Updated 30 September 2026 by the InCue Team. “The test took too long” can describe several different delays. A visitor may mean the wait at reception; a laboratory team may mean time between receiving a sample and releasing a report. Put the start and end of every measure in writing before comparing numbers.
The definitions below are examples for an operations worksheet, not a laboratory standard. Use your centre’s approved definitions for clinical or quality reporting. InCue queue records do not replace a laboratory information system.
Define separate clocks
| Operational measure | Example start | Example finish |
|---|---|---|
| Registration wait | Arrival or registration-queue entry | Staff begins registration |
| Registration service time | Staff begins registration | Registration completed |
| Collection queue wait | Visitor is ready and joins collection queue | Collection staff starts the service |
| Total visit time | Arrival | Visitor leaves the centre |
| Laboratory turnaround time | A sample milestone defined by the laboratory | The laboratory’s defined reporting milestone |
Record whether timestamps come from an automatic event or a manual entry. If a visitor leaves and returns, decide how to record that gap. Do not mix those definitions silently between teams or between months.
Use service and time-of-day groups
Separate short enquiries, new registrations, repeat visits and different service queues where their work differs. Compare the same hour on similar days before concluding that a workflow improved. Opening hours, staff availability, arrival volume and unusual interruptions all affect the comparison.
Look at the number of completed observations as well as the average. A mean built from two visits says little about a busy week. If incomplete or abandoned visits are excluded, report their count separately so the report does not hide long waits.
Read the median and the longer waits
Suppose five measured waits are 4, 5, 6, 10 and 35 minutes. The mean is 12 minutes and the median is 6 minutes. Both describe the same five observations, but neither makes the 35-minute experience disappear.
For a larger dataset, an upper percentile can help show how many visitors experience longer waits. Document the calculation method and keep it consistent. For a small dataset, reviewing the longest waits and the reason for each can be more useful than presenting a precise-looking percentile.
Check capacity without promising an ETA
If a service takes ten minutes on average and two counters can work on that same service, theoretical capacity is twelve people per hour. Actual capacity can be lower because of breaks, interruptions, varied service times or unavailable staff.
Try the queue waiting-time calculator to compare an illustrative scenario. It models one queue and identical busy counters. It does not model laboratory test processing or every stage of a visit.
Keep a small operational worksheet
Use an internal reference, the relevant service, the start and finish events, and a reason code for exceptions. Avoid putting customer names, phone numbers or medical details in a broadly shared planning spreadsheet when aggregate counts will answer the question.
At the end of a representative week, discuss three questions: where did visitors wait, when did demand exceed available capacity, and which handoffs caused repeated questions? Select one change, such as clearer queue signage or a revised break schedule, and compare similar periods after it is introduced.
What a queue system can and cannot tell you
A queue system can support visibility into token creation, calls and completion, depending on the events your team actually records. If staff marks a token complete late, the recorded duration may include administrative delay. Check the meaning of each event before using it as a performance target.
It cannot establish specimen integrity, clinical urgency, analyser performance or report accuracy from a token timestamp. Those require the appropriate laboratory systems and qualified oversight. Clear queue operations and clinical quality are related parts of a visit, but they are not interchangeable measures.
No revenue uplift, test-capacity increase or payback period is promised here. Use your own baseline and documented observations to judge an operational change.
Registration-to-collection queue checklist · Diagnostic centre queue software · Free queue calculator