Quality and continuous improvement

Stop losing quality control records

By Claudia · · 6 min read

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Paper quality control records next to the same records on a tablet

Stop losing quality control records

If you work in quality within the food industry, you know exactly what happens when an audit arrives without notice: the team starts searching for folders, going through Excel sheets scattered across different computers, and reconstructing information that should be accessible in a matter of seconds. Losing quality control records not only generates stress, but can also compromise product traceability, expose the company to penalties and damage the trust of customers and distributors. In this article we explain why this happens, what you can gain by digitizing your processes and how to take the first step in an orderly way.

The problem with paper and Excel in quality control

For years, paper and spreadsheets have been the most common allies of quality departments. They are accessible, familiar tools that, on the surface, seem sufficient. But as data volume grows, the reality is different: poorly filled-out forms, duplicate files, different versions of the same template circulating by email, and data that simply disappears because someone forgot to save the file.

The incident control in Excel is perhaps the clearest example. A spreadsheet can log an incident, but it doesn't alert you when it hasn't been closed, doesn't generate a reliable history, and doesn't let you cross-reference data with the affected batch or the supplier involved. Every time there is a deviation, the quality manager has to investigate manually, with the real risk of overlooking something.

On top of this is the human factor: entering data by hand is tedious and error-prone. A misplaced decimal, an incorrect date or a blank field can turn a record into something useless at the exact moment it's needed most. And if the information is on paper, the problem multiplies: the document can get stained, torn, filed in the wrong place, or simply fail to turn up when needed.

As established by the Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 on general food law (Regulation [EC] 178/2002, 2002), food operators are required to ensure the traceability of their products at every stage of the production, processing and distribution chain. Meeting this requirement using only paper or Excel is not impossible, but it is a path full of unnecessary risks.

Benefits of digitizing your quality records: traceability, stress-free audits and fewer errors

Choosing digital quality records is not simply replacing paper with a screen. It's transforming the way the quality department works, accesses information and responds to any contingency.

The first benefit is real, real-time traceability. When a record is generated digitally and linked to a batch, a supplier or a production line, you can trace any incident in seconds. There's no need to reconstruct anything: the information is right there, structured, accessible and ready to be consulted.

The second benefit has to do with audits. Preparing for an audit when all records are digitized is a completely different process from what the team goes through when working with paper. Instead of spending hours locating documents, the quality manager can generate automatic reports, filter by date, by type of check or by product line, and present the information in an organized way. Less stress, more confidence and a more professional image in front of the auditor.

The third benefit is fewer errors. Digital forms can include required fields, format validations and automatic alerts when a value falls outside the set range. This eliminates most transcription errors and ensures records are complete and consistent from the very first moment.

Finally, digitization makes trend analysis easier. With structured data you can detect patterns: are there more incidents in a specific shift? Does one supplier generate more rejections? Are non-conformities concentrated on a specific line? This information is invaluable for making preventive decisions and continuously improving the quality system.

Which quality control records to digitize first

If you're starting the process of quality digitization, it can seem overwhelming to know where to start. The key is to identify the records that have the greatest impact on traceability and incident response, and start with those.

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These are the records that usually cause the most problems when managed on paper or in Excel, and that benefit the most from digitization:

  • Raw material receiving records: temperatures, packaging condition, supplier documentation. These are the first control barrier and must be perfectly documented.
  • Process checks: cooking temperatures, pasteurization times, packaging parameters. Any deviation here can have serious consequences if it's not detected and recorded in time.
  • Cleaning and disinfection records: mandatory under the Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (Regulation [EC] 852/2004, 2004), and especially prone to being left incomplete when managed on paper.
  • Non-conformities and incidents: the record of each deviation, its root cause, the corrective actions taken and the verified closure of each incident.
  • Equipment calibration and maintenance: essential to ensure that the checks performed are reliable.

You don't have to digitize everything at once. A gradual approach, starting with the most critical records, lets the team adapt to the change without friction, with visible results from the start.

How to do it with configurable templates in Solved

Solved is quality software designed specifically for the food industry, designed so quality managers can digitalize their processes without advanced technical knowledge or large investments in training.

One of the features most valued by quality teams is the system of configurable templates. With Solved you can create your own digital forms tailored exactly to the checks you already run: with the fields you need, the alert ranges you define yourself and the approval flow that suits your company. You don't have to adapt to a rigid structure: the platform adapts to the way you work.

Además, Solved permite gestionar el control de incidencias de una forma radicalmente diferente a Excel. Cada incidencia queda registrada con su fecha, su responsable, el lote afectado y las acciones correctivas asociadas. El sistema avisa cuando una incidencia sigue abierta más tiempo del previsto y permite generar informes de cierre con un solo clic.

Traceability is complete and bidirectional: from a raw material you can trace through to the finished product, and from an incident you can trace back to the supplier, the batch or the production shift involved. All the information is connected, accessible from any device and protected against loss or unauthorized changes.

If you're still managing your quality control records on paper or in spreadsheets, now is the time to make the change. The question isn't whether you can afford to digitalize, but whether you can afford to keep going without it.

References

Measure quality in real timeKPIs, waste, and recurrences in a dashboard that updates itself.

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