Why Clinical Research Sites Should Focus on Adoption, Not More Technology.
By Rick Greenfield, Founder & Chief Strategy Officer, RealTime eClinical Solutions
If you’re a site owner or overseeing site operations in clinical research today, you know that software is everywhere. There’s a tool for every need: patient engagement, regulatory, source data, payments, scheduling, and more. The options can feel endless.
But piling on more systems doesn’t guarantee success. In fact, too many sites end up in a worse position, juggling fragmented data, siloed information, confused staff, and wasted budgets.
I’ve seen it firsthand, and as a former site owner, I have learned the real competitive edge doesn’t typically come from chasing more technology. It often comes from mastering what you already have. Many sites do not invest in the utilization of the technology that they have already chosen and paid for and, as a result, essentially leave a lot of functionality built into the software unused. In many cases, sites are seeking new technology that ends up, not only being redundant to the features readily available in the system they already have, but actually add a new inefficiency by requiring staff to learn and operate an entirely new technology. Even if the new technology has a few additional features, the losses sustained with disconnected systems and workflows leads to a net LOSS.
Adoption is the Hard Part
I’ve seen too many organizations buy a system and then half-implement it. The result is essentially “shelfware.” Staff still defaulting to spreadsheets. Duplicate processes. Another department shopping for yet another tool.
But when sites invest in adoption, whether through internal commitment or by bringing in professional services to support them, the system becomes part of daily life.
Here’s the truth: the differences between systems are rarely as dramatic as they may seem. What really separates successful sites from struggling ones is whether or not your team is fully using the system you chose.
Technology only delivers value when it’s part of the daily workflow. When your coordinators, regulatory staff, and finance teams stop asking “Where do I find this?” and start saying “This is just how we work.”
For example, one research site saw a 160% increase in patient recruitment simply by consolidating systems and improving workflow adoption. It’s proof that efficiency doesn’t come from more technology. It comes from fully leveraging what’s already in place.
Lessons From the Site Side
When I was running sites, I faced the same challenges most of you know all too well: fragmented systems, staff stretched thin, inefficiencies piling up. I spent years looking for technology that could solve these problems. Nothing on the market truly addressed the complexity of running research operations, in full.
And this is why we built SOMS, a unified Site Operations Management System. SOMS replaces the patchwork of disparate solutions, eliminating data silos and reducing the friction that comes from training staff on multiple disconnected platforms. SOMS is an integrated system built to help sites run more efficiently.
But even the most powerful platform only delivers value when it’s mastered. That’s where Professional Services plays an important role in training teams, aligning workflows, building templates, and embedding best practices across the organization.
The real technology advantage comes when teams go beyond basic implementation, commit to adoption, and make the tech part of their daily rhythm.
A Challenge to Site Leaders
So, here’s my challenge: stop chasing perfection. It doesn’t exist. Take a hard look at the systems you already own. Ask yourself, are we really using this to its fullest? If you are operating numerous disparate systems, with the idea that they are all the best-of-the-best, then you may creating a bigger problem by overburdening your staff with more systems that end up creating inefficiency rather than solving for it. Perhaps you simply need to reduce tech or change to a more comprehensive solution that can handle more workflows and cross-functional support.
Because technology itself is only part of the solution. The real breakthrough comes from designing workflows that align with the system, training staff to embrace new processes, and holding ourselves accountable to use the tools consistently. That’s what turns technology from “just another system” into a foundation for faster startup times, smoother audits, and stronger sponsor confidence.
As your clinical trial site operations mature, your technology footprint will naturally expand.
You’ll need tools for finance, HR, EMR or EHR connectivity, patient data integration, etc.; those systems are essential for running a modern research enterprise.
But your eClinical command center, the tools that run your trials, should remain unified.
Your core operational stack, CTMS, eSource, eReg/eISF, participant engagement, payments, and analytics, should operate as one system of record.
This is how sites will win the next decade. Not with the longest list of software subscriptions, but with the deepest commitment to using their systems well.
Read More: What is a Site Operations Management System
Watch This: Best-in-breed vs All-in-One – The Single eClinical System Advantage