There are many ways to implement and manage a Quality Management System, standards such as ISO 9001 do not require that it be done in a certain way because that will depend on the conditions, needs, and culture. etc. of the company.
There are companies that from the beginning of the implementation choose to have computer tools that facilitate activities and there are others that never resort to these since they have everything controlled manually.
It must be recognized that currently the use of these systems has been increasing, since trends in the way of working have been changing, it is increasingly common for workers to carry out activities from home or using electronic documents and the need to hire this type of Software for Management Systems grows up.
I give you a list of the characteristics that you have to consider to choose the best Quality Control Software for your company, leaving out the cost since this concept is very particular to the financial situation of each company:
Table of Contents
1- Compliance with requirements
First of all, you must ensure that the tool you are going to use meets what you need, the Quality Management Systems will always contain 3 main requirements, among others.
Document Control
You must ensure that the staff always have the updated documentation on hand regarding the performance of the activities at the time they need it and when any modification is needed they must go through review and approval before being distributed.
Internal Audits
Internal audits must be carried out on all processes of the organization to verify that the activities are carried out as indicated by the procedures and also that the requirements of the standard that is implemented are still fulfilled.
The Management Software should allow you to document these audits from planning, execution and closing.
Corrective Actions
When problems or unfavorable events occur within the organization’s processes, they must be recorded and corrective actions taken to eliminate the root cause that originated them.
The tool must allow the documentation of the root cause, the assignment of responsible parties as well as the adequate monitoring of corrective actions, notifying delays and non-compliance with the agreements, this will facilitate achieving customer satisfaction.
2- Information security
This section is extremely important for two reasons; The first is that all the documentation and information that you are feeding the software with, is confidential and you must be sure that it is not going to be misused, and two, because all your documentation will be hosted there and if there is any problem nobody will be able to access it and the activities will not be carried out correctly.
Making Backups
Make sure you have the option to make backups whenever you need it, so you can implement policies so you or a member of the company makes a backup from time to time and you will have the peace of mind of having a copy of your updated information.
Service Continuity
Analyze which are the security and service restoration mechanisms in case of a catastrophic event. You must be confident that the service will always remain available because it will affect all your operations otherwise.
💡 You might be interested in: 5 Myths of a Quality Management System
3- Personalization
This goes beyond the fact that you can include your company logo in the reports, each Quality Management System is different with particular needs in the users, language and concepts that are used.
Allocation of permissions
Check if the quality control software you are evaluating allows you to carry out an adequate allocation of permissions for each user according to your needs, going through the visualization of documentation, modification, monitoring of corrective actions, etc.
Modification of concepts
Generally these tools already have some information preloaded so it can be used in the company’s processes, you must make sure that the most important concepts can be customized to meet your needs and do not create an adverse effect on the staff having to retrain them to understand the new concepts.
4- Ease of Use
The implementation of any tool of this type is not an easy task since it changes the way of working in all the processes, if you choose a software that is difficult to operate, the implementation times will be lengthened, and every time there is rotation or new staff training will be complicated.
Documentation
Make sure that the Quality Control Software you choose has information that helps to know how to use all the features and that it is accessible to anyone.
This will help a lot in the implementation and if a user does not know how to carry out an activity, he will be able to search for the information himself without resorting to new training.
Access
Remember that standards such as ISO 9001 require that all users have access to their information and documentation from the place of use.
Verify that it can be accessed from the place and the necessary devices to facilitate the activities of the workers, for example, if in some work areas tablets are provided to the staff you must make sure they can access them from these.
Currently the best option is a software hosted in the cloud since you can enter from anywhere as long as you have an internet connection.
5- Support
This point is fundamental, choose a Quality Control Software that offers you excellent support, either to solve an error or clarify doubts about its operation without it being a headache every time you request it or generating an extra cost if you require it, yes, I know some software that charge for support.
Support Media
Check which are the established support media and analyze if they adapt to your needs, it can be through tickets, emails, calls, etc. The important thing is that they are easily accessible according to the processes of your company.
Response Times
Ask if they have any policy on established response times, we know that there will be bugs that may take some time to solve, but the important thing is to trust that they are being worked on and they will provide you with timely reports.
💡 You might be interested in: Impact of a Quality Management System
Keeping in mind all these concepts I am sure that you will be able to choose the most perfect Quality Software for your needs, try QUALITYWEB 360 and know all its characteristics to manage Management Systems in the best way.
