Data and analysis capabilities are more important than ever in the new year

The 2019 Sparta Systems Pharma Outlook Survey revealed top goals and challenges for pharmaceutical quality teams as they enter the new year.

Key findings from the survey indicated the shifting focus of the pharma industry as 40 percent of respondents cited economic performance as a top quality goal for 2019.

While quality teams look to move beyond compliance in the new year, survey results indicate a prominent differentiator for manufacturers in the industry.

Considering the rate at which technology is evolving in the Digital Era, pharmaceutical quality teams face growing pressures to stay current.

As the volume of data increases, data accessibility becomes steadily more critical for organizational connectivity, which steers performance-based quality initiatives. 

The true performance driver in 2019 will be improved data and analysis capabilities.

With performance on the horizon as the top priority for quality teams, nearly half (46 percent) of respondents cited access to meaningful data as their greatest challenge.

Though cloud implementation allows organizations to streamline operations and enhance data accessibility as a performance driver, only 16 percent of quality teams are taking advantage of the cloud today.

Quality teams need access to real-time data in order to conduct relevant analysis, and ultimately, impact performance. Investments in quality management software are necessary for powering organizational decision-making.

Organizations that continue to use paper, and even on-premise quality solutions will struggle to move beyond compliance.

Without the capability to extract business insights from rich data, driving performance will continue to be a challenge in 2019.

Beyond the challenge of accessing data, the transition from traditional quality management to Quality 4.0 demands a shift in the way data is integrated to generate insights, and how it is applied within the organization.

Implementing a current quality system today will pay dividends in the years to come.