In today’s market, almost every product and service is highly regulated by respective authorities. Even if you run a small- or medium-sized business, you need to make sure your products or services comply with the regulatory guidelines before they reach the end-users. Proper quality management measures can ensure product safety, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence for your business. You can streamline all these issues by implementing the right quality management system.
What Is Quality Management Software?
Quality management software refers to a program that documents processes, procedures, and responsibilities to meet quality policies and objectives. A quality management system (QMS) helps coordinate and direct a company’s activities to fulfill customer and regulatory requirements. A QMS also helps an organization continuously improve its effectiveness and efficiency. The international standard for quality management systems is ISO 9001:2015.
Who Requires a Quality Management System?
A functional quality management system is essential for any company that offers a product or service to its customers. No matter what kind of business you do, you need some level of quality management to maintain a standard output. However, if you are in a highly regulated industry, like aerospace or life science, you must have a QMS in place. Regulators like the EU, FDA, or MHRA typically do not allow products to be marketed or used unless the manufacturer uses a functional QMS.
Things to Consider While Choosing Quality Management Software
With so many options in the market, it can be difficult to determine which QMS tool is right for your business. However, the following factors can help clarify the issue:
1. Define Business Goals and Needs
Take time to determine your business’s needs and goals to understand how you can boost your business efficiency. You also need to identify the specific quality-related challenges that your business is facing. You must figure out what goals you want to achieve by implementing a QMS system. When you have answers to these questions, you can narrow down your options for the QMS tool.
2. Check the Features
Once you have clarity about what you want from the QMS tool, you need to evaluate the features of each option available in the market. You will find some features that are common in all the QMS platforms, such as document control, nonconformance tracking, audit management, and risk management. Some tools may offer some additional features that can benefit your business. In fact, you should always look for options that have the features you need to fulfill your business goals.
3. Consider the Cost
The price structure for QMS tools can vary depending on their features and other factors. So, when you choose a QMS for your business, you must consider your budget. You will find some QMS vendors that charge a flat fee, while some may charge you based on the number of users or websites. Before you start using a QMS tool, you must understand its pricing structure and compare it with others to see if you are getting your money’s worth.
4. Check User-friendliness
You need to ensure that the QMS tool you choose is easy for your employees to use. You cannot expect to get positive results from the tool if your staff cannot use it properly. So, always assess the usability of each software you have shortlisted for your business. You should look for elements like intuitiveness, ease of navigation, clear instructions, and user-friendly interfaces.
5. Consider Implementation Process and Support
Another crucial factor that most businesses often overlook is the implementation process and ongoing support offered by the QMS vendor. You should choose a vendor that offers training and support to help businesses implement and start using the system without losing more days. You must also check the customer service hours and responsiveness. Ask the vendor if there are any additional fees for implementation and support.
Wrapping Up
With the aforementioned measures, businesses should be able to find a QMS tool that helps them meet their quality goals. If you are also serious about improving your quality management processes, you can invest in the right software after considering the factors mentioned above.
