If you quality management system is still based on paper records, or combination of paper and spreadsheets, and your quality manager has piles of unfiled records waiting for review, analysis and filing, I have to tell you that your QMS is obsolete and you are not running an efficient cost effective system.
Due to advances in technology, there are many tools available that can be used to facilitate this transition. Small and medium size companies can take advantage of simpler, more available databases such as MS Access which is available with most Office Suites at reasonable price.
Alternatively you can set your quality management database on Intranet or more elaborate systems that can be integrated with your ERP or other systems.
Whether your quality management system is based on ISO 9001, ISO 13485, ISO 14001 or other management systems, it is paramount for the efficiency of your quality management system to maintain the following records electronically:
– Nonconformance/Corrective Preventive Actions
– Training records
– Calibration records
– Engineering change records
– Audit records
– Management review records
– Receiving records
Using readily available technology will enable you to maintain a dashboard to readily analyze data and evaluate trends for continual improvement.
If you wish to have an evaluation done on the efficiency of your Quality Management System, we can certainly help you in transfer of your paper based system to an efficient database system suited for your organization.