MasterControl Quality Excellence

Vorteile

I love that all of MasterControl's modules are connected. Document management, training management, and Quality Event Management all talk to one another and help to streamline our processes. It's also very easy for basic users to learn.

Nachteile

My biggest complaint has been the lack of flexibility in Quality Event workflows. This is being solved by the new Advanced QEM product, which I'm super excited about.

Vorteile

I love building workflows, easy document management, and automated training management hubs. It is taking a lot of paper being wasted and having documents easier to find and in one place.

Nachteile

I would say AQEM needs a tad more work but I absolutely love how easier it will be for electronic forms once they fix some humps.

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

Warum MasterControl Quality Excellence gewählt wurde

Gründe für den Wechsel zu MasterControl Quality Excellence

Vorteile

It gave us a way to escape paper event management forms and Excel spreadsheets.

Nachteile

It doesn't integrate well with other modules, its cumbersome, its difficult to setup.

Vorteile

Document management is simple and effective.

Nachteile

I don't have many other eQMS to compare to, but I would say that the system is not as intuitive as it maybe could be. We have a lot of users who do find navigation of the system overall to be difficult.

Vorteile

Preconfigured process forms for CAPA, Nonconformance, OOS, etc., along with the ability to create custom 'eForms' to define specific process needs.

Nachteile

The lack of dependencies when using eForms. This, however, is now being addressed in MasterControl's new AQEM platform.

Vorteile

The documents module is the best piece of the suite. It allows you to create any kind of document needed from your work environment. The workflows are customizable to your type of work. I don't work in a pharmaceutical regulated area but I can create the quality management system that works for me with this product.

Nachteile

The Jreports portion of this product does not live up to the expectations and performance level of the rest of the suite. The reports are clunky and difficult to create and personalize.

Vorteile

It is set up to facilitate the quality process for you. If team members go into the program (or click on a link from their email) and complete the tasks, the system takes care of itself.

Nachteile

It is built for the most robust quality system. For some industries/customers that may be too much, but they are addressing it now through their new "lite" forms.

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

Gründe für den Wechsel zu MasterControl Quality Excellence

Vorteile

Easy to use and users are able to find what they’re looking for In real time

Nachteile

Publishing and search Still needs to be improved we have a lot of problems with publishing documents

In Betracht gezogene Alternativen

Warum MasterControl Quality Excellence gewählt wurde

Zuvor genutzte Software

Gründe für den Wechsel zu MasterControl Quality Excellence

Vorteile

Quality Excellence is an extremely robust and customizable system that allows the users to create custom workflows for their document control processes. These workflows can be generalized for maximum usage across documents or specialized for an almost hands-off experience in the system.

Nachteile

The nuance of using the system can have a fairly steep learning curve. Currently, we are still finding little quirks in the system that can't be called generally good or bad. Just the fact that we are still learning different facets of the system tells how much there is to learn when using the system.

Vorteile

It's relatively easy to setup and use. The MasterControl team really listens.

Nachteile

It is expensive, but on par with other systems. Still waiting for a validation module.

Vorteile

Moving our document change review and deviation processes from paper based into MasterControl has been an absolute game changer - the risk of losing records has reduced dramatically. We now have much greater visibility at which step in a process a document change is and who is involved in deviations.

Nachteile

Some of the user functionality can be not entirely intuitive, making it slightly more difficult to navigate for users who use the system only occasionally.

Vorteile

I like the seamless integration between the Documents and Training modules. We have totally eliminated paper training records, eliminated manual record tracking and filing, and we have ready access to all required records during audits and inspections. As FDA registered facilities we needed FDA part 11 compliance and audit trails. MasterControl has given us all these capabilities in an intuitive and easy to use paltform for all users.

Nachteile

We had to do our homework when initially configuring the software to understand how to make the right decisions and allow the system to scale with our own evolution and growth. We knew where we wanted to end up, but didn't understand all the new terminology, or exactly how the system worked. We hired a third-party consultant recommended by another MasterControl user and leveraged their expertise to bridge the knowledge gap between us and MasterControl. The initial configuration took longer than we originally planned, but we ended up with a configuration that works very well for us.

