Testing & Quality
Understanding Batch Traceability
Learn what batch and lot traceability means, why identifiers matter and how analytical reports can be connected to specific research materials.
Estimated reading time:1minutes
A laboratory report becomes more useful when it can be connected clearly to the material it is intended to document. That is where batch traceability comes in.
What is a batch?
A batch or lot generally identifies a defined quantity of material associated with a particular production or handling history.
What does traceability mean?
Traceability is the ability to follow documented identifiers and records through relevant stages of a material's history.
Depending on the quality system, this may involve production records, raw-material information, testing records, packaging and other documentation.
Why does the batch number matter?
If an analytical report is represented as applying to a particular batch, there should be a documented link between the tested sample and that batch.
A report for one batch should not automatically be assumed to characterize every past or future batch of the same material.
Is matching a number enough to prove everything?
No.
Matching identifiers are an important component of traceability, but robust traceability depends on the underlying records and controls that connect those identifiers.
Key Takeaway
A test result describes the sample that was tested. Traceability helps establish how that tested sample relates to a particular batch of material.