Arena PLM and QMS vs. Ideagen Quality Management

Arena PLM is well suited for part number, BOM and file management. Processing changes (ECNs, ACOs, DCO's, etc.) in Arena is very easy to do and provides great visibility on the status of submitted requests. The ability to communicate with Suppliers and grant them access to files in Arena is extremely helpful. Arena does not appear to be the best suited system for managing software

Incentivized

One example of where the quality management system, document module excels for us is the loading, distributing, and acknowledging documentation. We are easily able to load SOPs, guides, and policies for staff to read and then sign to state that they are aware of the contents of the documentation. This is crucial for our laboratory as we need to know if staff are aware of the Health and Safety practices and policies within the laboratory.

Incentivized

• It provides easy, 'login-anywhere' internet cloud-based access to fundamental PLM functions.
• It provides secure access control for employees & vendors (but you pay per person for access licenses).
• Data is effectively 'always backed up' in the internet-cloud.
• There is an option to attach thumbnail graphics representative of each item and create a Bill of Materials view that also displays the graphics to help provide item recognition for BOM readers.

• Support - the product has great phone and email-based support from a team of knowledgeable people
• Customisablity - the product lets you build custom workflows, has a high level of granularity on permissions, etc.
• Robust and reliable software- the software is dependable once set up

Incentivized

• In my opinion, the Help Pages clearly do not realize that a picture is worth a 1,000 words; need illustrations and screenshots!
• I think the 'Save' button when editing Quality Processes needs to "float" on the active page, not lurking at the bottom.
• In my experience, the Arena PLM and QMS Training programs need to be revamped to include "real-world" examples and working through examples, not simply reading through a training manual.

Incentivized

• The training module is basic. If your training program is more complicated than simple onboarding training, then the Q-Pulse training module will be a bit of a challenge. It's not impossible to use, but there are better programs out there. I understand though, that this is an area that is being improved on soon.

We have so much time and effort invested into Arena. The history of approvals, revisions, etc. are necessary for many of our customers. We also have entire device histories recorded. Having to re-create that on another platform would be a feat requiring years of effort. But mostly, Arena just works. It's transformed our business into a much more streamlined system, resulting in a massive cost and time savings.

Incentivized

Q-Pulse QMS is totally integrated into our organization now. It does the job nicely and to change it would cause unnecessary disruption to our operation.

Arena has improved their UI over the years that I've used it to make it more user friendly. Additionally, there is a lot of redundancy within Arena (multiple ways to achieve the same end), which makes it easier to learn.

Incentivized

The Q-Pulse QMS client works great in our organization within the head office as the server is hosted on-premises. Remote locations connect in through Citrix, which reduces the usability. However, Q-Pulse QMS is currently transitioning to a web-based model, which will remove this problem. Once the system is fully web based, then this will no longer be an issue.

Seems like when I need to access our workspace for an emergency situation, this is when maintenance is scheduled, just the luck of the draw, I guess, and I just wait until the maintenance is complete, and then can proceed

Incentivized

We use a few other software or systems (Silicon expert) and it is seamless to us, pages load quickly and efficiently.

Incentivized

Upon initial observation, Arena Solution appears to possess a rather intricate nature, yet this complexity was effectively navigated during the initial configuration phase with the invaluable assistance of an expert well-versed in Arena, a factor that greatly contributed to our comprehensive mastery and autonomous handling of Arena Solutions thereafter.

Incentivized

The support team for Q-Pulse QMS is fantastic. Ideagen has invested a lot in this area, opening offices all around the world. Q-Pulse QMS product managers are also very responsive to requests and improvement suggestions. Ideagen also hosts annual conferences, which bring their customers together where ideas can be shared and we can meet the people developing the program.

The On line training was easy to understand and was very efficient for most of our users. We used the training tools to make sure we use all of the features to their fullest and correctly! After a few weeks mos of our users were very proficient with ARENA PLM and were able to work on their own and use mos of the sections and PLM capablilities.

Incentivized

Pretty straightforward, from OOB

Incentivized

Arena is much better than QAD in terms of BOMs and ECOs and Revision Control. We use Arena concurrently with SAP and they integrate very well together, which is nice. The integration team was really helpful in making sure that the SAP to Arena functionality runs smoothly, and when there are any issues, they are very responsive to help make changes to fix the problem that might be there.

Incentivized

A lot of users find it difficult in using software such as MTeams and MS SharePoint when compared to using Ideagen Quality Management (Q-Pulse). Ideagen Quality Management (Q-Pulse) allows you to keep a better audit trail in my opinion. It allows me to know who has read and acknowledged the document, who has approved the document and who has even distributed it.

Incentivized

Arena is easy to customize and therefore easy to scale. Different user groups with access restrictions can be easily created and new training plans can be created to support different user bases. Suppliers can also easily be added or items can be shared with them

Incentivized

• Decreased the company's time to market for release of its second generation flagship product.
• Decreased the turn around on non-conformance reports (NCRs), supplier corrective action reports (SCARs), and corrective and preventative actions (CAPAs).
• Better organized the company's process maps, DHF, and other regulatory related information so that major audits are completed faster and with fewer findings.

Incentivized

• Hard to quantify in numbers., but Q-Pulse QMS has provided a large increase in regulatory compliance. Regulatory and customer audits routinely return positive results and compliments to Q-Pulse QMS.