Processes for innovative QM solutions

Volatile markets, shorter product life cycles, increasing cost pressure and the effective implementation of standards such as IATF 16949, ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001 are putting companies in the automotive industry under increasing pressure. Static management systems are no longer sufficient to respond to the dynamics of change - proactive action is required. And in order to generate an innovative force that can keep up with future markets, technologies and trends, processes and structures in the company must become more dynamic and lively.

Digitisation as a basic prerequisite
The comprehensive electronic implementation of all business processes is a "must" in many industries. Without digitalization, a company no longer remains fit for the future. Constantly changing customer requirements and ever shorter innovation cycles in a highly competitive environment can only be implemented easily and quickly with a flexible and digital system.

The automotive industry had this insight years ago. Organizational structures, cross-company and cross-departmental targets, business and support processes, networked business relationships, and standards and rules of all kinds are already recorded in a multitude of IT systems in numerous companies and are intensively used, monitored, and adapted operationally. Thanks to this major step in the digital transformation that has already been taken, efficiency and productivity have been increased and costs saved.

In the environment of management systems, however, many companies are living in the IT Stone Age. Single systems, different storage methods on servers and high maintenance and coordination efforts for old solutions are often the reality. Although a wide variety of information is modelled digitally, the execution of processes, the implementation of regular review mechanisms or the creation of new document versions often remain static and require manual control processes - often including media disruption, as approval processes or confirmations still happen in writing. The potential of digitalization, in particular of the entire mapped process knowledge, remains unused - which brings us to the decisive advantage of an end-to-end, integrated and, in particular, living management system.

The key to success: automation with process-capable execution
The management systems, with the processes and corporate structures statically mapped therein, form an optimal basis for the dynamization of internal processes and their digitalization. The modeling and mapping of information and processes is the first step for an innovative, future-oriented management system. However, the decisive factor for a smoothly running, well-oiled company engine is automation through dynamic, executable processes. This requires a software solution that enables multi-stage workflows (which trigger new processes and measures at the push of a button), rule-controlled release steps and flexible form design. Together with a role-based user administration, a simplified, responsibility-based task control can be realized.

"This makes the leap from a static, documented model to a living, executable process," says Kurt Gailer, Head of Sales and Member of the Executive Board of IMS Integrierte Managementsysteme AG. IMS supports companies in regulated industries in the implementation of integrated, end-to-end and, precisely, dynamic management systems. For this purpose, the IMS PREMIUM software is used, which supports and promotes this decisive, automated distribution and documentation of company-wide processes and forms. The possibilities offered by different solution packages and configurations are almost endless. Whether audit management, personnel management (e.g. with expiry entry of employees), customer feedback or product change management - paper-based and e-mail-controlled processes and control procedures are now a thing of the past. Managers, engineers, technical specialists, administrative staff and line employees all benefit from the simplified and automated use.

A head start through "unlimited use
Digitally documented processes therefore provide a decisive advantage in the fight against media disruptions and static process models. What remains are the challenges in networking various systems, software products and devices in use. Information from the existing, company-wide user administration should not have to be entered twice or laboriously adjusted manually in the event of personnel changes. Employees in the home office need direct, secure access to up-to-date information. Open tasks should also be able to be completed on the move using a mobile device. This networked way of working is only possible if the software used to implement digitization supports literally "limitless" use.

Thanks to state-of-the-art web technologies, IMS PREMIUM also offers unrestricted, cross-system, mobile use. Thanks to cloud capability and numerous interfaces, third-party systems can be easily integrated, enabling dynamic data exchange across the entire system landscape of a company. Regardless of which devices are used (fixed workstation, tablet or smartphone), the full range of functions is available at all times.

Valuable advantages in a wide range of business areas
A wide range of business areas benefit from the networked and dynamic management system. A regulated environment such as the automotive industry can count on the following advantages in particular.

- Improvement management: continuous, process-controlled improvement processes including the integration of external partners such as customers and suppliers
- News and task management: new information, open tasks, release steps, checks and controls - presented in a central, transparent and user-oriented manner
- Governance, Risk, Compliance (GRC): Easily manage standards and guidelines and efficiently check their compliance
- Controlling: create comprehensive and up-to-date evaluations - thanks to networked information
- Integration of third-party systems: enable seamless integration of additional systems with interfaces