Using SharePoint for document management has some pitfalls, especially for companies in regulated industries and those seeking compliance with quality standards like ISO 9001.
Millions of people use SharePoint. It remains an excellent platform for file sharing, but it’s not ideally suited to modern document control.
In this article, we cover:
- whether you can use SharePoint as a QMS
- the downsides of using SharePoint as a QMS
- features that make dedicated QMS software better.
Is it possible to use SharePoint as a QMS?
It is possible to use SharePoint as a Quality Management System (QMS) and many companies still do.
However, this tends to be unnecessarily complex and expensive, especially as there are affordable software options specifically designed for quality management.
Using SharePoint as a stand-in can lead to specific compliance requirements being overlooked because the software wasn’t designed or intended for this purpose.
Disadvantages of SharePoint for document management
SharePoint is marketed as a document and content management system, but it is limited when it comes to document management within the overarching QMS.
Document management as part of a QMS needs different and more specialized functionality to ensure compliance with relevant industry standards.
Limited access control
You can limit who has access to folders and files on SharePoint, but the functionality is limited compared with document management software.
Specialized software has fine-grained permission-based access control based on groups, departments, locations, and other criteria.
Lack of version control
It’s considerably harder to control what version of a document is currently being used or accessed on SharePoint.
A user can too easily download a document, make revisions, and upload it as a new document – leading to different users viewing different versions.
Document management software ensures everyone is using, viewing, and editing the same (and most up-to-date) version of a document.
No revision tracking
Document management software also tracks and records revisions, approvals, and change requests. You always know when and by whom a document has been edited or updated.
SharePoint may show a last-edited date, but it doesn’t always show by whom or what was changed.
Limited review options
SharePoint doesn’t offer the same fine-grained review options that document management software does.
Document management software supports sequential and non-sequential approval process rules and lets you schedule automatic reminders to review documents.
No automation
SharePoint doesn’t offer any automated workflow functionality.
Document management software has built-in workflow management that can automatically move documents from one step to the next, schedule delayed publish dates, and more.
No task notifications
SharePoint doesn’t offer integrated task notifications, such as automated email notifications for ensuring tasks are completed on time.
Document management software includes this functionality and keeps records of incomplete tasks.
Limited analytics and reporting
SharePoint doesn’t offer the same level of reporting and analytics that you get with document management software.
This becomes a key pitfall when you consider compliance with ISO or FDA standards, which often hinges on thorough reporting and analytics for internal or external audits.
Features that make dedicated software a better choice
QMS document management software is designed specifically to aid and validate compliance with ISO standards, as well as GMP and FDA compliance.
With dedicated document management software, you have access to enhanced features such as version control, workflow automation and notifications, real-time access to the latest data and versions, analytics and reporting, and full access control.
View the key features of isoTracker’s QMS-based document management software here to see how it differs from SharePoint.
isoTracker’s affordable document management software
isoTracker offers cloud-based document management software as part of our modular quality management system software.
Our subscription-based system allows you to choose only the software modules and add-ons your business needs, saving you money on software costs.
Get full access to our document management software and other QMS with a free 60-day trial. The trial comes with support emails, and you keep your data from the trial period when you sign up.
