Guardant Health needed faster time-to-alignment and scalable technical documentation

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Guardant Health’s mission to make cancer detection more accessible and precise requires managing an ever-growing volume of genomic and clinical data. As they launched new products and testing volume climbed, Guardant Health’s bioinformatics and data engineering teams faced new levels of complexity.

Albert Lee, Staff Senior Bioinformatics Scientist at Guardant Health, understood that “each team speaks a different language—jargon, terms, models. With clear visuals, people understand what I’m saying instantly.”

Historically, Guardant Health’s teams had relied on static documentation and diagramming tools like Draw.io and Lucidchart. But creating and updating diagrams with those tools was slow and cumbersome, risking misalignment and stalled collaboration.

The stakes were too high to accept that risk. Regulatory approval for Guardant Health’s products, such as the colorectal cancer screening test, Shield™, required rigorous documentation, workflow clarity, and traceability.

Albert and his team recognized that accelerating progress depended on improving the flow of knowledge across teams. If they could document and communicate intricate data pipelines systematically, they could reduce costly errors, accelerate regulatory readiness, and foster a shared understanding across scientists, engineers, and compliance reviewers.

To move faster and improve operational alignment, Albert searched for a solution that could support scratchpad ideation, live updates, and effortless diagram sharing. That’s when he discovered Eraser through a personal connection. After Albert integrated the platform into his own workflows, his colleagues quickly noticed the clarity and speed Eraser brought to meetings. This led to widespread interest and eventually company-wide adoption.

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“Without good visuals, the message would get lost—explaining concepts in meetings just took too long. We needed a solution that would keep everyone, from scientists to engineers, aligned quickly and clearly.”

Guardant Health accelerates multi-disciplinary time-to-alignment with Eraser’s shared visual canvas

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With Eraser, Guardant Health eliminated friction from technical communication. Diagrams have been successfully transformed into critical tools for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and operational efficiency.

Albert and his colleagues more quickly gain alignment on complex projects—whether iterating across disciplines, communicating plans for data pipelines, or documenting processes for regulatory needs. This clarity and speed help Guardant Health advance its mission.

Effortless integration and adoption

Unlike Albert’s previous tools, Eraser makes diagramming and note-taking effortless. Albert shares, “It was straightforward to pick up with almost no learning curve. Everything feels familiar and easy to use.” Eraser’s platform combines Markdown and code-based diagrams with a user-friendly interface featuring intuitive buttons and keyboard shortcuts. Albert and his colleagues now easily create visuals and share ideas.​

Rapid AI-powered diagram creation

Albert and his colleagues rely on Eraser’s AI-powered diagram creation to capture and refine complex workflows in the moment—visualizing data pipelines and system architecture at the speed of collaboration. With text-based diagramming, changes made in code are instantly reflected visually, streamlining the workflow for engineering and data teams. Whether they are mapping early cancer screening pipelines or illustrating sensitive biological models, Albert and his colleagues now move ideas from scratchpad to actionable documentation within seconds.

Iterative documentation and continuous updates

Eraser’s integration with Markdown documentation enables every diagram to be linked with underlying data and protocol details, supporting documentation standards that meet FDA expectations. As new products launch and partnerships scale, Eraser empowers Guardant Health to maintain clarity, accountability, and precision in all documentation.

Cross-functional collaboration

Eraser transforms collaboration at Guardant Health, bringing scientists, engineers, and operations professionals together around a shared visual canvas. With Eraser, everyone can co-edit and comment on data flows, system architecture, and project blueprints in real time. By enabling instant feedback capture and visual iteration, Eraser helps Guardant Health shrink time-to-alignment and drive clarity and informed decision-making.

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“With Eraser, it’s so intuitive that you can draw the diagram at the speed of your thought, which has allowed us to work more collaboratively and efficiently. Other tools don’t have that level of usability and simplicity.”

Guardant Health achieves faster multi-disciplinary collaboration and ensures regulator-ready technical documentation

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Eraser supports Guardant Health's technical planning and collaboration for its team, enriching communication, streamlining strategy, and empowering remote and on-site teams to focus on advancing the company's mission. Albert and his colleagues produce several clear, actionable models and workflow diagrams each week that align engineering with clinical priorities. This faster alignment supports Guardant Health's commitment to delivering innovative diagnostics that improve patient outcomes.

Albert sees further opportunity to streamline documentation and knowledge sharing as Eraser evolves its AI and modularity features. With Eraser, Guardant Health is positioned to continue scaling its complex, multi-disciplinary processes on its mission to conquer cancer with data.

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“Eraser helps me visualize what’s in my brain. When my colleagues can instantly understand my ideas, we spend more time finding data-driven breakthroughs in cancer detection rather than trying to agree on strategy.”