A computer implemented method of operating an analytical laboratory , comprising the steps of: - receiving and identifying a plurality of biological samples; - upon identifying the biological samples, recording data indicative of a time at which the biological samples have been first identified; - retrieving - by a control unit of the analytical laboratory - an order list from a data storage unit comprising one or more test orders corresponding to each biological sample; - retrieving from the data storage unit - by the control unit - data indicative of a degradation limit corresponding to each test order of the order list; - determining - by the control unit - sample workflows corresponding to each biological sample and the order list; - instructing - by the control unit - one or more laboratory instruments of the analytical laboratory to carry out the test orders according to the sample workflows, wherein, the step of determining the sample workflows comprises: i) determining a target list of one or more laboratory instruments of the analytical laboratory for carrying out the one or more test orders; ii) determining a sequence and/or timing of carrying out the one or more test orders by the target list of laboratory instruments ; iii) calculating an estimated completion time for each test order based on the sequence and/or timing of carrying out the one or more test orders; iv) determining a lead time corresponding to each biological sample for each test order; the lead time being the time period between the time at which the biological sample has first been identified and the estimated completion time of the respective test order; v) prioritizing one or more test orders from the order list if the lead time exceeds the degradation limit corresponding to the respective test order; repeating steps ii) to v) - until the lead time doesn't exceed the degradation limit for any of the test orders; or - until steps ii) to v) have been repeated for a number N of iterations. - receiving and identifying a plurality of biological samples; - upon identifying the biological samples, recording data indicative of a time at which the biological samples have been first identified; - retrieving - by a control unit of the analytical laboratory - an order list from a data storage unit comprising one or more test orders corresponding to each biological sample; - retrieving from the data storage unit - by the control unit - data indicative of a degradation limit corresponding to each test order of the order list; - determining - by the control unit - sample workflows corresponding to each biological sample and the order list; - instructing - by the control unit - one or more laboratory instruments of the analytical laboratory to carry out the test orders according to the sample workflows, i) determining a target list of one or more laboratory instruments of the analytical laboratory for carrying out the one or more test orders; ii) determining a sequence and/or timing of carrying out the one or more test orders by the target list of laboratory instruments ; iii) calculating an estimated completion time for each test order based on the sequence and/or timing of carrying out the one or more test orders; iv) determining a lead time corresponding to each biological sample for each test order; the lead time being the time period between the time at which the biological sample has first been identified and the estimated completion time of the respective test order; v) prioritizing one or more test orders from the order list if the lead time exceeds the degradation limit corresponding to the respective test order; - until the lead time doesn't exceed the degradation limit for any of the test orders; or - until steps ii) to v) have been repeated for a number N of iterations. <EOS>