How quality assurance teams can compile batch records faster

Jan 15, 2023

What is a batch record and how can quality assurance teams compile them faster?

Put simply, a batch record is the life history of a batch - it includes all the processes and steps that it went through in order to become the final product.

Author:

Dana Baranovsky

Summary

In cannabis production, a batch record includes dates and details on everything from grow stage transitions and location changes to destruction, nutrient application, Integrated pest management (IPM) tasks, and all of the cultivation and processing steps defined by your SOPs.

As part of a good quality assurance program, you want your batch records to be as detailed as possible because it provides full traceability of a batch. Detailed batch records require a lot of time and effort from Quality Assurance and Operations teams and can slow down batch release and production.

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When the React library was introduced into the community some years back, it was accepted and soon gained lots of popularity as the choice for building out user interfaces in a composable way. The major idea was that each UI interface can be split into multiple different small components and at the end of the day, these components can be combined or composed to form the whole larger UI as intended.


class App extends React.Component { 
render() { 
return ( 
      <ColorContext.Provider value="white"> 
      <SampleComponent /> 
      </ColorContext.Provider> 
    ); 
  } 
}

As a background to what we are trying to present, if we were building multiple UI components for example, we indeed have a component tree which includes the parent component, which becomes the source of truth for our data, and due to the interrelation dependence on the parent components and those underneath it known as the children or descendant descendant descendant descendant descendant component to share data, it comes a point where this becomes an issue.

As we stated earlier, for small to medium apps, sharing data across many different components could be easy, since all we need to do is pass this data or props across or down from the parent to every child that needs it. Now this is fine. What if we have a hugely nested or a large component tree and we intend to pass the data or prop down this tree?

React context, a core React API provides an easier interface for developers to share data or pass props down multiple levels deep in our React applications. From the React docs, with react context, we can easily pass data down to the very component that needs it at any level in the component tree, without having to explicitly pass this data down each component level in the tree. This is all there is to React context.

To drive this definition further for more clarity, say you have a particular theme color set at the parent component level of the app, and you only intend to pass it down to the thirtieth component down the tree, without having to pass it down every level until you get to that thirtieth level, but just pass it down to only the thirtiet

Why is accurate batch record keeping important?

We can’t emphasize enough just how important it is to get your batch record right. Not only are they required to adhere to Good Production Practices (GPP) and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), they are the essence of a strong quality assurance program and, ultimately, the key to producing high-quality products consistently.

If your batch records are audited by the regulators and they’re insufficient or incoherent, you will face significant roadblocks in releasing that particular batch. Equally, if a product is recalled and you fail to produce acceptable batch records, there could be consequences, such as fines or loss of licences.

Yes, they can be a pain…!

As important as they are, batch records can be a complete nightmare, especially if you’re new to a facility and have to learn and understand the existing reporting processes. If you don’t have the right system in place, we’ve found that just the act of filing paper records can take at least 18 hours per week, per Quality Assurance team member...!

So, how do you make batch record creation simple and fast?

Digitize your record keeping. If you’re doing it on paper, your quality assurance teams waste time passing around documents, collecting records, associating them with the relevant batch, creating copies, and verifying their completeness and accuracy. So. Much. Admin.

Tedious paper record keeping also slows down your batch release process- Meaning order fulfillment delays and potential customer dissatisfaction.

At Elevated Signals, we speak to producers of all sizes every day; we’ve certainly heard some horror stories when it comes to paper batch records. They’ve been stolen, gone missing, or had coffee spilled on them - meaning the batch can’t be released - and this is all after the poor Quality Assurance team has spent hours pulling it together. With virtual audits now commonplace, we know people manually scan hundreds of pages of reports to share batch records with Health Canada and other regulators digitally.

If you’re already using a digital system for your record keeping, then that is a great first step. The next step is to ensure that that system isn’t just an electronic like-for-like replacement for your paper system. Ideally, you want a smart solution connecting your quality assurance program to your manufacturing inventory. This allows you to automate the admin work, freeing time to focus on quality assurance and batch record release.

By implementing this type of digital system, you’ll have end-to-end visibility and traceability of a batch and the ability to compile and download batch records in seconds - useful for those ad hoc Health Canada Audits. You’ll also have access to a whole array of data and insights which can help you reduce errors, identify gaps in your processes and ultimately improve your operations.

Digital Batch Record Examples

Batch Records in Elevated Signals used by QA teams at cannabis cultivators and processors

Digitizing your recordkeeping and automating batch records helps you reduce quality assurance labour costs and the time it takes to compile a batch. But that's not all. It can also help with multiple other challenges, such as inventory management and CTS reporting.

Curious about what digital record keeping looks like? Here’s a digital batch record example in Elevated Signals.

Want to make your Quality Assurance program more efficient? Get in touch if you'd like to learn more about how we can help with automatic batch records.

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Elevated Signals, founded in Vancouver in 2016, offers a GMP‑validated SaaS that unifies real‑time inventory, quality and environmental data, replacing paper systems.

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