Up from 'Arts and Crafts': Division of Labor in Forensic Science Laboratories

摘要

Continual process improvement is a necessary goal to achieve in order for forensic laboratories to attain and maintain accreditation and to deal with the common political climate of decreased budgets. This article explains one process improvement long appreciated by private industry, division of labor, and shows how laboratory output can increase without increases in cost if comparative strengths are taken advantage of. Practical implementation and measurement are suggested through a proposed extension of the National Institute of Justice's project FORESIGHT. Division of labor, once appropriately benchmarked and analyzed, can thus increase efficiencies and has the potential to save laboratories significant money and reduce backlogs.