Pharmaceutical, Biotech & GMP Manufacturing worked example

Lab Testing Burden at 65% analytical success rate: a worked example

Here is what the math looks like when conditions slip. We hold every other input steady and drop analytical success rate to 65%, then walk the calculation through step by step. Estimate releasable QC test capacity from analyst shifts, tests per shift, analytical success rate, and QA review yield.

The inputs for this scenario

  • QC analyst shifts available: 4 shifts (held at the documented default)
  • Tests per shift: 480 tests / shift (held at the documented default)
  • Analytical success rate: 65 % (the input this scenario stresses; the baseline uses 90)
  • Review and release yield: 97 % (held at the documented default)

Working through the calculation

  • The calculation starts from the formula this tool documents: Gross capacity = QC analyst shifts available × Tests per shift.
  • Good output capacity works out to 1,211 units at these inputs, and this is the headline figure for the scenario.
  • Gross lab test capacity works out to 1,920 units at these inputs.
  • Uptime loss works out to 672 units at these inputs.
  • Yield loss works out to 37.44 units at these inputs.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where analytical success rate sits at 90% and the headline result is 1,676 units, this scenario comes in 27.78% below the baseline at 1,211 units.
  • The practical read: the gap between this scenario and the baseline is entirely attributable to analytical success rate, so recovering it is worth quantifying in dollars before considering equipment or staffing changes. It assumes a steady tests-per-shift rate; complex or first-time methods run slower than routine assays, so use a realistic blended rate rather than a best-case one.

Results at a glance

  • Good output capacity: 1,211 units (headline result)
  • Gross lab test capacity: 1,920 units
  • Uptime loss: 672 units
  • Yield loss: 37.44 units

Run it with your numbers

  • To rerun this with your own numbers, open the live Lab Testing Burden calculator, set analytical success rate to your actual value, and adjust the remaining inputs to match your operation.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.