ConSense EXPO from April 2022: Quality management remains classic topic

The virtual ConSense EXPO around quality management and integrated management systems was held for the first time in 2020. Since then, it has become firmly established in the trade fair calendar of experts and decision-makers involved in these areas. The event conveniently provides comprehensive information on innovative solutions around QM software and IMS, including key topics such as data protection, occupational health and safety, environmental protection management and other management areas, right through to GxP-compliant software solutions. Web-based solutions, hosting options, offers from ConSense Management Consulting and much more were also presented. In the aftermath of this virtual trade fair, we talked to Dr. Iris Bruns, Managing Director of the ConSense GmbH from Aachen.

 Ms. Bruns, the economy is looking back on two difficult years, and it doesn't necessarily seem to be getting any easier. So how has the market for your software solutions changed in recent months - due to the pandemic?
Iris Bruns: Fortunately, we are in a situation where our products are independent of industry and company size. The industries in which we operate perceived the situation differently; some were severely slowed down by the pandemic, while others, such as the pharmaceutical industry or medical technology, actually boomed. But our ambition always remained to support customers where there was the greatest need. We also tried to strengthen the industries that were not doing so well, for example by providing free access to our software as part of special promotions. One of the biggest challenges during the pandemic proved to be the decentralization of companies: It is not easy to run a risk or quality management system from a home office. Currently, the war in Ukraine is having a certain braking effect - but also increasing the need for risk management.

What lessons do you now draw from the April 2022 ConSense EXPO?
We have now held the virtual ConSense EXPO for the fifth time and are seeing a high level of acceptance. We see this in the more than 900 views of the online conferences at our trade show. The entire experience with virtuality from the pandemic has meant that our offerings have been readily used. We are also constantly trying out new tools ourselves. For EXPO, for example, we created virtual meeting spaces, such as the virtual coffee lounge. This still proved to be somewhat unfamiliar to trade show guests, but some things simply need a little more time. Overall, we are extremely satisfied and remain true to the concept. We will hold the next ConSense EXPO from September 20 to 23, 2022.

Which solutions were most in demand?
Our browser-based solution ConSense PORTAL met with great approval, as more and more companies are switching to web-based systems. For a long time, many companies were QM software as a web or cloud solution very cautiously, but now the topics of information security, cloud and web solutions are receiving more and more attention.

Keyword conferences: Which topics were most in need of information?
The classic topic remains quality management. Increasingly, this involves combining topics such as environmental management or information security into an integrated management system. The low-code debate has also become more relevant: With our "ConSense FORMS" solution, we have picked up the ball here and created the possibility of developing electronic forms and automatic workflows even more easily. This solution received increased demand due to the developments towards more decentralization and paperless processes.

From which sectors do most of the requests come?
Mainly from the medical sector, but also from the food industry. There, it's mainly about licenses for our ConSense GxP solution. But inquiries from the energy sector are also increasing.

To what do you attribute these findings?
Many companies have used the last few months to get their quality management up to speed. Often, the resources to do so were lacking for a long time; the economic "sink" then released the necessary forces and investments were made accordingly. Others, unfortunately, had to put on the brakes.

Regardless of how your in-house exhibition goes: What are the general trends in quality management and integrated management systems?
That's not easy to answer in a nutshell. But there is one common denominator: the diversity that is shown in the entire range of our modules. One topic, for example, is audits: These affect everyone, increasingly also in the form of remote audits. We are also seeing growing interest in training and competence management. The focus on personnel issues is increasing, e.g., in the area of downtime management. On the technical side, there is an increasing focus on cloud and web solutions, with particular attention to information security.

How do you react to this?
We have expanded our service and consulting activities accordingly, for example by offering a complete management system check. We have also introduced a model for management assessment, because leadership is a central issue in quality management. Prof. Dr. Herbert Schnauber from the Ruhr University in Bochum has developed a self-assessment methodology that we now offer in cooperation with him. This leads efficiently to strategically useful results in a very short time. Overall, we see that collaborative work on processes is becoming increasingly important; people are moving away from rigid systems.

This certainly also leads to increasingly complex software systems. How difficult is it for you as a software manufacturer to map this increasing complexity?
You raise an important point here. The acceptance of software by employees is crucial. As software developers, we must therefore first and foremost always put on the glasses of an end user. Reducing complexity is a big issue. We also have to place more and more emphasis on this in training courses; recently, we have been increasingly using moving images in the form of video tutorials. More, shorter units, supported by flanking measures, also help.

The more complex the systems, the more diverse the authorizations of the software operators are likely to become?
That's right, authorization management is an important factor. We try to keep the funnel as narrow as possible here. All our software solutions have a dedicated roles and rights system for assigning authorizations and distributing information in a targeted manner. It is also not expedient to train all users on all functionalities, but rather according to their roles.

What new products and solutions can be expected soon?
We can currently present many further developments. The focus - as already mentioned - is on cloud and web solutions. Even ConSense GxP, which has so far been available as a desktop application, is currently being developed as a web-based solution. Low-code, training and qualification management, and risk management are just a few more keywords.

And how is the Swiss market for your products developing?
We serve the Swiss market from our South location in Friedrichshafen. Switzerland is developing very positively as a target market. Because when it comes to quality, a lot of good things have always come from Switzerland - and are migrating from south to north...

ConSense GmbH

Since 2003, ConSense GmbH in Aachen has been developing scalable solutions for all company sizes. According to the company, the focus of its development work is on optimal support for organizational processes and user-friendliness. With far more than 750 customer companies and a number of users in the six-digit range, the ConSense software products are used in all industries.

www.consense-gmbh.de