In some industries, there are strict regulations that need to be followed set forth by the government. Although these are put in place for good reason, mostly to protect employees and consumers, they can be a huge hassle for manufacturers. Keeping track of all the necessary items to prove you are in compliance with regulation takes a lot of time and sometimes the necessary documents can be hard to find. To top it all off, if you’re found to break any of the rules you’re hit with a hefty fine. For these reasons, compliance reporting truly isn’t something that should be done manually. Regulatory compliance ERP software can take the headache out of these regulations and making sure you adhere to them.

Every ERP software, however, is different. If you are looking for a specific regulatory compliance ERP software, it is important that you look for these main functions:

1. Reporting

   The main component of regulatory compliance ERP software is the ability to easily run reports on data. You should be able to grab data from across the business and compile it into one report. This makes it much easier to analyze the data according to specifications.

2. Alerts

   If you find that you were noncompliant a week after the action was taken or the product was made, it doesn’t do you much good. Regulatory compliance ERP software will notify you when something goes awry, allowing you to take action before a problem occurs.

3. Workflows

   Based on your personal predefined workflows, you can ensure that all workers are following with regulations. The regulatory compliance ERP system can even prevent workers from moving on to the next step of production, unless a required function is completed.

4. Tracking and Visibility

   Real-time tracking and visibility gives you quick and easy access to information needed during audits or complaints. You can follow back through all actions and activities to prove you were compliant.

5. Performance

   Using regulatory compliance ERP, you should be able to track the performance of departments and individuals to see how often they are in compliance. If there are certain departments that seem to be out of compliance often, it may be time to hold a refresher.

Dealing with regulatory compliance is stress evoking, frustrating, time consuming and can be costly. This is especially true if you’re dealing with it manually, which makes you more prone to error. Using regulatory compliance ERP software can automate most of the process for you, making sure that everything is accurate and easily accessible.

There is no one-size-fits-all and you have to do some research to find the best ERP solution for you. Read more here.