• THE DIFFERENCE
Built from the lab. Not mapped onto it.
Lab directors, facility planners, and PE operators have seen outside consultants before. They know what a borrowed framework looks like in practice. They know what it feels like when the person in the room has never actually run the work. TCM was built by someone who has.
THE METHOD APPLIES ACROSS REGULATED LABORATORY ENVIRONMENTS
The experience came before the consulting.
Most consultants qualify for laboratory engagements with a year or two of entry-level experience. TCM was built on 20+ years across 20 lab environments. Domain depth is the primary credential here, not the secondary one.
The work stays in the room after TCM leaves.
Every engagement ends with documentation, training, and metrics your team owns. TCM's job is to solve the problem and equip your team to own what comes next. What your lab looks like twelve months later is the only measure that matters.
Vendor-neutral. No exceptions.
No preferred technology partners. No referral arrangements. No equipment relationships that shape the recommendations. The right solution is determined by your lab's data. Not by what TCM has an incentive to recommend.
Technical fluency at every level of the conversation.
TCM can talk to a PE operating partner about EBITDA and to a lab supervisor about workflow bottlenecks in the same engagement. That range is not common. It is what makes the method work without losing credibility at either end.
CLICK BELOW TO EXPLORE OUR PROCESS
Diagnose
Find the real problem, not the reported one.
01
PHASE ONE
Most labs come in knowing the symptom: turnaround times are slipping, a relocation is approaching, or a regulatory review is on the horizon. TCM's first job is to get past the symptom and identify what is actually driving it. That requires someone who has worked inside these environments and understands how the parts connect, not just how they appear on paper.
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On-site or virtual workflow observation and documentation
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Data review: turnaround time, volume trends, error and reject rates
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Regulatory and compliance gap identification
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Interviews across all operational and supervisory levels
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Sample and process flow mapping with bottleneck identification
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Staffing structure and capacity analysis
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
A prioritized findings report that maps every identified gap to a root cause. Plain language. Decision-ready. Scoped to your engagement, from a focused single-area review to a comprehensive multi-site assessment.
Diagnostic work is supported by operational frameworks and analysis tools built on established industry standards and refined through direct laboratory experience.
Design
Build the plan before you touch a single process.
02
PHASE TWO
The diagnostic tells you what is wrong. The design phase tells you what to do about it: in what order, with what resources, and on what path. Every recommendation reflects the actual constraints of your lab, your team, and your regulatory environment.
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Predictive staffing and throughput modeling built to your workload
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Phased implementation roadmap with owner assignments and decision gates
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Risk assessment and contingency planning for live operational environments
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Spatial workflow analysis aligned to your physical or planned footprint
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Vendor-neutral technology and equipment recommendations
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SOP and policy framework aligned to applicable regulatory requirements
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
An implementation blueprint your team can execute against independently. Every decision documented, every dependency mapped, every contingency accounted for before the work begins.
Design work is supported by staffing models, spatial analysis frameworks, and readiness planning tools built on established industry standards and refined through direct laboratory operations experience.
Execute
Plans are only as good as the team running them.
03
PHASE THREE
Execution is where most lab improvement efforts fail. The plan is solid; the implementation falls apart when volume spikes, a key person turns over, or a vendor misses a deadline. For engagements that include execution support, TCM stays in through implementation. Labs do not stop running while they are being improved.
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On-site or remote implementation oversight at defined intervals
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Vendor coordination and accountability management
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Progress reporting to lab leadership and organizational stakeholders
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Staff training and workflow transition support
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Real-time plan adjustments based on operational feedback
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Relocation coordination for build and move projects
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
Milestone sign-off documentation and an execution summary with variance tracking against the original blueprint. A record of what was done, what changed, and why.
Contact TCM to explore more.
Sustain
Results that hold when TCM is no longer in the room.
04
PHASE FOUR
An improvement that requires ongoing consultant presence is not an improvement; it is a dependency. The final phase is about transfer: embedding the processes, training, and metrics into the lab's own operations so the gains compound over time. TCM's job is to solve the problem and equip your team to own the outcome from that point forward.
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KPI framework and monitoring cadence built into existing lab reporting
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Leadership coaching for supervisors managing new workflows
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Escalation pathway for emerging issues
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SOP finalization and sign-off documentation
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30/60/90-day check-in structure post-engagement​
​​​*Optional retainer for ongoing fractional operations support
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
A lab-owned sustainment package: metrics, escalation protocols, and operating procedures that function without TCM involvement. The knowledge transfer is part of the deliverable, not an afterthought.
Contact TCM to explore more.
• OUR ENGAGEMENTS
The right
SCOPE for
your situation.
The recommended starting point is a diagnostic engagement to establish the full picture, with scope expanding based on the findings. All engagements are scoped through a discovery call and delivered through a formal proposal.
• OPERATIONS
Fix My Lab Diagnostic
A structured operational assessment of your lab's current state: workflow, throughput, staffing, compliance posture, and growth readiness. Scoped to your situation, from a focused single-area review to a full multi-site diagnostic.
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Workflow and throughput assessment
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Regulatory and compliance gap analysis
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Staffing structure and capacity review
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Prioritized findings and action roadmap
• PRIVATE EQUITY
Private Equity Advisory
Operational advisory for both sides of the laboratory transaction. Pre-acquisition diligence for PE firms, and exit preparation for labs. The operator perspective that financial modeling cannot provide.
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Pre-acquisition operational due diligence
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Post-close integration planning and platform standardization
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Sell-side readiness assessment and EBITDA positioning
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Full transaction cycle advisory
• LAB DESIGN & RELOCATION
Lab Relocation & Design Advisory
Scope-based advisory for new builds, renovations, and relocations. Works alongside architecture and planning teams to ensure the physical design reflects how laboratory workflows actually operate, before the first wall goes up or the first instrument moves.
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Spatial workflow analysis and floor plan advisory
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Relocation readiness planning and sequencing
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Vendor and contractor coordination
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Zero-downtime transition management
• DIGITAL PATHOLOGY
Digital Pathology Advisory
End-to-end strategic advisory for labs pursuing digital pathology adoption, whole slide imaging implementation, or LIS integration. Vendor-neutral, workflow-first, and built around your lab's actual readiness.
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Readiness assessment and business case development
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Vendor evaluation and selection support
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Implementation planning and go-live management
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Full engagement through post-implementation sustainment
WAYS TO WORK TOGETHER
PROJECT BASED
Diagnostic Engagements
Defined scope, defined deliverables. Right for a specific problem or transition.
ONGOING
Retained Advisory
Monthly fractional support with defined hours. For labs in active transition or PE multi-site platforms.
HOURLY
Micro-Consulting
90-minute focused session. Right for a specific question or decision that needs an expert read.
ALL ENGAGEMENTS
Start with a Discovery Call
Every engagement is scoped through a conversation and delivered via formal proposal.