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Jeff Thomas04/26/163 min read

7 Signs You're Having Trouble with Your Training Matrix

Is your training matrix giving you trouble? You're not alone!

Pharmaceutical companies use training matrices to track employee proficiency on standard operating procedures (SOPs), manufacturing processes, quality controls, and product reviews. When these tools are cumbersome, inefficient, and don't deliver accurate information, they can lead to bigger problems down the line.

We've identified 7 common issues that signify your company should consider moving from a paper/spreadsheet-based training matrix to an electronic quality management system (eQMS) in order to maintain high quality product delivery. How many do you recognize at your organization?

1. Data entry errors

Trouble with a training matrix occurs when people incorrectly enter information regarding their training. Statistically predictable variations in quality information are almost always a result of management systems. If your training matrix is too large to adequately manage then human errors will increase through poor training. 

2. Product recalls

Improper training causes 32% of product recalls, according to the FDA in the US Federal Register. A training matrix with excessive data entries and poor reporting systems prevents good training management. Poor training results in production problems, which in turn creates product recalls. 

3. Other FDA compliance issues

Relationships with the FDA may show issues with your training matrix even if there are no product recalls. If demonstrating compliance on issues of training requires extensive hours of labor or causes red flags to come back from the FDA, your training matrix may be the cause. 

4. Product returns

Product returns by customers or retailers of your product are also a sign that improper quality controls are in place. Since training is one of the most significant quality controls in the Pharmaceutical industry, check your training management system, including the matrix to see if this is the cause of product returns. 

5. Employee confusion

If employees do not understand the SOPs or the training matrix system, it will show. From confusing training requirements before starting new projects to not understanding specific SOPs regarding product they are working on, confusion is a great symptom of problems with your training matrix and your entire training management system. 

Employees should rest assured in the quality of the information management so that they can focus on doing the best lab or manufacturing work possible. Rather than looking up SOPs and spending all their time attempting to learn the training matrix, they will quickly fulfill training requirements.

6. No SOP database

Databases are collections of information stored on a computer. Your SOP database and training matrix need to be integrated. If your SOP database is inaccessible, inadequate, or nonexistent, your current training system is costing you in both time and quality of product. SOP databases should be managed in such a way that training documents and verification are accessible at each location and employees' actions will automatically notify management through reports generated from the SOP database and training matrix. 

7. Writing queries by hand

Everyone familiar with business operating systems has written functions in Microsoft Excel or similar spreadsheet software. These functions form the core of database queries. If your employees are writing out queries and other functions by hand in spreadsheets to generate their own reports, your training matrix is costing you excessive amounts of labor. Unless your business is software, your employees should not need to write their own functions; business management software will automate those queries and pull information from your entire database, not just one or two spreadsheets. 

If any of these symptoms are true, it may be time to consider getting a new system for building your training matrix. Our training matrix database software manages big data, creates systems for training management, and empowers your employees to focus on their best work. 

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