Granting assessor access – revisited
With remote assessments on the horizon for the foreseeable future, and most likely being added to the toolbox for most accreditation bodies indefinitely, we are going to dedicate this blog post specifically to the process of providing the assessor access to your laboratory’s R18LabQMS Quality Management System (QMS).
This topic has been outlined in a previous blog post, but as part of a broader topic in August 2020, Remote assessments and your quality manual.
Providing the assessor access to your quality manual
Providing remote access to your QMS documents can be a complex process if you’re not organized. Accreditation bodies require laboratories to provide QMS documents going back to their last onsite assessment when performing remote assessments.
R18LabQMS can be shared with assessors, an auditor or government agencies for the purpose of reviewing your quality manual during an assessment or audit. Sharing your QMS is strictly permission-based and ‘read-only.’ The laboratory can grant or discontinue access at their discretion from the dashboard of the R18LabQMS application at any time.
Granting access to the assessor – the process
- Assessor account
From the login page, assessors create an account by clicking the assessor sign-up tab. From there, the assessor will create a user name (email) and password to login to the assessor dashboard. The assessor will then select the laboratory they want to access and review. The laboratory will grant access at their discretion and can disable at any time. Sharing your QMS is strictly permission-based and ‘read-only’ to protect your document
2. Primary lab manager approval
Once the assessor makes the request to view your quality manual, the Primary Lab Manager (PLM) will receive an email notification. The request will appear on the dashboard within the assessor widget where you can approve or deny the request. Please note the PLM can remove access within this widget at any time. The same assessor approval process appears under the manage lab tab on the bottom left-hand column, view/edit.
Most accreditation bodies are familiar with this process and have assessor accounts with R18LabQMS. Please contact us if you have any comments or questions regarding providing access to your QMS.
User question
Q: We are having issues with the edit function when going back and completing a technician evaluation, can you help us out, please?
A: Yes. We have taken a close look at this process and found more functionality was needed to make it a little more intuitive, as well. You should find the process working smoothly now! Before, when clicking on the edit button, the page remained stationary and it was not obvious where to make edits. Now, when you click edit, the page ‘auto scrolls’ to the top where edits are made. After making your edits, simply click the “+Update Evaluation Record” tab.
Resources and training opportunities
Once you work through the setup process, the following links can be found in the lower right-hand corner of the application;
- Support
- R18 Blog
- Virtual Training (1 hour or less, no fees), contact us for an appointment
- Extensive Virtual Training – Fee-based, please inquire.
For all questions regarding your Quality Management System, whether your lab is accredited or not, please contact us and learn how R18LabQMS can add value to your company.
– Gary Irvine
R18LabQMS Program Manager