APQ

Cultural excellence is the expressed and implied ways in which an organization operates. Excellence in quality culture is essential for delivering robust and sustained quality performance and ensuring patient-focused outcomes. Culture determines quality outcomes by affecting the organization’s ability to identify and act upon near-miss shortages, ensuring the integrity of its data, assuring transparent problem escalation, and striving for operational excellence.

The Process Performance and Product Quality Monitoring System (PPPQMS) is a fundamental element of the PQS described in ICH Q10. An effective PPPQMS ensures a state of control is maintained and facilitates continual improvement. The ISPE APQ Guide: PPPQMS provides a quality management framework for assessing and advancing an organization’s PPPQMS.

The change management system is a fundamental element of the PQS described in ICH Q10. Effective change management enables quality improvement and ensures a continued state of control. The ISPE APQ Guide: Change Management System provides a quality management framework for assessing and advancing change management systems.

ICH Q10 sets a clear expectation regarding the role of strong leadership in terms of demonstrating and communicating “strong and visible support for the pharmaceutical quality system.” The ISPE APQ Guide: Management Responsibilities and Management Review provides a quality management framework for assessing and advancing leadership systems. It provides a systematic and proactive approach to evaluating management responsibilities highlighted in ICH Q10 as well as other key leadership components:

The ISPE APQ Guide: Corrective Action and Preventive Action (CAPA) System provides a quality management framework for assessing and advancing CAPA system maturity level by evaluating several key components.