How we helped agricultural testing laboratory improve their software development

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Dairyland Labs is a premier independent agricultural testing laboratory offering analysis of feeds, manure, water, molds, and mycotoxins for farmers and agricultural businesses. Dairyland Labs aimed to develop a tailored Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) in collaboration with Sednor. The goal was to improve operational efficiency and enhance the experience for end customers.

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Dairyland Labs partnered with Sednor to develop a tailored LIMS to improve efficiency and customer experience.

• Sednor created web interfaces tailored for affiliate labs and soil/feed testing customers.
• The LIMS enhanced customer interaction with intuitive interfaces and optimized functionalities.
• The LIMS streamlined workflows through automation and standardization

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Challenges

• Dramatically speed up software development
• Learn unfamiliar technologies
• Address technologies the team lacks interest in learning

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Pitfalls

• Low-quality software ate up the budget on bug fixes and customer support
• Slow adaptation to new technologies
• Rising technical debt and project backlog
• Slow development cycles

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Steps to Solution

• Two engineers built a POC to assess engagement
• Expanded to 5 engineers. Solidified development and deployment
• Moved to GCP. Set up CI/CD and Kubernetes
• Adopted Agile with bi-weekly Sprints, demos, and daily stand-ups
• Added integration tests for predictable code updates
• Adopted microservices for easier maintenance