Yes, it might seem enticing, all your QMS information into your ERP. We can have all the information in one system, this will make it much easier for the employees. But is it really that simple?
With the ever-complexer environment and fast-changing landscape, is the single ERP approach really moving your company forward? Trying to fit everything into one ERP means that a company needs to cut back on a lot of functions and features. Most ERP solutions originated out of the founder expertise, this can be finance, logistics or HR. However, this also means that a lot of other functionalities simply too basic. Quality is 9 times out of 10 one of these lacking features in ERP. Most ERPs allows you to easily create a data table where you can key in your data- like an Excel sheet and for the more advanced ones, you will have some sort of workflow. But it is the interaction within the QMS that allows companies to really leverage the Management System. Plus the ERP becomes so complex that the adoption of your QMS is really jeopardized by this. This isn’t when the company is on a path to Operational Excellence.
The connection
The ERP is the backbone of the IT infrastructure for a lot of companies. There is nothing wrong with that, but make sure you can integrate specialist solutions and platforms with it. Too often we talk to companies that have shielded on-premise solutions and therefore are unable to connect the solutions. In this case, consider switching to a connected SaaS solution because these silos can seriously harm the company. Connections and integrations allow you to really leverage data that is already gathered in other solutions like, for example, product data, supplier information, customer information, and employee information. The Quality Management Platform can than enhance this data with the information gather on the Quality Platform. This combination gives companies the possibility to create real enriched dossiers of products, customers, and suppliers. Also, it allows for NCR creation from within different platforms, which can then be synced with your Quality Platform for data consistency and real-time follow up.
Clarity leads to adoption
It may sound counterintuitive, but we have seen companies loving the approach of specialist platforms. They can simply tell their employees that everything related to Quality can be foundwhen you login on this platform. Setting up good user profiles results in a dynamic QMS basedon the role the employee has within the organization. Reducing the information based on the role increases the adoption of the platform and therefore the adoption of the QMS. Adoption is key for an effective QMS, which is needed when the company wants to reach Operational Excellence
Conclusion
Don’t try to fit the QMS in your ERP. Most ERP solutions aren’t build for this and will cost you a lot more than it gains. Make sure, however, that the ERP allows for integration with other solutions to streamline internal processes and prevent redundant work.
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