Vorteile

The system is very easy to access and use. It allows for an easy audit trail of users and during the construction of templates edits can easily be made and approved by several users before release. During manufacture the ability to force steps to be filled in by an operator before moving on is huge. Reviews are so much quicker than before and we have beat many targets due to this.

Nachteile

In my role there aren't currently any aspects of MX that cause an issue.

Vorteile

Doc management js ok but the collaboration area needs improvement

Nachteile

Control copy and collaboration needs more features but I know you guys will get there

Vorteile

MC is willing to continue to update and upgrade their tool.

Nachteile

Attrition of Tech Support causes some inconsistencies in support.

Vorteile

Doc Management, Training and some aspects of Process module.

Nachteile

Majority of the features linked to Supplier Management, Audits, Risk. User Management needs improvement. Analytics. Registrations.

Vorteile

That all the Quality processes and docs of your company are fully accessible everywhere. Internet connection is the only thing you need.

Nachteile

There are few constraints and defects using the out of the box processes workflows. Some customizations are required.

Vorteile

Easy for endusers
Easy to configure based on your needs
Eforms - digitalization is easy :)

Nachteile

FBS workflow tracking
Reports for tarining module not all required information in one master report available

Vorteile

Its a one stop shop for your quality manangement systems.

Nachteile

The Qx module does cotain some ridged enhanced forms

Vorteile

The interface is easy going, the user is able to easily navigate through the system.

Nachteile

Flexibility is needed in order to keep up with the companies changes

Vorteile

Validation on board, easy API Integration, QMS, and MES combined

Nachteile

EMEA backend support would be great, US support can sometimes take a while due to time difference

Vorteile

Master Control is a user friendly, real time data management system.

Nachteile

There are 2 cons to Master Control (both reports related); running reports is NOT user friendly and report layout is not detailed enough.

Vorteile

I love the interconnectedness of the modules so I can have complete picture of my company's QMS and the ability to automate processes that were done manually in the past, i.e., periodic review, release and archiving of documents, deployment of training once the effective date is set for a document, being able to pull reports on data in the system.

Nachteile

It can bit overwhelming if you are not in the system everyday and not the most usee friendly experience at the moment for basic users.

Vorteile

The Training module is what I use regularly and the ease of the training checkpoint makes life easier when rolling out and maintaining company-wide training.

Nachteile

Small features that master control doesn’t have that would be very helpful, such as the ability to abort training instead of grandfathering when it’s not required.

Vorteile

I like the reports that we can easily extract from MC and also the fact that we save a lot of time by using it.

Nachteile

That sometimes is a little bit to rigid and doesn't fit to all our needs

Vorteile

This program makes document control so much easier for my company. The way you can search and collaborate with people in the company is much easier along with the tracking of all revisions is so helpful.

Nachteile

That you do have to wait for people sometimes to move a task along depending on how you have it built. I also wish there was a date of when the InfoCard was approved on the main screen instead of having to go into the InfoCard itself or looking at the highest REV of the document.

Vorteile

It consolidates all of our companies information into one location and everything is neatly tied together.

Nachteile

The fact that the use of most symbols can cause unwanted defects.

Vorteile

Documents and Training is very heavily used at our organization and saves a ton of time and money. Our company also uses the process module for CAPAs and Change Control. Once it's implemented, it's easy to use and train users.

Nachteile

The process module is not very customizable, and the time and cost associated with implementation is very high.

Vorteile

MasterControl Quality Excellence (Qx) gives us the flexibility as a global organization to configure what we need, as we need it, without needing to edit code or re-validate the system. It allows us to manage compliance and track documents (with revision and access control), training, and quality events. In addition the system is hosted in the cloud, so we do not need to maintain our own infrastructure or IT team solely for the software. By being in the cloud, we receive frequent quarterly upgrades with new features, monthly defect patches, and global 24/7 availability. We also utilize the VxT validation tool, which cuts our quarterly upgrade validation time down to hours, and the customer support team is top-notch.

Nachteile

There are some quirks to the system that take some learning, but MasterControl has developed an excellent self-study library of courses to help. In addition, the older quality events module presented some configuration limitations that required us to adapt our processes to match MasterControl rather than the other way around. Fortunately, MasterControl's replacement of this module, Advanced Quality Event Management, just launched in 2024 and is alleviating this pain point.

