How ClinOps Leaders Should Think About Evolving Their Tech Stacks

Full interview summary

In a recent video interview with Applied Clinical Trials, Cheryl Kole, vice president of solution strategy and commercialization at Almac Clinical Technologies, discussed what defines an effective clinical trial tech stack in today's increasingly complex study environment and where the industry still has significant ground to cover. She opened by framing effective technology around two core principles: that tools must be purpose built for the specific tasks of clinical research, and that they must work together as an integrated ecosystem that simplifies execution rather than adding to the operational burden teams already carry.

Kole identified workflow guidance as the most underaddressed gap in current eClinical ecosystems, arguing that technology has become too focused on data flow and system architecture at the expense of the actual user experience. Sites running multiple concurrent trials need technology that actively guides them through each step of each study, reducing cognitive load and eliminating the workarounds and documentation gaps that emerge when systems are difficult to navigate.

She extended that thinking to the integration of digital and physical supply chains, making the case that the two must be treated as a single continuous system rather than separate operational domains. While digital supply chain tools have grown highly sophisticated, she emphasized that sponsors must honestly assess their in-house capabilities and lean on technology partners to configure, manage, and adapt those systems as real-world trial data replaces early enrollment assumptions.

Usability, Kole argued, is not a secondary concern but a direct driver of data quality and site performance. Systems that are intuitive and fast to navigate reduce errors, improve compliance, and keep busy site staff from deferring critical tasks. She closed by encouraging clinops leaders to think strategically about which innovations are likely to become standard and build those into their technology roadmaps accordingly, while managing truly one-off complexities through bespoke configuration rather than overloading their core platforms.