Probably the most significant concern for anyone responsible for implementing, deploying, and maintaining a quality management system (QMS) is effectively and clearly documenting procedures and work instructions that are easy to understand and execute. This article presents the requirements for documenting QMS procedures and work instructions, and then introduces methods to effectively and clearly do so.

How do we act on the data of previous 483s? What do we do with that data? Similar to the annual product reviews, we gather data on FDA observations, make graphs, and then … file it away. But there is an alternative.

In today’s world of ever-increasing regulatory scrutiny on pharmaceutical quality we have all witnessed first-hand the public relations nightmare of adverse events, drug recalls, and even company closures. In response, pharma companies have set stricter rules and regulations for their employees to follow, to ensure they remain in compliance with regulators and avoid negative inspection results.

Think of your company’s deviations. Concentrate on their most common root cause – the one you see most often and have the hardest time fixing. My high-tech-mind-reading-helmet tells me your answer is human error, correct? Magicians aren’t supposed to reveal their tricks, but this one really isn’t much of a trick. Every company wrestles with human error. We know humans have error rates – we’re not perfect. But how many is too many?