Why Turnaround Time Matters More Than You Think
When cultivators and processors evaluate a testing lab, price and accreditation usually top the list. Turnaround time often gets treated as a secondary concern — a nice-to-have rather than something that materially affects the business. That's a mistake, and here's the math…
When cultivators and processors evaluate a testing lab, price and accreditation usually top the list. Turnaround time often gets treated as a secondary concern — a nice-to-have rather than something that materially affects the business. That's a mistake, and here's the math that shows why.
Product in Quarantine Is Product Not Generating Revenue
Under Michigan's testing rules, product must be quarantined until it passes testing and a Certificate of Analysis is issued. Every day a batch sits waiting on results is a day that inventory isn't moving through your supply chain toward a sale. For a cultivator with a large harvest, or a processor running batches on a tight production schedule, a lab that takes several extra days can be the difference between hitting a retail commitment and missing it.
The Compounding Effect on Production Scheduling
Testing delays don't just affect the batch that's waiting — they affect everything scheduled after it. If your production calendar assumes a certain testing turnaround and the lab consistently runs slower than that, you either build in padding that wastes capacity, or you run the risk of a pileup where multiple batches are waiting on results at once.
Retest Delays Are Even More Costly
If a batch fails and needs to be retested — after remediation, or to confirm a result — the clock resets. A lab with a slow standard turnaround becomes a much bigger problem when a retest is involved, since you're now waiting twice, sequentially, on a product that was already delayed once.
What to Actually Ask a Lab About Turnaround
Advertised turnaround time is usually the lab's best case, quoted for a light workload. Ask instead about their average turnaround over the last quarter, and specifically what happens during their busiest season — often harvest season for outdoor and mixed-light cultivators, when every lab in the state is more backed up than usual. A lab that's upfront about seasonal slowdowns, and can tell you how they manage capacity during them, is giving you information you can actually plan a production calendar around.
Turnaround Time Isn't Just About the Lab
Some of the turnaround delay is within your control. Submitting incomplete paperwork, sending an insufficient sample size, or submitting a sample without prior notice during a lab's busy period can all add days before testing even begins. Ask your lab what an ideal, delay-free submission looks like from their side, and build your own internal process around it.
The Bottom Line
Turnaround time isn't a convenience feature — it's a direct input into your cash flow and your ability to hit production and retail commitments. When evaluating a lab, treat it with the same seriousness you'd give to accuracy and accreditation, because a fast, accurate lab that's slow to actually deliver results is still slowing down your business.
If predictable turnaround matters to your operation, talk to Prism Triangle about what to expect during both standard and peak-season submission windows.
This article is for general informational purposes. Always confirm current Michigan CRA requirements directly with the agency.
