LABORATORY MANAGEMENT - FACING THE CHALLENGES OF THE FUTURE

In a sluggish economy and facing demands for higher productivity, bett er quality, and improved service, laboratory managers must examine the effectiveness of laboratory operating procedures as well as managemen t practices. The Water Quality Division of the Metropolitan Water Dist rict of Southern California (MWD) is substantially changing its approa ch to management and laboratory operations to address the new challeng es that face environmental laboratories in the 1990s. These changes in volve strategic planning, implementation of time tracking and producti vity measurements, and use of more progressive management concepts suc h as total quality management (TQM).