Best QMS Evaluation Tool (Downloadable excel based)

With this advance QMS evaluation tool, which is a downloadable excel based template, we believe you will be able to find the best QMS that suits your need. In a recent LinkedIn newsletter, we shared a basic GAP analysis spreadsheet that will help you finalize or at least shortlist your desired QMS. But then we thought, why not go one step further and develop a detailed QMS evaluation too so that you can easily evaluate or assess your quality management software and take actions based on facts and not sales pitches. So if you are on the fence for finalizing the best QMS for your company and are confused which one you should move forward with, this article will be of immense help to you. 

Not fond of text based content? Check out the video here!

Not only will we talk, but we will also share a downloadable free spreadsheet that will make your job super easy. Without this spreadsheet, otherwise you would spend 20-30 hours for evaluation, but with this format, you will merely need an hour, provided you have all the information, which you will have to collect anyway. So this spreadsheet will also help you save thousands of dollars $$$.

Before we start, we will let you download the QMS Evaluation tool first. The process is simple, just enter all your details, and the spreadsheet will automatically download.

Fill up the form below and we will email you the excel based QMS Evaluation tool.

So if you have downloaded the tool, let’s give you a quick overview on how to use it efficiently. We will discuss each sheet one by one.

Instructions:

It starts with a small disclaimer—nothing crazy. It also mentions that you need to fill the cells highlighted in yellow. If you change other cells (which is completely fine), just make sure the formula is working or the new formula you are applying makes sense.

We would also highly appreciate it if you would give us proper credit whenever you use this tool; that’s all we expect.

Dashboard:

The dashboard has all the criteria in the first column that you should consider for finalizing the best QMS, and the column beside it mentions what it is about. Each criteria should have a different weight based on its importance, and we have considered 3 QMSs, Isolocity, QMS2, and QMS3. The graph beside it shows the same values in a graphical representation. You should look at the final score at the bottom to understand which should be your 1st choice. But in case you want to change the weightage (because to you, some criteria might be more important), you can do it here, and it won’t mess up any formula. In case you want to add more QMSs, say you have 10 of them, you should add all of them here one by one.

Also, remember, all the values that you see here are coming from other sheets. Each of the criteria mentioned here has a detailed sheet that covers all sub criteria under that criteria. 

Functionality:

If you see the dashboard, functionality has a 20% weight, so this is the most important sheet. While selecting the best QMS, the first thing you check is whether it has all the components, features, and functionalities you want, right? So this is what we are trying to check here.

In total, we have considered 56 functionalities here, which we think are important for all industries. You can add values in the highlighted section, and the value for each function can range from 0 to 1. So if you think a QMS does offer the functionality but partially, you can write 0.5 as well; it doesn’t have to be binary like 0 or 1. 

If you delete a functionality from here, just delete the entire row; you don’t have to change the formula. But if you want to add functionality, you can insert one, but make sure that after inserting, the total column includes that additional cell.

As the total spreadsheet is based on a 5 points richter scale, after calculating the total, we have also converted that into a 5 point richter scale. Otherwise, we will get data from different ranges, and then the evaluation will not be justified.

Usability:

Usability is another important sheet. You wouldn’t want a QMS that has all the great functionalities but doesn’t work or has an archaic user interface. 

Under usability, we have considered 8 different factors that we think are important. Again, the rule is the same, you can add data in the yellow highlighted cells. Instructions are given in the “details” column. Everything except aesthetics is metric based. So be very careful about that. Often,  we get biased with a name and end up giving more credit than they deserve. Here, you will have to rate purely based on the aesthetics and not on the brand name or any other bias.

All the data is auto converted to richter scale, so there is nothing to worry about in those columns.

Major Revision:

Some may ask, why is this even important, let us say why. In a world of chaos, if you say somebody has crafted the perfect QMS that doesn’t need any change ever, we don’t buy that. It’s a continuous process of evolving into something better, and it never ends. There will always be room for improvement, for humans as well as for software. This sheet tries to capture the genuine intention of continuous improvement for a software company. 

But a major revision is an open ended remark, right? Some might change one tiny portion of the software and call it a major change. That’s the reason we are also capturing % of UI change in that revision, new features, and new integrations brought to life. We are not considering discarding redundant stuff as a factor for revision because, as a product owner, one has to do that anyway. 

Here too, just enter your data in the yellow highlighted cells. There are a few hidden columns there that are calculating the age of the revision, so there is no need to unhide that unless you add more QMSs to this.

Integration:

We have noticed that around 80% of times the prospect discusses the integration topic within a couple of weeks of a new deal. Everyone wants to be sure they don’t have to double handle data, and the migration to a new QMS is easy.

Integrations may vary from QMS to QMS, and it’s almost impossible to create an exhaustive list for that. But we do have a few recommendations.

If you check all the compliances and standards (we have considered that factor as well and will discuss it soon), all of them emphasize the importance of documentation. So we think any integration related to documentation is of the highest priority. Then we have other important integrations like ERP, MES, etc.

