Considering a quality management platform for your organization? You’re not alone. Selecting the one that fits your company isn’t easy. Which features are needed to support your processes? How complex does it need to be? Is it user-friendly and intuitive enough for the employees? These are just some questions that you will need to answer during the selection process. In this blog, we discuss six key functionalities that your QM platform must have to support the basics of your QMS.
Automation
The single most important feature of an online platform is the automation. It has to save you and the company a lot of time. Automated notifications can help with staying compliant and reminding people of the areas to focus on. Make sure you come up with these triggers yourself to ensure they work for you and not against you.
Risk Analysis
Managing risks is critical for a proper QMS and at the bare minimum a hard requirement for compliance to the standard. A good quality management platform helps you to list your risks and connect the required actions. The connection between the risks and the actions will give great benefits. Make sure the platform is flexible enough to support multiple Risk Analysis methodologies such as FMEA or Fine & Kinney.
Action Planning
CAPA or action management is the lifeline of your management system. The action list shows how the company improves over time and which steps are taken to prevent issues from occurring in the future. The list can get quite extensive so make sure the interface has enough filters that allow you to find the most important actions that the company is working on.
Non-Conformance Reports / Issues
Another must-have is non-conformance reports (NCR). A lot of analytical data is stored in the non-conformities that happen in the company. A mobile app is a big differentiator for the team. The employees can now easily file an NCR by snapping a picture. When checking for the right solution, always check the analyze features. Running your own custom analysis in the platform will make life so much easier. The flexibility is key, don’t go for pre-defined options—they will become too limited very soon.
Audits and Inspections
Audits are where you can check how the management system functions. A clear interface will save a lot of time. The platform should allow you to have all the information in one screen, like your processes, NC reporting, and the ability to assign points of improvement and other tasks. The inspections are where you can easily make a check on your mobile phone. The inspection should be done on the mobile to save significant reporting time.
Document Management
Effective documentation is important for a well-functioning quality management platform, and every system should have it. Even though it is not required anymore, storing historical information is good for future reference. With the right document management, you never risk having outdated procedures or work instructions. The system should take care of version control, and make them easily accessible to all
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Quality management is more than compliance or cost avoidance, it is about making real value out of your quality management system and make it part of your organizational culture. With a quality management platform that supports the above features you come along way with creating real value.
If you want to know how Qooling can help you. Please contact us!
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