Here’s why quality investments are on the rise in 2019

Sparta Systems

The Sparta Systems 2019 Pharma Quality Outlook Survey revealed key findings about the state of the pharmaceutical quality industry moving into 2019.

The survey revealed that nearly half (47 percent) of respondents anticipate quality budgets to increase in the coming year, which is 31 percent higher than in the previous year.

Pharma is prioritizing performance in 2019

The 2019 Pharma Outlook Survey suggested an imminent shift from compliance to performance as the top quality focus.

More than ever, quality teams are working to stay current with the pharma industry’s latest technology and data analytics tools.

Sixty-three percent of respondents look to use quality data to improve quality department performance in 2019.

Quality teams are using data not only to support their own operations, but also to improve departments across the organization.

Fifty-eight percent of respondents anticipate the usage of quality data to enhance cross-functional performance in 2019.

Compliance remains the primary goal of quality professionals in 2019, but performance is not far behind.

The industry’s growing focus on performance is reflected by the anticipation of budget increases in the new year.

Nearly half of respondents plan to experiment with Quality 4.0 in 2019

Timely and accurate data drive economic performance for pharmaceutical quality teams.

With performance-based quality on the rise, quality teams are seeking to respond to pressures from executive leadership by driving operational and financial performance, while continuing to maintain regulatory compliance.

Recognizing the growing competition within the industry, quality teams may struggle to meet the demands of tricky regulatory compliance requirements, while keeping up with the rapidly evolving Quality 4.0 environment.

The growing interest in Quality 4.0 helps to explain the acceleration of quality investments predicted for 2019.  

Over half of respondents cited access to complete and accurate quality data as a top obstacle for 2019

Data access is one of the greatest challenges for quality teams today.

Organizations that fail to invest in quality management software in the present will likely be faced with greater challenges in the future as the volume of data increases steadily.

Considering the industry’s movement towards Industrial Transformation and Quality 4.0, quality teams must begin to invest in expanding data tools.

Respondents revealed their intent to purchase an integrated EQMS within the next 12-16 months.

As quality teams narrow their focus on performance in 2019, the need for enterprise-wide data is becoming more prominent.

Performance-based quality is driven by the insights and decision-making capabilities that are generated from data.

The need for a centralized quality management system establishes the cloud as a priority for quality teams.

Struggling with a limited budget can jeopardize the position of a quality team as on-premise and paper spreadsheet systems are quickly becoming obsolete. 

This is especially critical considering that 32 percent of respondents are still using paper and spreadsheets, while a mere 16 percent moved to the cloud. Late adoption of technology can hinder future data accessibility.

As centralized data become integrated into organizational decision-making, investments in quality will rise in 2019.

Discover more key findings from the Sparta Systems 2019 Pharma Quality Outlook survey.