SystemManufacturing & Quality

Ask the Plant

Batch data analysis in plain language — every answer with its query, its lots or its page

Batch analysis that took three months now takes hours, with the query behind every answer.

See one case, screen by screen ↓
demo2.4sto chart viability at harvest for 20 batches, flag the outliers and show the query
demo5.5hmedian to finish a batch analysis this quarter, against about 90 days by hand
proven80%+accuracy in user acceptance testing on a commercial cell-therapy line
target8×the answers per analyst hour
The problem

Why batch analysis catches problems late

A harvest comes in under the release limit, and the questions start. Is it one batch or a trend? Which raw material lots went into it, and which batches still in expansion share them? What does the procedure ask for, and by when? The answers sit in the batch record, the lab results, the material movements and the SOP library — a dataset of more than 300 columns and thousands of lots.

So the analysis is done by hand: exports from the MES and the lab system, a spreadsheet lined up batch by batch, the genealogy walked one lot at a time, the procedure looked up and quoted. It takes months, it is easy to get wrong, and by the time the shared lot is found the next batch has already been fed from it.

proven≈3monthsfor a batch analysis done by hand
demo312columnsof batch record and lab results for one line
demo9,412lotsin the genealogy to walk, raw material to finished lot
Where a batch analysis’s days goestimated
By hand90 days
With the solution0.5 days
  • Pulling batch record and lab data together30 → 0.1 d
  • Lining up columns and limits across batches25 → 0.1 d
  • Tracing raw material lots through the genealogy15 → 0.1 d
  • Checking what the procedures require10 → 0.1 d
  • Writing it up and getting it reviewed10 → 0.1 d

Estimated split for a typical batch analysis on one line, by hand and with the solution — hours of work instead of months.

How it works

How a question moves

Five specialist agents route, query, trace and cite every plant question; a person confirms before it is saved.

What comes in
Plant data in4 plant systems · batch, lab, lots, procedures
Agents at work
Plant orchestratorroutes
Then
Batch data specialistread-only query
Genealogy specialistlot graph
Procedure specialistcited pages
A person decides
Process scientistconfirms before save or share
What comes out
Answer + chart + query
Lot genealogy
Cited procedure
One case, step by step

One low harvest, from question to signed deviation

CRV-26-0431, a Corventa batch on Line C2 at Plant 3 — Leiden, was harvested at 68.9 % viability — under the 70 % release limit. Here is what the MSAT process scientist does next, screen by screen, in the working solution.

  1. 01Morning

    The line as it stands, and what needs her

    Lena Ortiz · MSAT process scientist

    Lena opens the solution: 7 batches in progress, 6 harvested in the last 30 days with 1 below the release limit, 4 open deviations, and one raw material lot on watch — culture medium MED-24-0917. First under “Needs you”: CRV-26-0431, harvest viability 68.9 %, QA disposition needed, genealogy ready.

    Read-only sources: batch data · lot genealogy · procedures library.

  2. 022.4 seconds

    One plain question, one chart with the limits drawn

    Batch data specialist

    She asks: “Show viability at harvest for the last 20 batches and highlight outliers.” The batch data specialist finds viability at harvest — lab test VIAB-HARV, 7-AAD flow — among 312 columns, runs a read-only query and checks the control limits. The answer: an average of 87.6 %, and two batches under the lower control limit of 83.4 % — CRV-26-0431 at 68.9 %, under the 70 % release limit, and CRV-26-0418 at 72.4 %, under the 75 % action limit.

    “Outlier rule: below mean − 3σ of the 32 batches before Jul 21 (83.4 %).”

  3. 03Checked

    The query is right there — then she confirms

    Lena Ortiz · MSAT process scientist

    The query sits beside the answer: a SELECT over the MES batch table and the lab results, Corventa, Line C2, cancelled batches left out — 20 rows, 3 of 312 columns, read in 0.8 s. Lena reads it, then confirms the answer. Her name and the time go on the answer and into the audit trail.

    Answers show their query or page. A person confirms before an answer is saved or shared.

  4. 04One click

    From the outlier to its raw material lots

    Genealogy specialist

    A click on the 68.9 % point opens the batch genealogy: apheresis CV-4471-LD through selection, transduction and expansion to the drug product, Corventa, 2 bags — with every raw material lot attached. The genealogy specialist walks 14 links, compares the lots with the other outlier and finds one in common: culture medium MED-24-0917. The same lot is in CRV-26-0436, in expansion now, on day 6.

