter's own schedule. A parameter scheduled for specific days (for example, Wednesdays only) is flagged only when a scheduled day passes without an entry — the equipment's overall schedule doesn't add extra flagged days.

Quick-Fill Presets

When adding parameters, a Quick Fill option loads pre-configured parameter sets for the equipment type. For example, a CO2 Incubator quick-fill might populate:

Temperature (°C): 36.5–37.5, target 37.0
CO2 (%): 5.7–6.3, target 6.0
O2 (%): 4.7–5.3, target 5.0

You can modify any preset value after loading.

Applying Type Defaults to Existing Equipment

If equipment of a given type is missing some of that type's default parameters, an Apply defaults button appears on the equipment-type section header showing how many parameters are missing (for example, "Apply defaults (4 missing)"). Clicking it lists the parameters that will be created — existing parameters are never changed — and creates them all in one click.

After applying defaults, review the created ranges and targets: defaults may differ from your lab's validated ranges.

Deleting vs. Deactivating Parameters

Prefer deactivating over deleting. Deactivated parameters no longer appear in QC workflows, but their historical records are preserved.

Deleting is permanent and removes history: deleting a parameter also permanently deletes all of its recorded QC entries and any corrective actions attached to them. Because of this, a parameter that has recorded data can only be deleted by a super admin. Empty auto-generated placeholder rows (missed-check markers) never block deletion — a parameter with only placeholders can be deleted by directors and QA managers, and the confirmation shows how many placeholder rows will be removed.

Recording Lot Numbers, PSI, and Other Context

Labs often want somewhere to note things like the lot number of a gas tank put on a manifold, or the PSI at changeover. Two built-in mechanisms cover this — deliberately instead of general comment boxes, which invite corrective-action documentation ending up in the wrong place:

The per-reading note. Every entry card has an optional note field. Use it for one-off context ("door opened during read", "tank changed today").
A dedicated parameter for recurring data. If the same information is recorded routinely, model it as its own QC parameter so it is captured every time and trendable:
- Lot numbers → a Free Text parameter (any entry, or none, is acceptable — text parameters are never flagged out of range).
- Changeover PSI → a Numeric parameter with the lower limit set to your minimum acceptable PSI and a generous upper limit. A tank swapped below the threshold then flags for attention automatically — which a comment box would never do.

Best Practices

Set evidence-based limits — Base acceptable ranges on manufacturer specifications, accreditation standards, and your lab's validated performance data. Do not set limits arbitrarily.
Always include target values — Target values help staff understand the expected reading, not just the acceptable range. This improves measurement awareness.
Use parameter groups consistently — If you assign temperature parameters to a parameter group on one incubator, do the same on all incubators. Consistent grouping enables useful combined views in the QC workflow.
Review limits periodically — As equipment ages or standards change, review and update limits. Overly tight limits cause excessive OOR alerts; overly loose limits miss real problems.
Order parameters logically — Arrange parameters in the order staff naturally check them. For an incubator: temperature first, then CO2, then O2.
Use descriptive names — "Temperature (Internal)" is more useful than "Temp" when the equipment has both internal and external temperature readings.
Minimize free text parameters — Use structured types (numeric, boolean, dropdown) whenever possible. Free text is harder to analyze and trend over time.