REPORTING ONGOING RESULTS OF INTERLABORATORY COMPARISON PROGRAMS

International standards have been established for reporting individual ring trials, but no established general method has been developed for reporting ongoing Interlaboratory Comparison Programs (ILCPs) to part icipants, although some attempts have been made to address the problem . The present paper describes a system that has been developed, tested , and used in New Zealand and which has improvements over many current schemes. It is consistent with international standards and meets the needs of laboratory analysts and managers. It emphasizes graphic outpu t, and essential statistics are given but not emphasized. Feedback is produced within a week of the analysts' reporting deadline. The system is based on principles agreed to among analysts, the statistician, th e systems analyst, and the scheme manager, and it embraces a wide vari ety of chemical and microbiological tests. The present paper covers on ly the statistical and reporting aspects of the system.