In one sentence
Plug and play describes a supplier setup where the working parts already exist, so your team configures and brands them instead of building them. In diagnostics it means the kits, the laboratory route and the software are ready before you sign.
Plug and play means the supplier has already built the parts, so your work is configuration rather than construction. In diagnostics that covers a test menu you select from, kits that already exist, a laboratory route that already runs and software your team can use on the first day. Aniva quotes four weeks from a signed contract to the first customer sample.
The phrase is used loosely in sales conversations, so ask a supplier what it means by it. An honest answer names the work that stays with you, which usually includes your customer communication, your pricing and the pages where you sell the test.
- Ask what has to be true on your side before the first order can be placed.
- Ask which steps the supplier configures and which steps your team configures.
- Ask how long each step takes and who is accountable for finishing it.
- Ask what a comparable partner did during their first four weeks.
A useful test is to ask for the setup steps in order, with an owner written next to each one. A supplier that produces that list in a first call has done it before, while a supplier that cannot name the steps is guessing at your launch date.
In this glossary, Partner-Portal covers the console your team configures the service in, while Fulfillment covers the physical work behind a launch and Diagnostics-as-a-Service covers the commercial model as a whole.
This glossary entry is general information, not medical advice, and it is not intended to diagnose, treat or rule out any condition. Discuss your own results with a clinician who knows your history.