    “Same supplier, same medium. Lot MED-24-0917 came in at 318 mOsm/kg osmolality — the top of its 280–320 range.”

  5. 051.9 seconds

    What the procedure says, every sentence cited

    Procedure specialist

    Lena asks, on the batch: “What does the procedure say when harvest viability is below 75%?” The procedure specialist searches 642 documents and cites SOP-MFG-0214 v7.0 §8.3 — the effective version; the v8.0 draft is not cited. Tell MSAT and QA within 4 hours, open a deviation the same working day, keep two 1 mL post-harvest samples at ≤ −150 °C. Two more citations complete the answer: below 70 %, no release without a QA disposition decision (SOP-QA-0107); below 82 % in process from day 6, check the raw material lots before the next feed (SOP-MFG-0211).

  6. 06Page 12

    The cited passage, on the page it came from

    Lena Ortiz · MSAT process scientist

    One click on the citation opens SOP-MFG-0214, Harvest, formulation and cryopreservation, at section 8.3 on page 12, with the passage highlighted. Beside it: effective v7.0, owned by MSAT, approved by QA, cited 37 times in the last 30 days.

    “The highlighted passage on page 12 is the one the assistant cited.”

  7. 07Drafted

    The deviation, drafted from the cited records

    Deviation drafter

    The procedure asks for a deviation today, so Lena asks for a draft. The deviation drafter reads the genealogy and the three batch results and fills the form from SOP-QA-0102: the batches affected, what happened — two of the last 20 harvests below the lower control limit, both on MED-24-0917 — and the immediate actions: quarantine the remaining 14 bottles, feed CRV-26-0436 from lot MED-24-0952 at 14:00 once QA approves. It proposes Major, and says Dana Okafor decides.

    “Drafted by an agent from the cited records. Nothing is sent until you sign; QA decides the class and the quarantine.”

  8. 08Signed

    She signs it as hers

    Lena Ortiz · MSAT process scientist

    Lena signs DEV-2026-0187 with her password. The meaning of the signature is recorded with it: “I raise this deviation and confirm the facts are correct.” The investigation is due Nov 5, 2026 — 30 days.

  9. 09Sent to QA

    QA classifies, the Qualified Person decides the quarantine

    Dana Okafor · QA deviation lead

    DEV-2026-0187 goes to Dana Okafor, who classifies it. Omar Haddad, the Qualified Person, decides on the quarantine of MED-24-0917. On the genealogy the lot now reads “Quarantine requested”, and CRV-26-0436 shows “Hold requested” — its next feed to come from lot MED-24-0952 once QA approves.

  10. 10Every week

    Analysis in hours, and how often it is right

    Dr. Maya Chen · Head of MSAT

    The dashboard shows batch analysis down from about 90 days by hand to a median of 5.5 hours this quarter, questions answered per week rising from 112 to 154, and 86 % of 660 answers confirmed by reviewers. Corrected answers go back to the specialist as examples. Under “Caught early”: CRV-26-0436, found on day 6.

Who it’s for

Built for everyone who asks about a batch.

The same low harvest, seen by the five people who carry it — what their week looked like, and what it looks like now.

LO
Lena OrtizMSAT process scientist
Analyst
Before
Builds the trend in a spreadsheet from exports, then walks the genealogy one lot at a time to find what two outliers share.
Now
Asks in plain words, checks the query, clicks the outlier to its lots and raises the deviation the same morning.
SP
Sam PatelManufacturing lead, Line C2
Analyst
Before
Pulls selection yield by apheresis center and the key results of recent harvests from the batch records by hand.
Now
Sees every batch from apheresis to release with its genealogy one click away, and confirms the charts that go on the dashboard.
DO
Dana OkaforQA deviation lead
Approver
Before
Receives deviations whose facts she has to rebuild from the batch record, the lab results and the SOP.
Now
Receives a signed draft with the batches affected, the shared lot and the cited procedure, and decides the class.
OH
Omar HaddadQA · Qualified Person
Approver
Before
Hears about a suspect raw material lot after it has gone into the next batch.
Now
Decides the quarantine of a shared lot from a signed deviation with its genealogy linked, and is told when vector copy number goes above 4.0 before release testing ends.
MC
Dr. Maya ChenHead of MSAT
Solution admin
Before
Measures batch analysis in months and cannot say how often the answers were right.
Now
Sets what each specialist may read and the watch rules, and sees time to analysis and confirmed answers every week.
Built on the engine

5 agents. Each with one job, and hard limits.

Five specialist agents route, query, trace and cite every plant question; a person confirms before it is saved.

