What allocation is
Allocation defines how kits are dispensed during a study. It connects your study design, meaning randomization, treatment arms and periods, with the physical kits available at your sites. Think of it as a map telling the system which kits go where, and when.
Why it is worth setting up properly
Map once, enforce everywhere. Your protocol becomes allocation rules in minutes, and treatment arms, periods and kit types flow automatically into the eCRF and the inventory.
Site-ready from day one. Only eligible kits appear for allocation, and real-time checks prevent stock mix-ups.
Blinding is built in. Permissions decide who sees what, with no custom workarounds.
It survives contact with a live study. You can adjust mappings or add periods without breaking existing data.
Inventory stays in step. Allocating updates kit status immediately, and deallocating clears the links without losing the history.
No double allocation. Requests are processed one at a time, so two simultaneous clicks cannot both take the same kit.
What it cannot do
Three constraints are worth knowing before you plan your setup.
⚠️ Warning:
If both randomization and allocation are active, allocation cannot be set up until randomization is configured. The order is not optional.
The available kit statuses are limited.
Changing or deleting a kit type is not propagated. You have to handle it by hand in both the inventory and the eCRF.
How to get it right first time
These five habits prevent most of the problems people hit.
💡 Tip:
When both randomization and allocation are active, start with randomization.
Create your kit types first, or your dropdowns will be empty.
Use periods to model allocation in stages, for example washout then treatment.
On a live study, prefer adding a new mapping over modifying an existing one.
After any significant change, open the forms that contain allocation items and check them.