Conditions for Assessing Sample Specifications and Setting Specification Statuses

Specification assessment occurs whenever a sample scheme analyte receives a result, or a result is cleared, and sets the sample scheme analyte specification's Specification Limit Status, that is, for each specification attached to the sample.

Possible Status Outcomes of a Specification Assessment

Note: If a sample scheme analyte receives a result in context of a laboratory batch sample, then the specification assessment uses the specifications attached to the related production sample for the assessment, and sets the specification statuses on the production sample's specifications, since the laboratory batch samples do not inherit specifications from the related production sample.

Specification assessment, resulting in a sample scheme analyte specification's Specification Status being set to something other than Not Required, occurs where:

  • The sample has a Primary Analytical Type of Unknown, that is, for client, client standard and client blank samples.
  • The sample links to one of more sample specifications, which in turn link to a Specification Code,
  • The specification contains limits for the scheme version analyte and analysis unit.

In all other cases, specification assessment sets the sample scheme analyte specification's Specification Status to Not Required.

A sample scheme analyte specification's Specification Status, and a sample scheme analyte's Composite Specification Status, is set to Not Tested upon creation or when the result is cleared.

If a sample has one or more sample specifications defined with a Specification Code and there is a specification limit for the matching sample, scheme, scheme version, analyte and analysis unit, then specification occurs for each specification attached to the sample.

*Abbreviations: SVA stands for scheme version analyte, SS stands for sample scheme, SSA stands for sample scheme analyte

Result Present?

Primary Analytical Type

Data Type of SSA result

SVA QC Active?

SS Scheme Limit Specification defined?

Matching SpecSVA exists for the SS Specification
(match on Scheme Code, Analyte Code, Internal Unit Code)

SpecSVA Internal Min Value defined?

SpecSVA Internal Min Value Inclusive?

SpecSVA Internal Max Value defined?

SpecSVA Internal Max Value inclusive?

Scheme Limit Assessment

SSA Scheme Limit Status

No

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not Tested

Yes

Duplicate
Replicate
Blank
Standard
Spike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not Required

Yes

Unknown

Text, Boolean, Date, DateTime, Image, Document

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not Required

Yes

Unknown

Numeric

No

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not Required

Yes

Unknown

Numeric

Yes

No

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not Required

Yes

Unknown

Numeric

Yes

Yes

No

 

 

 

 

 

Not Required

Yes

Unknown

Numeric

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

 

No

 

 

Pass

Yes

Unknown

Numeric

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

 

SSA's Numeric Final Value > SpecSVA's Internal Min Value

Pass

SSA's Numeric Final Value <= SpecSVA's Internal Min Value

Lower Failure

Yes

Unknown

Numeric

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

 

SSA's Numeric Final Value >= SpecSVA's Internal Min Value

Pass

SSA's Numeric Final Value < SpecSVA's Internal Min Value

Lower Failure

Yes

Unknown

Numeric

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

 

Yes

No

SSA's Numeric Final Value < SpecSVA's Internal Max Value

Pass

SSA's Numeric Final Value >= SpecSVA's Internal Max Value

Upper Failure

Yes

Unknown

Numeric

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

 

Yes

Yes

SSA's Numeric Final Value <= SpecSVA's Internal Max Value

Pass

SSA's Numeric Final Value > SpecSVA's Internal Max Value

Upper Failure

Yes

Unknown

Numeric

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

No

SSA's Numeric Final Value > SpecSVA's Internal Min Value and
SSA's Numeric Final Value < SpecSVA's Internal Max Value

Pass

SSA's Numeric Final Value <= SpecSVA's Internal Min Value

Lower Failure

SSA's Numeric Final Value >= SpecSVA's Internal Max Value

Upper Failure

Yes

Unknown

Numeric

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

SSA's Numeric Final Value > SpecSVA's Internal Min Value and
SSA's Numeric Final Value <= SpecSVA's Internal Max Value

Pass

SSA's Numeric Final Value <= SpecSVA's Internal Min Value

Lower Failure

SSA's Numeric Final Value > SpecSVA's Internal Max Value

Upper Failure

Yes

Unknown

Numeric

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

SSA's Numeric Final Value >= SpecSVA's Internal Min Value and
SSA's Numeric Final Value < SpecSVA's Internal Max Value

Pass

SSA's Numeric Final Value < SpecSVA's Internal Min Value

Lower Failure

SSA's Numeric Final Value >= SpecSVA's Internal Max Value

Upper Failure

Yes

Unknown

Numeric

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

SSA's Numeric Final Value >= SpecSVA's Internal Min Value and
SSA's Numeric Final Value <= SpecSVA's Internal Max Value

Pass

SSA's Numeric Final Value < SpecSVA's Internal Min Value

Lower Failure

SSA's Numeric Final Value > SpecSVA's Internal Max Value

Upper Failure

Composite QC Status

The sample scheme analyte Specification Status, along with the Limit Status, Precision Status and Standard Status, is rolled into sample scheme analyte Composite QC Status. When the Composite QC Status is Warning or Failure, the operator is notified by the workbook cell being highlighted yellow or red, respectively. A sample scheme analyte that has a Composite QC Status of Failure cannot be validated to have the sample scheme analyte's Workflow Status set to Completed.

If a sample scheme analyte's Composite QC Status of Failure is subsequently ignored by the operator, the Composite QC Status is changed to Ignore Failure.