Plant orchestrator

Reads each question and routes it to the right specialist — batch data, genealogy or procedures — asking one clarifying question when the time range or batch is unclear.

  • Answers only about lines the person can see
  • Never writes to a plant system
  • Hands procedure questions only to the procedure specialist
Batch data specialist

Turns plain questions into read-only queries over 312 batch columns, uses the approved metric definitions, flags outliers against the control limits, picks the right chart and shows the query.

  • SELECT only · 10,000-row limit
  • Patient identity masked to chain-of-identity codes
  • Shows the query with every answer
Genealogy specialist

Traces a lot from raw material to finished product in both directions and finds lots shared between batches — including batches still in process.

  • Read-only access to the lot genealogy
  • Plant 3 — Leiden only
Procedure specialist

Answers process questions from SOPs and batch records, quoting limits exactly as written, with the section and page for every statement.

  • Cites effective versions only
  • Every sentence carries a page citation
  • Says so when no procedure covers the question
Deviation drafter

Drafts a deviation from the genealogy and the cited records, following the deviation management SOP, and proposes a classification and immediate actions.

  • Drafts only — a person signs
  • QA decides the classification
  • Marks the class and the actions as proposals
Process scientist

Confirms before save or share. The agents propose; a named person decides.

Ask in plain words

Ask the plant, in plain words

MSAT, QA and manufacturing ask about results, lots and procedures on their line. The right specialist answers — with the chart, the query or the page.

Compare selection yield by apheresis center for Q3

Selection yield in Q3 averaged 65 % across 24 batches. Brightwater Cancer Centre is lowest at 54 % (3 batches) — its material arrives after a median 31 h transit, against 18 h for the others. Every center is above the 40 % minimum in the batch record.

Which batches used vector lot LVV-2238?

13 batches, CRV-26-0412 to CRV-26-0424. Vector copy number stayed between 1.8 and 2.9 copies per cell, inside the 5.0 limit on every batch. The lot is fully used; the next lot, LVV-2241, started with CRV-26-0425.

Does seeding density affect fold expansion at day 9?

Yes, up to a point. Fold expansion at day 9 rises from 38× at the lowest seeding band to 52× at 0.9–1.1 × 10⁶ cells/mL, then levels off. The batch record target of 1.0 × 10⁶ cells/mL sits in the best band.

Tell me when harvest viability drops below 82% on any batch

Done — a new watch rule: harvest viability below 82 % notifies you and the line lead within the hour. It reads the lab results every 15 minutes, read-only. You can switch it off in Settings.

Every screen

The working solution, as it ships.

13 screens from the working solution, on its sample data. Pick one to see it large.

HomeBatches in progress, harvests below limits, open deviations and raw material lots on watch — and what needs the process scientist today.
An answer with its queryViability at harvest for the last 20 batches, control, action and release limits drawn, outliers ringed — the read-only query beside it.
Confirmed by a personThe query in the answer, the outliers one click from their genealogy, and the answer confirmed by name and time.
Every batchLine C2 from apheresis to release: stage, viability at harvest, vector copy number, vein-to-vein day and status — patient identity masked.
Batch genealogyRaw material to finished lot, the lot shared with the other outlier highlighted, and viability at harvest by culture medium lot.
A cited procedure answerWhat SOP-MFG-0214 asks for below the 75 % action limit, every sentence cited to the effective version.
The cited pageSOP-MFG-0214 v7.0 open at page 12, the cited passage highlighted, with version, owner and approver.
Deviation draftBatches affected, what happened, immediate actions and a proposed class — drafted from the cited records, nothing sent until signed.
Electronic signatureSigned with a password and the meaning of the signature, recorded against DEV-2026-0187.
Sent to QAThe deviation with QA for classification, and the shared culture medium lot marked “Quarantine requested” on the genealogy.
The dashboardTime to finish a batch analysis, questions answered per week, answers confirmed by reviewers and batches caught early.
Plant systems and boundariesEvery plant system connected read-only, and what each specialist may read.
Watch rules and approvalsWho is told the same hour when a limit is crossed, who approves a lot hold and a deviation class, and who confirms saved charts.
Governance

Built for plant data: read-only, cited, signed.

