MAKING THE CASE TO REPLACE

In many respects, presenting a plan to replace an existing eQMS is exactly the same as it is for a manual / paper system. It’s all about having a long-term business success objective at the core and backing it up with solid facts and numbers. Nick made two presentations to leadership, each focusing on slightly different issues.

Nick started with his CEO, Tiffany Sepp. He pointed out the inadequacies of the current system and how it negatively affected Vanguard’s future plans:  

• He was losing valuable time inside a broken system. Their eQMS forced Nick to spend 7-8 hours manually doing the work a capable, automated system could finish in minutes. 
• According to the eQMS’ support team, the quality functionality Nick needed to do his job, along with a module for CAPAs, were years away from being developed. 
• Continuing to use manual, incomplete tools would jeopardize future audits.
• By the CEO’s own admission, there were projects Vanguard decided not to pursue because they didn’t have confidence in their quality system.
• The eQMS’ complicated interface, combined with the need for external training management software, made it difficult and time-consuming for employees to stay compliant.

Fortunately, Tiffany believes in quality above all else, and quickly aligned with Nick on the importance of making the right move on behalf of not only Vanguard, but their clients. 

“If you stop for a second to think about why we do clinical trials in the first place, it’s to make sure drugs are safe and effective for patients,” said Tiffany. “We can’t do that if we’re not correctly aligned on quality and compliance.” 

Tiffany and Nick then created a cost/benefit analysis together. It included the functional improvements and long-term savings they would reap with a new system, the highest priority features and capabilities of a replacement, and the metrics they would track to prove the return on their investment.

Picking the right replacement – and proving to the C-suite that it could actually fix their quality concerns – was just as important as deciding to remove the old one. In meetings with both executives, Nick highlighted the positives ZenQMS, the new, fit-for-purpose eQMS he extensively researched and vetted, would bring to Vanguard:

• ZenQMS’s clear interface would drastically reduce the time needed for employees to access training, documents, and SOPS. This would lead to greater company-wide compliance.
• It included the basic quality tools and modules that would allow Nick to do his job more efficiently.
• All modules would be included from day one, including document and training management and CAPAs. This would allow Vanguard to keep all of their information in one system for a single source of truth.
• There were no additional seat license fees for adding new users. Vanguard could continue to grow without penalty and without Nick having to ask his CFO for more money.
• The connected eQMS allowed for quick access to documents across Vanguard’s multiple sites. This would improve future audits and allow them to make the kind of progress they’d envisioned for the company.
• It was a more affordable contract than what they were paying before.

Nick knows he’s lucky to have the support of an executive team who cares about quality and is open to investing in an eQMS in the first place, let alone a second one. And they’re not the only ones who are fans of the new system. “ZenQMS’ clean dashboards make our end-users so much happier. They only need to be in the system for 15 minutes instead of an hour,” said Nick.

For those still working with insufficient paper or home-grown quality systems, there are fit-for-purpose eQMS solutions on the market for every regulated company, regardless of size or budget. Nick stresses that the way to get approval for the one you deserve is to build your case with the facts.

If you’re struggling with your existing eQMS or looking to upgrade from a paper-based system, ZenQMS can help. Our proposals are easy to understand, and so is our software. Schedule a no-risk demo today and find out how we do eQMS differently.