Seeking Advice - Effective QMS Software for Controlling Audits, Documents etc.?

Can any one recommend any effective software for controlling audits, documents etc.. I have been looking at Powerway, WorkBench Professional and Q-Pulse. Any comments would be appreciated.

Hi Joanne,
I can't comment on the others, but I would recommend Workbench pro. In addition to being easy to set-up & use, the support service (if you get any problems) is excellent.

Have you contacted Ideagen for a demo? I believe what swayed our decision to purchase was that Ideagen put us in touch with a "satisfied customer" and we were able to arrange a visit to seee it in action & to talk to users.

Hope this helps.

I've been the document control person for my company for about 5 years and have yet to find an all encompassing software to control documents.

Although somewhat labor intensive at first, I designed a document numbering system and control them through an "Access 2000" database. It is very flexible and can be integrated with "Outlook 2000" email for document routing and approval.

This system has been through 3 years of reg. and surv. audits with little problems.

If you have an "Access" person have them look into designing your own system. Give me a yell if I can be of help.

ASD...

It just so happens that I have developed and have used/implemented software for these areas with great success. I do sell canned versions of the software but also (not advertised on the website) I do customize it to fit any specific need required. I show 4 applications on the website but I have 13 that I use on a daily basis and demonstrate almost every aspect requried through these applications. Assessors have been impressed at the flexibility and information available and I have never had a problem.

[Casana]

I have worked with Powerway in the recent past and my company struggled using it… we hadn a LOT of problems getting the software to run right, and once that was fixed, we had trouble using the software.
Due to conflicts that Powerway had with our server, half the time we couldn’t even get into Powerway. In addition the software is not very intuitive, so people who didn’t use it often were confused. Both issues made it hard to get anyone to keep it logged on in their computer (which was the point of getting Powerway in the first place!)
For me as QAMgr I found it frustrating because I couldn’t import/export info such as corrective actions. You can’t export any documents written in Powerway, which made it hard to share info via email with anyone not connected directly to our server. Also, it creates flowcharts for you when you write any WI, but I found this to be more work than it was worth , because you have to follow a particular format for the chart to look right, so I had to spend too much time tweaking the WI just so the chart would look ok.
Overall, I found Powerway too rigid and constricting for my taste. Personally, I’d opt for an Access database or some other software that allows you to import/export information. I’d suggest you include ease of use and flexibility in your software evaluation criteria, because no matter what it promises, if its hard to use you’ll be wasting time & money. Good luck!

Originally posted by Joanne_Walker:
Can any one recommend any effective software for controlling audits, documents etc.. I have been looking at Powerway, WorkBench Professional and Q-Pulse. Any comments would be appreciated.

I would recommend that you have a look at Q-Pulse Version 4. Further details can be found at www.gaelquality.com

Unlike most other QA software applications, Q-Pulse is a complete solution that addresses every aspect of the Quality Assurance spectrum. This means that you receive a solution for Document Control, Auditing, CA / PA, Training, Analysis & Improvement (plus more) all within the standard purchase.

If you want any further information on the product, or wish to receive a 30-day evaluation copy, please contact me at bowmanm@gaelquality.com.

Best wishes,

Martin Bowman
Gael Quality International

I have used both the Powerway product and the Q-Pulse system (v4).

Powerway is OK for document management, and their QP9000 product is also pretty good, but it does have it's limitations (see comments above about exporting etc).

Q-Pulse is the product I am using at the moment, and I have to say this is a relatively simple product and it does work quite well for us. We have it hooked up to out e-mail system so that when someone picks up an NC, the system distributes it to the relevant people.

Hopes this helps.

HK
Leeds, UK