The query behind every numberEvery data answer shows the read-only query it ran and the tables it read, with the rows, the columns used and the outlier rule — so a reviewer can check the answer, not just trust it.
Effective procedures, cited to the pageProcedure answers cite the effective version only, with a section and page for every sentence. One click opens the page with the passage highlighted.
Plant systems are read, never changedEvery connection — MES, lab system, lot genealogy, documents and quality system — is read-only. Data queries are SELECT only, with a 10,000-row limit.
A named person signs the deviationThe deviation drafter only drafts. The person raising it signs with password and the meaning of the signature; QA decides the class, and a lot hold needs the Qualified Person’s e-signature.
Patient identity stays maskedOnly chain-of-identity codes are shown — never names or dates of birth. The setting is locked on.
Confirmed before it is saved or sharedA person confirms an answer before it is saved or shared, a saved chart is confirmed by a named reviewer, and every confirmation, save and signature goes into the audit trail. Corrections go back to the specialist as examples.
Configuration

Your line’s boundaries and approvers

What each specialist may read, who approves what, and the watch rules that tell the right people when a limit is crossed.

SettingDefaultChoose from
Batch data the specialists may readLine C2 onlyLine C2 only · All Corventa lines
Lot genealogy the specialists may walkPlant 3 — LeidenPlant 3 — Leiden · All plants
Cite effective procedure versions onlyOnOn · Off
Show the query with every answerOnOn · Off
Mask patient identityOnOn — locked
Raw material lot hold approved byOmar HaddadOmar Haddad · Dana Okafor
Deviation classification decided byDana OkaforDana Okafor · Omar Haddad
Charts saved to dashboards confirmed bySam PatelSam Patel · Lena Ortiz · Dr. Maya Chen
Connections

Works with the plant systems you already run

Manufacturing execution systemelectronic batch records, every step and result
Laboratory systemrelease and in-process results by test method
Lot genealogybuilt nightly from material movements
Document systemeffective SOPs, master batch records and methods
Quality systemdeviations and CAPA — drafts only, a person signs
What it changes

The difference, in numbers.

Every figure is labelled: a target the solution is built to, an estimate, a typical published result, or a proven one.

proven
Hours
for a batch analysis that took three months
By hand≈ 3 months
With agentshours
proven
80%+
accuracy in user acceptance testing
every answer shows its query or page
target
8×
the answers per analyst hour
TodayWith agents

“demo” = seen in the working solution, on its sample plant data · “proven” = in user acceptance testing on a commercial cell-therapy line at a global medtech/pharma manufacturer · “target” = the design goal, measured in the live solution · “estimated” = our estimate. People, companies and products named on this page are fictional — characters and sample data in the working solution.

Questions

What MSAT and quality teams ask us.

What is Ask the Plant?

A way for MSAT, QA and manufacturing to ask plain-language questions about yield, deviations and batch genealogy, answered from the plant’s own systems. Five specialist agents route each question, query the batch data, trace the lots and cite the procedures; a person confirms an answer before it is saved or shared.

How does it answer questions about batch data?

The batch data specialist turns the question into one read-only query over the batch record and lab result columns, using the approved metric definitions — for example, viability at harvest is lab test VIAB-HARV. It flags outliers against the control limits, picks a line chart, bars or a table, and shows the query and the tables it read beside the answer.

Can it trace a batch back to its raw material lots?

Yes. The genealogy specialist walks the lot links in both directions — from the drug product back to every raw material and component lot, or from a lot to every batch that used it. When asked about an outlier, it compares its lots with the other outliers and lists batches still in process that use the same lot.

Does it change data in our MES, LIMS or quality system?

No. Every connection is read-only, and data queries are SELECT only with a 10,000-row limit. In the quality system the deviation drafter can only prepare a draft; nothing is sent until a person signs it.

How do we know an answer is right?

Every data answer shows the query it ran, and every procedure answer cites the effective document by section and page. A person confirms the answer before it is saved or shared, and corrected answers go back to the specialist as examples. In user acceptance testing on a commercial cell-therapy line, accuracy was above 80 %.

Do people stay in control of deviations and lot holds?

Yes. The person raising a deviation signs it with password and the meaning of the signature, QA decides the classification, and quarantine of a raw material lot needs the e-signature of the named approver. Who approves each is a setting.

What about patient identity in cell therapy batch data?

Patient identity is masked: only chain-of-identity codes are shown, never names or dates of birth, and the setting is locked on.

How long does it take to go live?

The Agentic Solution Engine builds and deploys it from your requirements and documents — your batch data definitions, lot genealogy, procedures and deviation SOP — and it goes live once every quality gate has passed. We will walk you through it on a sample of your own batches first.

See it on
your batches.

We’ll run Ask the Plant on a sample of your own batch data, lots and procedures.