Insights

Real-time Test Lab Visibility into Operations Helps High-Tech Firm improve Efficiency  

Author: Andrew Baker

THE CHALLENGE

A leading high-tech company’s Device Compliance Testing team faced significant inefficiencies in their onsite lab operations. Research and development phase testing for Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), Signal Integrity (SI), and Radio Frequency (RF) compliance required structured coordination, yet the team relied on manual spreadsheets and ad-hoc communication to track complex test progress across multiple teams. 

Without real-time visibility on task status, lab managers struggled to monitor workloads, find bottlenecks, and make data-driven resource planning decisions. The absence of standardized reporting made it challenging to justify additional resources, leading to overburdened, burned-out teams and a rise in compliance extension requests. 

Key challenges included: 

• Time-consuming, manual reporting processes with no centralized system. 
• Inconsistent data access with key test details unavailable if a team member was on leave. 
• High operational strain, with the lab running at over 100 percent capacity. 
• Difficulty in securing additional resources due to the lack of structured reporting. 
• Compliance delays increase pressure on teams to extend deadlines.

Without clear metrics, decision-making was reactive, and the team struggled to complete tests on time with existing staff, delaying device launch schedules. 

THE SOLUTION

The client recognized that a data-driven approach was needed to eliminate inefficiencies. We were selected based on our: 

• Expertise in analytics-driven process improvement within engineering teams. 
• Proven track record in fine-tuning Research & Development workflows. 
• Technical specialization in SharePoint and Power BI, ensuring a scalable, low-friction solution. 
• Past success with the client on operational efficiency projects making us the trusted partner for lab operations modernization. 
• Deep expertise in hardware testing and reporting frameworks developed specifically for their use cases. 

To address the client’s challenges, we implemented a real-time tracking solution that provided visibility into end-to-end testing workflow, improved workload redistribution, and allowed lab managers to focus on higher-value tasks. 

Phase 1: Discovery & Process Standardization 

For the initial phase, we held discovery sessions with lab managers and key stakeholders to: 

This phase ensured that every test, personnel assignment, and bottleneck was accurately documented. 

Phase 2: Centralized Test Tracking Captured on SharePoint

 We quickly built a document repository stored on SharePoint to centralize document flow, ownership, and tracking on the following items: 

• Task assignments and personnel workload, ensuring balanced distribution. 
• Time estimates vs. actual completion rates, highlighting inefficiencies. 
• Blockers and delays to help teams proactively resolve issues. 
• SLA tracking, ensuring compliance deadlines were met. 

Phase 3: Power BI Dashboard for Live Reporting

By using Power BI, we provided real-time insights into lab operations, enabling: 

• Managers to adjust resource allocation. 
• Live workload tracking, allowing for more in depth task assignment. 
• SLA performance monitoring to keep the team ahead of compliance deadlines. 
• Strategic resource allocation, ensuring high-priority tests were completed on time. 

THE RESULTS

With real-time tracking in place, the client saw immediate improvements in efficiency and decision-making: 

Up-to-date view on tasks progress 

• More than 300 test cases tracked in real time, while substantially reducing manual reporting. 
• Lab managers gained instant insights into bottlenecks, delays, and workload distribution.

Smarter resource allocation 

• Informed decision-making prevented bottlenecks without increasing headcount. 
• The client used real-time capacity data to allocate resources using new reporting platform, rather than intuition

Reduced burnout and operational strain 

• With the new reporting platform workload redistribution reduced overwork and increased efficiency. 
• Test managers shifted from manually tracking test results to high-value tasks, improving overall productivity. 

By replacing manual tracking with a real-time Power BI dashboard, our client eliminated inefficiencies and allowed lab teams to focus on priority tasks. Our work improved test turnaround times and resource planning.

Andrew Baker, Client Partner 

NEXT STEPS

We continue working with the client to explore: 

• AI-based test prioritization for further automation. 
• Predictive workload planning to prevent future capacity strain. 
• Deeper analytics for long-term resource optimization. 

Our collaboration ensures that lab operations remain scalable while efficiently meeting compliance requirements. 

Interested in improving your operations? Contact us to discuss how real-time insights can improve your workflows.