Managing and Prioritizing Enterprise Software Requests: Insights from BioPharma and Tech Industry Leaders

Implementing enterprise software requires a balance between internal customer needs and available resources. That comes down to request management, and there are lots of different takes on how to set priorities.

We recently put this topic to a roundtable of leaders from a variety of life science organizations that use Signals Notebook for research and development with centralized data and straightforward collaborative tools. How do they manage internal customer requests? What is their approach to prioritizing workflows? And, how do they navigate those delicate conversations around enterprise software implementation?

Meet the Panel

Revvity Signals brought together senior IT and enterprise software leaders from a range of companies, from global pharmaceutical companies operating in highly regulated environments to large research organizations supporting thousands of scientists. They included:

• A global pharmaceutical company prioritizing GMP compliance
• A large pharmaceutical research organizations
• A multinational life sciences company
• A major healthcare company

Despite their diversity, all faced similar challenges in managing internal customer requests. Your ELN is only as good as your implementation. You can have a powerful ELN but without a plan for buy-in, accountability, and implementation, an ELN launch is doomed to fail. Users will move from integrating existing Microsoft Office/PDF-based workflows to leveraging the interconnectivity between all of that data with other tools, like a laboratory information management system (LIMS).

They start requesting specialty workflows that could improve efficiency and ease of performance, like automated data capture or integrating machine learning and AI. You can learn more from this case study from Swedish biopharma Camurus discussing its journey with an electronic laboratory notebook. This means decisions need to be made about which workflows get introduced to whom, and when.

"Everyone thinks their priority is number one”

Request management style depends on the needs and structure of the organization. One main advantage of an ELN is the ability to centralize data, collaboration, and IP protection. According to the panel, strategies should be in place to handle cross-functional requests.

For a research-focused company organized around centrally funded projects, a collaborative centralized council can be useful to align with the organization’s overall research roadmap.

However, some organizations require enterprise software for collaboration across sectors. In these settings it may be beneficial to manage cross-functional demands with a looser leadership group of superusers representing each department. Governance would be driven by the requirements in balancing each sector’s business needs,but would ideally involve change control boards that meet regularly, cross-functional teams to make strategic decisions, and representative communities to share ground-level input.

Here’s a presentation from Merck Electronics discussing how it assembled a team of users across sites to evaluate, prioritize, and modify the functionality of Signals Notebook in conjunction with Revvity Signals to meet the needs of its materials management processes.

“Who's shouting the loudest?”

Priorities can be classified somewhat loosely in terms of low versus high priority. “Nice-to-have” features or those that don’t have an immediate impact on operations could easily be relegated to low priority, reserving high-priority classification for issues related to data integrity or impacting multiple departments, as well as features needed for onboarding or anything else time-sensitive.

Some panelists urged for structure in a prioritization system. This typically means formal scoring through a collaborative team site for documenting requests, leaning on points of contact for each department. Structured documentation would include priority levels but also details including area of impact, proposed timeline to implementation, and an estimate of the effort required.

“Judge each case on its merits”

Another common issue regarded how to balance the needs of stakeholders, given the nature of dealing with internal customers. In particular, the discussion focused on how to say ‘no’ or to modify requests. This is another area where strong governance can ensure operations run smoothly.

•  Data-driven decisions: Panelists agreed that it was useful to present research showing the anticipated impacts of requests, clearly communicating the potential system conflicts and resource demand to address a customer’s complex request.
• Offer alternative solutions: Don’t come to the conversation empty-handed; identify reasonable workarounds or alternative approaches, including configuration-based solutions that don’t require custom development options.
• Impact assessment: Share the expected effects on other departments, including conflicts with design principles and their consequences, and assess maintenance requirements.

Lessons Learned for Prioritizing Workflows

Panelists contributed several key lessons:

1. Clear communication is essential: “We try to have that conversation up front,” said one implementation manager, “what we consider low priority versus what will break the system.” That includes being direct when a project isn’t worth pursuing—whether because it won’t deliver value or could create more issues than it solves. Sharing the data behind that decision helps turn “bad news” into a productive conversation, keeping stakeholders focused on what matters most. Reg
2. Structured process drives success: “A user story becomes a set of requirements,” said a senior IT manager. But those requirements only carry weight when tied to a documented process that defines how work moves forward—and what happens when it stalls. Clear procedures and escalation paths keep teams from spinning their wheels, turning potential bottlenecks into defined next steps. Structure doesn’t slow projects down, it keeps them moving.
3. Balance is key: “‘Your nice-to-haves aren’t going to break anything,’” said one enterprise software leader, “but high-impact requests could lead to data integrity issues.” Every decision requires trade-offs—resources vs. requests, immediate needs vs. long-term goals, department priorities vs. enterprise-wide impact, and configuration vs. customization. Striking the right balance keeps the system stable while still moving the business forward.

Set Yourself Up for Enterprise Software Success

Successful management of enterprise software requests requires clear processes, strong governance, and effective communication. Organizations must balance standardization with flexibility, and always maintain focus on long-term strategic goals. Open dialogue and decisions based on clear, organizational-aligned criteria are essential for navigating the evolving landscape of enterprise software.

How can collaboration with Revvity Signals meet your ELN needs? Connect with us to hear how we can improve your organization’s efficiency and R&D productivity.