The Animal Research Care Hub (ARCH) project is hitting its stride as the RAR Implementation Team transitions from configuration and integration to a phase that includes end-user testing. ARCH is UMN’s new unified digital platform for vivarium management and electronic animal health records that is designed to streamline processes and provide better transparency and control for our labs that work with animals.
System Integration and Technical Milestones
As the last part of the configuration and integration phase, the ARCH Technical Team is designing how to integrate ARCH with existing University systems, with heavy emphasis on incorporating EFS’s complex chartstrings and billing requirements. The team is also conducting detailed design sessions to ensure that every data element aligns with the financial and reporting needs of researchers and RAR. The ARCH system is being designed to allow researchers increased transparency and control over their work and much improved access to their own project information. RAR and the ARCH technical team are also testing new hardware—including cage card label printers and barcode scanners—to streamline animal care documentation and improve consistency.
Validating Workflows and User Experience
With configuration and integration work nearing completion, the system is "coming to life," allowing the Implementation Team to shift their focus to validating workflows—such as ordering animals or requesting cage-side activities—testing them in common lab scenarios, and ensuring the results actually meet the needs that RAR and the animal research community have laid out to the project’s vendors and partners.
User Acceptance Testing and Engagement
This month, the RAR Implementation Team is planning a structured end-user testing strategy. This ensures that all elements of the system—such as forms and data about labs, species, and vendors—are ready for user acceptance testing, which will validate the entire workflow from the researcher’s interface through the University’s EFS system to RAR and vendor fulfillment.
Looking ahead, June and July will mark a shift toward deeper user engagement and testing. User acceptance testing will include weekly engagement with subject matter experts from research labs and RAR to validate workflows and build confidence in the new ARCH system. The insights from these sessions will inform role-based training materials, which are in the early stages of being drafted in order to be ready for the fall 2026 ARCH go-live.
Throughout the transition to ARCH, the Implementation Team will continue to meet regularly to resolve outstanding items and finalize the remaining workflow requirements outlined by RAR and based on needs identified by researchers and labs.
Collaborative Momentum and Continued Input
ARCH Project Leadership is grateful for the steady cadence and collaboration from the RAR staff, the Implementation Team, internal partners (OIT and ORIS), and the vendor (a-tune) that keep this project’s momentum going.
Researcher and lab staff input continues to be essential to the success and implementation of ARCH across RAR and its research clients. For more information, visit the ARCH project page for previous updates or contact support at [email protected] with any questions.