Vorteile

I love having a system that is digital (coming from someone who's always worked with a paper based system). The ease of routing all document types in all modules is one of my favorite features specifically for a company that has multiple sites)

Nachteile

Some of the pain points are the cost of licensing, not having the ability for multiple collaborators to edit the same document simultaneously, and search functionality being tough for users who aren't as familiar with document numbers/names.

Vorteile

The customization. MC is a useful quality system for every industry type and size.

Nachteile

User friendliness isn't what MC is known for, so it is important to have dependable contacts within a company to help users navigate.

Vorteile

Provides a wide range of modules, each of which are highly configurable.

Nachteile

Platform is not the most intuitive to use, so can take a while for Users to learn.

Vorteile

It is easy to manage documents and quality issues. In particular, the "Report function" can be customized and used, so it is possible to grasp the real-time status.

Nachteile

It's inconvenient that I can't set up in detail during my absence. I wish I could do each of the absent settings for each permission.

Vorteile

OBI has been using MasterControl since 2010. It was challenging going from paper to electronic, but I have a sense of peace knowing that everyone should receive what training, access to documents, and said training, etc. I have scheduled reports and times when I audit training. Access and ability has saved me.

Nachteile

Lack of transparency. As a former Information Technology staff, I understand the importance of getting things (fixing issues) done now. Unfortunately, we forget to communicate or consider how certain changes may impact the organization.

Vorteile

Having everything in one place makes it easier to manage the document management tasks

Nachteile

Sometimes there are parts of the system that are unable to be edited/updates and this can limit how we schedule our tasks

Vorteile

I love that fact that it is so customizable.

Nachteile

Compared to everything else I have seen- there are no real cons. Perhaps the need for users to be somewhat computer literate.

Vorteile

It’s an all-in-one out of the box solution

Nachteile

It can be inflexible and it’s not the most user friendly

Vorteile

Good for capturing data in an auditable system for the production of food and pharmaceuticals, and life sciences.

Nachteile

Issues with the systems are not addressed in a timely manner and are frequent. The system has quite a few bugs, like not loading pages until you click "reload this page" in your browser.

Vorteile

Easy to use for end users and admins
I like easy configuration of system and the flexibility

Nachteile

Reporting is a little bit difficult, overview on quality tasks is difficult

Vorteile

We are able to manage documents and training again as this was not workable on paper anymore.

Nachteile

Some reporting functions are still not that easy to use (for example tracking pending tasks)

Vorteile

Everything is on one place, it's easy to control documents and manage training

Nachteile

It's quite clunky sometimes, for example rejecting documents, managing fbs forms, audit module on it's own

Vorteile

Master Control provides great costumer services. Everything from the kick off to going live is smooth. Very helpful with the new aproaches to the old processes. All questions are answered quickly and in quality. It is very user friendly platform, easy to use and manage.

Nachteile

As a global service sometimes it is harder to get a new needed for specific company feature added. But not impossible.

Vorteile

It is easier to maintain than a bespoke QMS

Nachteile

The lack of configurability pre AQEM which we haven’t implemented yet

Vorteile

All in one and linkage between modules, job codes etc

Nachteile

Nomenclature is hard to understand but once using it’s fine

Vorteile

The fact that it brought standardization of quality processes into a global system used world wide.

Nachteile

Performance issues whilst mass uploads or mass downloads

Vorteile

Easy to customise according to your needs.

Nachteile

Not intuitive for first time users of
New processes.

Vorteile

Training module features for creating exams and use of classes.

Nachteile

Defect that happen that cause system not to function correctly. For example, completed training being relaunched.

Vorteile

Everything is in one place and is auditable

Nachteile

It is not easy to train out, nit an easy user interface

Vorteile

I really enjoy the community provided for extended learning and comparing with other professionals. It's a well-rounded, multi-faceted way to keep documents on hand and organized for multiple purposes across many departments. As a doc admin, this makes my job much easier and organization is imperative for my role.

Nachteile

Truthfully, I cannot think of what I dislike about the program. With my position, it's made things much easier.

Vorteile

Workflow flexibility and the validation process.

Nachteile

Reporting still lacks flexibility for end users.