One of the biggest challenges of running a business is the sheer number of regulations that must be followed to bring your service or product to market. Paperwork and reporting requirements using the wrong QMS can make quality management difficult and costly.

Requirements can vary by a multitude of factors, such as region, consumer demands, and more. That’s why it is important to choose the right system when implementing your quality procedures. 

These are the top elements that team leaders should consider when deciding on which QMS system to implement across their organization:

1. Ease of Integration
2. User Experience & Interface
3. Customer Support & Expertise
4. Data Visualization & Access
5. Software Validation
6. Incorporation of Standards
7. Adaptability

Organizations should look at these elements closely to determine whether the system is the right fit for their team.

• Ease of Integration

A modern digital quality management system is supposed to be the solution to the endless amounts of paperwork required when completing quality management processes. Thus, it is paramount that it is easy to access and populate with data. One of the best practices of this is through completely cloud-based systems that offer the user the ability to access their database from anywhere while using their browser. This also ensures that data is updated in real-time and notifications can be sent to team members quickly.

A technical point that falls under this category is also the ability to integrate with other systems or capture/send data easily. Having an open API (application programming interface) will help with this as it allows other software to build secure connections for related applications within your QMS. It opens up the potential for growth and the creation of a quality ecosystem that is cohesive and holistic.

• User Experience & Interface

One of the most crucial but easily overlooked aspects of a QMS is its experience and interface design. Great software systems make it easy to navigate between related tools and prompt you when related reporting is required. For instance, if a change control report is required after a change is made to an inspection report – the system should thoughtfully have highlighted these items for you. 

• Customer Support & Expertise

The user experience can also extend to support systems that make learning or using the tools seamless for your team. This includes the help desk, built-in instructional design, and the people who interact with you as the customer support team.

Ideally, your QMS should have in-house expertise that is trained in compliance for quality and know the standards that are being employed. Having a great support system for your QMS will always make the journey to compliance easier.

• Data Visualization & Access

A QMS should not only be a tool that houses an organization’s procedures, it should also give insight into how to optimize for cost and mitigate future risks. Data visualization in the form of charts and graphs allows you to sit back and make meaningful business decisions from what the quality management system is highlighting for you. 

Having access to the raw data is also a crucial feature that should not be overlooked. This allows teams to create custom reporting that could prove crucial in determining cross-departmental quality management KPIs. It also allows teams to send data to other systems or departments which do not have direct access to the QMS.

• Software Validation Protocol

Another area that is easily forgotten is whether the QMS provider has standardized software validation that they can provide to you. This is a crucial step in many compliance audit processes and many software providers do not offer this service. If a company is willing and able to provide the correct validation documentation. This can prove to be a valuable asset as it will reduce the amount of time and resources you need to produce such documentation yourself.

The software itself should also have a way for you to follow every change that is made to a document or process. An audit trail or activity tracking is a crucial technical feature that teams should look for.

• Incorporation of Standards

Implementation of quality standards to an existing or new organization is usually what eats away at profits and increases the amount of time used solely on training or error-correcting. Therefore, if the quality management system is built upon the principles of benchmark standards such as ISO and GMP – it will provide a more seamless and quick transition. Incorporation of common report templates such as 3 x 5 why, HACCP, PFMEA, and more can also ensure that the organization organically continually improves upon its quality processes.

• Adaptability

One of the biggest reasons for employing a digital QMS is for consideration of long-term organizational goals. Whether you’re a small batch operator or a large processing facility, a system that has the flexibility to fit both your current needs while having the ability to adapt is paramount in ensuring the efficiency of activating changes while not compromising quality. 

This also means that the system must have the technical ability to add data and users without damaging the user experience. Systems should be able to drive permissions and access parameters that allow the team to delegate the correct change control procedures and upgrade as needed. The absence of this could end up costing precious time and resources if they cannot adapt to your organizational changes or there isn’t a robust user management system.

Reduce Quality Management Time by Up to 50% With Automation

Implementing the right quality management system doesn’t have to be painstaking or costly. With a cloud-based quality management system like Isolocity, document/change management is convenient and secure. The automation is smartly built so that reporting, audits, and inspections can be seamlessly integrated with all areas of your organization. Learn about how you can drive more value from your quality management system today.