Case Study - A Fortune 500 & global leader in the production of cereal and convenience foods has chosen MetricStream to automate & streamline their quality audit management.

1. CASE STUDY
MetricStream Major Food Brand Automates and Streamlines Quality
Audit Management
Customer
The company is a premier global producer of food products with manufacturing operations and sales
in multiple countries worldwide.
Customer
A GLOBAL LEADER IN THE PRODUCTION OF CEREAL Overview
AND CONVENIENCE FOODS
From its inception, the company’s goal has been to provide its customers with tasty, nutritious food
that meet the most rigorous quality standards.
Its quality assurance processes span the entire value chain. Supplier and manufacturing plans are
regularly checked for conformance with sanitation and quality procedures. Raw materials, processing
and packaging operations are monitored to ensure consistency of flavor, texture, purity and nutrient
Benefits
content.
Lower resource consumption: By automating audit The company also conducts quality audits across its enterprise for compliance with best practices.
management, the company can eliminate the need for
Multiple manufacturing sites and suppliers are audited at regular intervals each year. In place is a
manual data spreadsheets and reporting procedures.
The energy, labor and time required for auditing can well-defined, well-structured audit program that provides an in-depth evaluation of the entire supply
also be reduced as all the process workflows are chain. It covers all safety and quality aspects from hygiene to sanitation to pest control to complaint
automated. Effort can instead be focused on analyzing response. It also ensures that the company complies with internal audit criteria, external regulatory
audit results and providing business assurance to the standards and quality policies and procedures.
board.
As the number of suppliers grew, the company found audit management to be increasingly challeng-
Assured compliance: Using MetricStream Solution, ing. Planning and conducting audits across hundreds of suppliers and manufacturing plants was com-
the company can ensure compliance with its rigorous plex and intricate, not to mention expensive and time-consuming. In response, the company wanted
internal standards and policies. The solution’s best to strengthen its internal audit management system.
practices based on leading control frameworks
will enable the company to stay ahead of external
regulatory norms as well.
Challenges
Integrated, collaborative audits: Through Lack of automation: The Company’s internal auditors relied on manual spreadsheets to record and
MetricStream’s single platform approach, the store data, track trends and send alerts and notifications. This approach proved to be both complex
company can improve tracking and trending and expensive especially as the scope of auditing increased to cover more suppliers. The likelihood of
capabilities, centralize KPIs and reports, schedule errors arising was also high.
audits easily and search for information quickly.
Collaboration across the enterprise is improved as
Time-consuming report creation: Like most other audit processes at the company, audit reporting
each auditor and manager can access the same
system. Audit data can also be easily archived and was also conducted manually. Auditors found themselves spending far too much time planning and
retrieved. scheduling audit programs and collecting audit data. Generating reports often took up to 16 hours. Not
only was this exhausting, it was also time-consuming and complex.
Enhanced reporting and visibility: Using
MetricStream Solution, auditors get real-time visibility Stand alone audit processes: The lack of a common audit management system resulted in several
into KPIs, audit statuses and quality management limitations - complex audit schedules that varied from one location to the other, restricted search
metrics. Areas that need attention are highlighted.
This enterprise-wide transparency enables auditors
capabilities and ad-hoc audit workflows. Data retrieval and archival was not easy either.
and managers to stay ahead of quality issues and
take swift, proactive action if the need arises. Limited process visibility: The company’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Dashboards had to
be created in separate systems. Hyperlinks across systems were not allowed. As a result, auditors
Simplified workflows: With MetricStream solution, and managers were unable to gain a clear picture of the audit status across the enterprise. Neither
the company can streamline and simplify workflows. were they able to track corrective actions. This hindered their ability to make informed decisions
In particular, quality issues can be captured and
regarding audit compliance.
resolved easily through a seamless, closed loop
process.
Solution
The company wanted a solution to strengthen its audit process and improve the efficiency of audit
planning, implementation and follow-up. The solution was also required to evaluate food quality and
safety programs for compliance with internal and external standards.
After a thorough evaluation of the market, the company settled on MetricStream Solution for audit
management. MetricStream’s impressive track record with other food nutrition giants was a key
factor in the selection. MetricStream also demonstrated a keen understanding of the company’s
needs and offered a solution that could automate audit workflows, integrate audit management across
the enterprise, enhance reporting and visibility and deliver timely audit information for decision-
making.

