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In this day and age, technology is driving a lot of the business operations, and quality management is no different. Quality Management Systems are evolving to adapt to business needs and there are many options out there when it comes to selecting a QMS. In just 5 minutes, you'll learn some key areas to focus on when selecting a QMS Solution.
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CONFIDENTIAL: This document contains information that is confidential and proprietary to EtQ, Inc. Disclosure, copying, distributionor use without the express permission of EtQ is prohibited. Copyright 2013 EtQ, Inc. All rights reserved.
5 minutes on…
What to Look for When Selecting a Quality Management Software Solution
Tim Lozier, EtQ, Inc.
Getting the Best out of your QMS
• Technology is evolving – more and more systems are automated with software
• The QMS is no different – Need to ensure Quality keeps up with the pace of the business
• 8 Simple Rules for Assessing a QMS Software Solution
1. Flexibility to Adapt to Business Processes
• Needs to adapt to your business processes, not the other way around
• Don’t settle for rigid or custom forms that make your change the way you work
• Look for Configurations – ability to make changes as you see fit:
– Forms
– Workflows
– Reports
– Business Rules
– Look and Feel
• QMS needs to be configurable by the business user –non-technical minds run the operation!
Think Flexibility.
2. Web Based versus Web-enabled
• The Web is everywhere – “thin clients” make the software much more accessible
• Understand the differences between “Web-Based” versus “Web enabled”
– Web-based = the solution is capable of running entirely from your Web Browser – fast, lean, efficient
– Web-enabled = the solution has a Web component, and only some features can be accessed over the Web, but most need a client software package = bulky, slow, and not designed for Web
• Web-based is the dominant standard in today’s world
Web-Based
“Thin Client”Web-Enabled
“Fat Client”
3. Look and Feel - Making the System your own• Often overlooked, but critically important
• Ability to “brand” the system to your organization
• Intuitive User Interface – key to adoption
• Tip: Have a well-defined set of requirements, one that include look
and feel, as well as the ability to control the layouts and forms
4. Making Sense of the Data - Reporting and Searching
• QMS Software generates and enormous amount of data• Need to avoid “Data Paralysis”
• Searching and Reporting tools are a key component– Quickly search for records
– Run scheduled and ad-hoc reports
– Have built-in reporting
• Biggest draw in QMS is the ability to pull a report within minutes of when Management asks for it
Avoid the Data Paralysis Effect!
5. Taking Quality to the Enterprise -Scalability Matters
• Businesses Grow – QMS needs to grow with it
– QMS is an investment in the future
– Needs to scale to other sites, other divisions, more people, etc.
• Ensure the Scalability – don’t take face value!
– Look for solutions that have successfully scaled
– Look for Location-based Scalability – Each location is able to run their own processes, but be a part of the Enterprise
6. Tying System Together through Integration
• We no longer live in information silos – business systems need to talk to each other
• Can the system integrate with ERP, MRP, SCM, CRM, PLM….ASAP?
• Look for more than just “basic” integration
– Lookup data
– Push data from QMS to other systems
– Interact with other business systems on an operational level
Can the System Integrate
with all other Business
Elements?
7. Know Your Audience - End User Acceptance
• Include the End Users in your selection process!
• They are the highest volume user – their acceptance will make or break the investment
• Take into account the End-User Experience:– Look and Feel
– Familiarity of the System
– Transitioning from Old System to the New System
“We LOVE
it!!!”
8. Time to Value - Implementation and Deployment
• You may know what you want in a QMS, but….can you implement it?
• No matter how great the system looks on paper, until it’s installed and ready to use – it’s not finished
• Implementation Method is AS important as the software itself
– Look for a proven implementation method
– Look for similar implementation types
– Get your requirements finalized before you begin
– Make sure all stakeholders have added their voice to the requirements
Avoid Project Confusion
Conclusion
• What to Look for in a QMS Solution:
Flexibility & Configurability Scalable to the Enterprise
Web Based vs. Web Enabled Ability to Integrate
Look and Feel / Branding End User Acceptance
Good Reporting & Searching Implementation Methods
For more than 5 minutes…
EtQ’s Blog on Selecting a QMS solution
blog.etq.com
Webcasts on EtQ’s QMS system
www.etq.com/webinar
516.293.0946
