Paperless Cannabis Compliance
Many in the cannabis industry have witnessed or experienced mountains of paper tucked away in filing cabinets or binders, countless Excel sheets that haven’t been updated in time, and walls adorned with whiteboards displaying colorful diagrams and words. The problem further complicates itself when you add in multiple locations or facilities. The costs go up, and the efficiencies generally go down, making it harder to maintain accurate records such as a dispensary SOP template or track crucial data like nutrient burn levels.
In 2015, Corp Magazine reported that, on average, an organization pays $20 to file a paper document, $120 to find a misplaced document, and $220 to reproduce a lost document. On average, 25,000 documents carry an estimated cost of $500,000 to a company, just to file! These costs can be significant, especially when managing essential documents like a cannabis SOP template.
Here is a list of six additional benefits you can look forward to when you transition away from paper:
1. Increased Operational Flexibility
Cannabis production is a dynamic environment that requires accurate and up-to-date information to make informed business decisions with speed and precision. Remote access to the data that matters creates new possibilities for 24/7 remote monitoring and support, whether you're overseeing cultivation SOP templates or managing inventory.
2. Quicker Responsiveness
The cannabis industry is still in its infancy, and as a result, the regulations around the production of cannabis are ever-evolving. Having a paperless solution in place allows you greater mobility and efficiency in responding to these regulatory changes, ensuring that your processes align with the latest requirements and best seed to sale software practices.
3. Better Environment for Innovation
Creating a better product starts with understanding the data. Having the ability to compare batches easily and efficiently allows departments and teams to have a deeper understanding of the effects of their processes and where they can begin to find areas of improvement. New ideas and innovation can flourish when departments and teams have access to accurate, real-time data-sharing tools, driving improvements in product quality and consistency.
4. Greater Efficiency and Productivity
Whether you are looking to forecast your next harvest date, determining if you have enough materials to complete that cloning activity, or timing when your bottling line will have some downtime so you can schedule in routine preventative maintenance, it is all about identifying and achieving your timelines. A paperless system allows your planning team to have immediate insight into the inner workings of your business without the need for the great paper chase. This efficiency is crucial when calculating the cost of good quality across your operations.
5. Simplified Security and Compliance
Intellectual property stored on physical documents has a greater chance of getting into the hands of those who should not be able to see it. Software can not only secure your business-critical documents such as Batch Records, SOPs, and Work Instructions within an access-controlled environment, but it can also enable you to have fingertip access to these documents in a time of need, such as during a regulatory audit. This access is especially important for maintaining compliance with cannabis SOP standards.
6. Reduced Paper and Associated Costs
This one is obvious, but still worth mentioning. When you consider the number of activities, work records, schedules, reports, instructions, etc., that get recorded to a paper document for your GxP cannabis production, and the costs associated with document management, it all becomes quite staggering. Reducing your paper footprint to only the essential documentation print-offs can improve your organization, lower your energy consumption, and increase employee morale. The reduction in paper and increased employee morale will bolster your “Triple Bottom Line” (People, Planet, Profit).
Summary
Transitioning to a paperless operation comes with many benefits and savings for your cannabis production business. Being able to take your data, make it easier to digest and navigate, and then turning that into informed actions and responses to the challenges your business faces will provide value for years to come. Whether managing compliance with a cannabis SOP or optimizing operations with the best seed to sale software, going paperless is a step toward greater efficiency and success.
References
Peterson, M (2015, November 5). 82 Percent of Companies Still Spending Billions on Paper. Corp Magazine. https://www.corpmagazine.com/industry/technology/82-percent-companies-still-spending-billions-paper/
Goodwin, G (2014, May 6). 6 Benefits of Moving to a Paperless Manufacturing Environment. LNS Research. https://blog.lnsresearch.com/blog/bid/197143/6-benefits-of-moving-to-a-paperless-manufacturing-environment
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