What to look for in a quality management system

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There are a wide variety of quality management system software options available to your organization.  While you may not need a fully customized version, you will definitely need to identify the areas or modules you’ll be interested in.  These typically include some subset of the following list:

  • Alerts / Notifications
  • Audit Management
  • Compliance Management
  • Corrective Actions (CAPA)
  • Defect Tracking
  • Document Management
  • Feedback Tracking
  • Incident Management
  • ISO Standards Management
  • Knowledge Management
  • Maintenance Management
  • Nonconformance Tracking
  • Risk Management
  • Supplier Quality Control
  • Testing Management
  • Training Management

I recommend that clients look at Capterra, a software aggregator site, and search specifically on Quality Management System software to limit the search results.   The benefit of Capterra is the reviews, ratings, and listings of pros and cons – you can figure out what your needs are, and find a package that meets your requirements.

I’ve had an opportunity to work with several quality management system software packages, and can say that some are better than others – when looking for a solution, check out the FAQ’s, their policy for customer support (online? live operator via phone or chat? etc.) and the ease of use, as well as initial set-up support.

How easy is it to use your local forms within the system?

Can you design your own modules, templates, etc.?

Are modules linked, to provide a seamless process flow through your entire program?

These are just a few of the things you may want to consider when looking at quality management system software solutions.