2. MetricStream
MetricStream Audit Management solution has been rolled out across the company’s US operations
and may be extended worldwide in due course. It is built on a common platform which enables all
the company’s audit activities to be planned, scheduled, executed and reviewed from a single point
of reference. Therefore, siloed audits can be eliminated in favor of a more collaborative, streamlined
approach.
The solution comes equipped with a supplier portal through which the company’s suppliers can
securely create and manage their profiles from anywhere across the world. They can also view
performance metrics, respond to action requests and find task assignments.
To improve operational efficiency, MetricStream Audit Management Solution provides end-to-
end workflow automation for the complete internal audit lifecycle – right from audit planning
through implementation and field data collection to audit reviews and the implementation of audit
recommendations.
Audit preparation: Using MetricStream Solution, the company can plan and schedule audits in
a logical manner across all auditable entities - ingredient suppliers, co-manufacturing plants and
manufacturing facilities. The solution also enables the company to clearly define and organize all
auditing material including audit templates, checklists, individual tasks, surveys and scoring criteria.
In line with the company’s audit procedures, the solution allows audit calendars to be drawn up
every year. Based on the auditable entity, audits can be scheduled annually, bi-annually or on a more
ad hoc basis. Audit teams are selected and assigned due responsibilities, with the system providing
automatic notifications each time an auditing assignment approaches.
The solution also enables the company to plan and manage its auditing resources more efficiently.
Various tools are provided to budget auditing investments, choose auditors, allocate assignments and
define time schedules. Any modifications that are made to these functions are immediately reflected
in the system and communicated to the appropriate personnel across the enterprise.
“Our company has always followed a stringent and well-defined quality assurance program.
But as we grow and expand, we need a robust audit management system to ensure that
our quality processes are followed down to the last detail. MetricStream has provided us
with an efficient and flexible system, equipped with rich dashboards and workflows that
will help us enhance the company’s reputation as a trusted name in food quality.”
- Audit Manager
Audit implementation: The company’s auditors use MetricStream solution to record qualitative and
quantitative findings. If network access is unavailable at an offsite location, auditors record their
findings offline and simply synchronize this data with the main-flow once they are reconnected to a
network.
The solution allows audits to be divided into several categories for each auditable entity. Therefore
for ingredient suppliers, audits can be conducted based on operational quality, food safety, sanitation,
pest control and others. Each category is scored based on the company’s existing audit methodology,
with critical areas highlighted for further attention.
The solution allows each audit to be monitored through a central tracking system. Milestones are
measured and compared to track progress from one audit to the next. The system also provides
automatic check-offs at each stage of completion to determine which audits have been completed,
which are in progress and which are yet to be started.
A sophisticated search capability enables the company to quickly locate data based on audit dates,
plants, questions, categories and scores. Similarly, a centralized repository of information enables
audit data to be easily archived and retrieved.

3. Audit review and reporting: Once the audits have been completed, MetricStream Audit Management
Why MetricStream Solution helps the company’s auditors compile their findings, observations and recommendations
into detailed reports. The system enables reports to be generated according to various categories
MetricStream Solutions are built on a common including unit type, region, project status, summary, weekly logs and follow-up. Customized, flexible
platform that integrates audit management across the reports can also be created. This way, auditors do not need to spend days drawing up manual audit
enterprise and provides a single point of control for all reports.
aspects of audit management.
MetricStream contains rich, automated functionalities As soon as the reports are completed, the system routes them to upper management for review and
to replace manual processes, improve operational then to the audited entities for their response. Built-in workflows enable auditors to approve or reject
efficiencies and reduce resource consumption. the response and stimulate corrective actions. Follow-up audits can also be scheduled.
MetricStream contains powerful reporting capabilities Graphical dashboards with drill-down capabilities provide a detailed, nuanced view of audit
with dashboards that provide in-depth visibility into performance and results. Using these dashboards, auditors and managers get a clear, real-time picture
audit management statuses and metrics at any time. of audit status, results, trends and KPIs across the enterprise. This enables them to make timely,
actionable decisions impacting food safety and quality.
MetricStream solutions are not only easy-to-use but
they also simplify audit management by streamlin- Corrective actions: MetricStream Audit Management Solution provides a seamless workflow for
ing and integrating process workflows across the corrective actions. Issues that arise during audits are tracked in real-time and routed through an
enterprise. investigation and remediation process. If a quality issue arises out of a supplier location, MetricStream
solution enables auditors to assess, investigate and record the issue as well as manage Supplier
MetricStream has the capacity to extend its solution
to newer geographical locations and support multiple Corrective Action Requests (SCARs) and Corrective /Preventive Actions (CAPAs).
users across complex networks
Each corrective action is easily captured with complete dates and ownership, and is visible to both
auditors and managers. Email based notifications and alerts keep the process on track and provide
timely reminders whenever action is required.
For more information, visit
www.metricstream.com
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