The marking system here is based on your understanding. For example, if the integration doesn’t bring all the necessary information you want, you should rate it low; if the integration is not official, you should rate it low; if the major integration doesn’t include the integration you need, you should rate it low.

Same thing for the open API, how easy it is to implement, how well documented it is, and how flexible it is. Based on this, you should rate.

For integration, you will require support from the vendor and well documented processes, so we have considered that too. 

Some companies might charge for a certain integration you need, especially if it’s a custom one, so we have factored that in as well. You can enter the average integration fee or the total integration fee, just make sure the scope is the same for all QMSs.

Customer Support:

We bet you wouldn’t want to get a QMS that doesn’t have good customer support. Recently, we were awarded the best customer support badge by Software Advice, so we know how important this is.

Instead of just using ratings (which we have done anyway later, you will see), we wanted to capture some metrics that prove that customer centricity is at the forefront of the vendor you are considering. Just like hips, data doesn’t lie either, which is why the entire spreadsheet is data driven.

The format in which the data should be entered is mentioned here, so we believe that’s crystal clear. 

Cost

If procurement of new vendors runs on the L1 and L2 processes in your company, this might be the most important sheet for you. So even though we gave only 10% weightage in the dashboard, if you want, you can change this accordingly.

Cost is an important factor. But unfortunately, most companies fail to check the hidden costs and only consider software based on a value, that is superficial and only reflects a part of the story. We wrote a detailed blog on this matter; do check this out : Quality Management Software: Unveiling Hidden Costs

In this sheet, as you would see, we have covered all aspects of the cost and tried to understand the complete cost of ownership.

Row 12 (is the pricing public) and “row 13 (are there any hidden cost) should be answered with “Yes” and “No ” respectively; for anything else, they will get a zero rating as per richter scale. So in a simpler language, it gets a 5 rating when the pricing is available publicly; if not, it gets a 0 rating. Similarly, you might not know if there’s any hidden cost before signing the contract. Usually, if it’s not explicitly mentioned anywhere, chances are there will be hidden costs, and in that case, you can write “not sure” or anything else. The system will only rate 5 when you mention that there are no hidden costs.

Scalability

If you’re working with an established QMS, this might not be relevant, as we assume they have no scalability issues. However, we believe asking is better than assuming to avoid any ambiguity. But for newer players, this is one question that might arise in your mind. So how do you know if they are well equipped with higher data volumes?

We think the 5 factors mentioned here might answer that question. Is it exhaustive, no? But it will give you a pretty good idea.

Just like the previous tab, we have some choices that are binary in nature, i.e., if you write “Yes”, it is 5, otherwise 0. 

“Important note” : Make sure you don’t add any extra space with “Yes”, then the system might not understand the unique characteristics and rate it as 0.

Compliance

Who dares to discuss QMS without discussing compliance? The order doesn’t matter, the discussion itself often starts with compliance. If a system isn’t compliant or doesn’t help the organization get compliance, the first call might never kick off. Period.

Again, this is not an exhaustive list, and some of the compliances might not be relevant for you, feel free to delete them. ISO 9001 and GMP are the most important among these, no doubts about that, but if you are from a certain industry, say aerospace, you might want a QMS where the processes are compliant with ITAR.

We should categorize GMP further into “Validated” and “Compliant,” giving priority to GMP validated software. While there’s more we could do, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we’ll get there someday.

The last 2 points , ownership of code and multi factor authentication, are related to security and not compliance, but they are very crucial too. 

KPI

Some internal KPIs might be of interest to you. Usually, if these work in favour of the organization, they brag about it, otherwise, you can expect that to be bad. The QMS company might ask you to sign an NDA, which is okay, you are not going to make a reel with that information anyway, are you?

Many clients do not get the time to rate or review vendors, so if you don’t get NPS or CSAT, that should be okay, but the feature adoption rate and the churn rate are extremely important, especially the churn rate. If all the clients are leaving them, do consider contacting 221b Baker Street.

Reviews

Last but probably the most important, reviews. You can’t just fake them. But don’t just look at the total ratings; check the recent negative reviews too. Also, check multiple platforms to get more sense out of it. Do remember, Capterra, Software Advice, and GetApp fall under the umbrella of Gartner. So the ratings would be the same, so there is no need to consider Software Advice or GetApp if you have already considered Capterra.

 

Conclusion:

Ta-da, here you go with your final evaluation, something you can use not only for you but for the management. Come close, and we will tell you one secret, management loves research that has a scientific approach and follows a quantitative method. This single spreadsheet should give you all the clarity you need, and during this journey, you will also learn a lot about the companies you are researching.

For any doubts or queries, feel free to get in touch with us. Just send an email to info@isolocity.com, or if you are convinced we are the QMS that you want to dance with, schedule a meeting with the product specialist.

Tous mes vœux de réussite dans votre quête du meilleur logiciel de gestion de la qualité. (anything in french sounds sexier)

 

P.S. We’ve locked some cells to protect the formulas. If you need the file without any locked cells, feel free to reach out to us.