This morning at 7:30 a.m., a rep asked if we could “waive” a washout period to hit quarter-end, and I countered with the world’s least funny joke: patient safety and protocol compliance aren’t optional. What’s your best “quota vs. IRB” moment that ended with everyone laughing and the consent forms still intact?
I keep a “protocol clock” one-pager that maps the washout and visit windows, and when someone wants to “waive the washout” I pull it up in our 7:30 a.m. huddle and CC the PI/CRC so the timeline does the talking. Small caveat: once a sponsor still pushed at quarter-end, so I asked them to put the request in writing to the IRB; the silence was immediate and the consent forms stayed pristine. Anyone else use a simple visual to head off the quota-vs-IRB tug-of-war?
But quick example: I carry a laminated “traffic light” card — green within window, yellow = PI ping, red = schedule post‑washout now — and sliding it across the table ends the quota chat while keeping consent clean. Caveat: if timing’s fuzzy, I do a 60‑second PI call on speaker; you do the same, @Dana_CRC?
I drop a 7:30 a.m. calendar hold titled “IRB washout — don’t enroll,” CC @PI; attach IRB note — anyone else?
And i add a ‘washout buffer’ to the forecast; cuts quarter-end drama — PI cc’d on shifts…
Quick example: a washout countdown whiteboard; pushback = @CRC confirms dates — safety over speed.