Understanding the 'Compliance Manager' Role

Global Medical Device Podcast · 9 Mar 2023 · 21m · Episode 309

What this episode covers

Maryann Mitchell, a Solutions Engineer at Greenlight Guru with 15 years of medical device experience, explains the role of a Compliance Manager and the cultural barriers between engineering and quality teams. She details challenges in managing multi-site quality systems, such as right-sizing procedures for sites ranging from 11 to 1,000 employees, and the pain of losing traceability when engineers iterate without documentation. Mitchell contrasts paper-based systems with electronic Quality Management Systems (eQMS), highlighting how eQMS improves audit defense and reduces administrative bottlenecks like lost physical documents.

Mentioned

Companies
Greenlight Guru
Also
Maryann Mitchell, Etienne Nichols, MedTech Excellence, FDA, Notified Body, eQMS, SharePoint, Google, Dropbox, DocuSign

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Let's Combinate · 13m

    215 - Why Aren’t Technical People Leading Drug-Device Audits?

    Subhi Saadeh, Founder of Let’s Combinate BioWorks, explains why engineers in pharma and medical devices should become auditors, arguing that technical expertise combined with audit methodology creates the most effective auditors. He details how auditing provides a system-level perspective, revealing how design decisions ripple through Quality Management Systems (QMS) and identifying systemic root causes that isolated engineering work often misses. Saadeh addresses common misconceptions, such as the view that auditing is merely bureaucratic paperwork, and reframes it as a critical tool for building regulatory fluency and career versatility across industries like aerospace and medical devices. He concludes with practical steps for engineers to enter the field, including shadowing internal audits, learning audit frameworks like ISO 13485, and seeking mentorship from experienced professionals.

  • Let's Combinate · 35m

    205 - Why Less Than 20% of Companies Have Started Quality 4.0

    Larry Mager, Founder of MGMT-CTRL, explains why fewer than 20% of companies have started Quality 4.0 despite 63% believing it will transform operations. He introduces his Quantum Quality Management (QQM) framework, a five-phase roadmap that prioritizes people, process, and technology to move beyond compliance. Mager argues that legacy Electronic Quality Management Systems (EQMS) fail because they are pre-programmed, whereas modern solutions use 'digital twins' to model workflows and ensure digital continuity. He emphasizes that successful implementation requires a strategic roadmap, cultural change, and management control rather than just installing software.

  • Let's Combinate · 32m

    130 - QMSR Changes to Traceability/Reporting, Independent Reviewer & Risk Management, Learning New Regulations and MDSAP with Aaron Snyder

    Aaron Snyder, VP of Quality Assurance at Allotex and AAMI Faculty member, explains the FDA's Quality Management System Regulation (QMSR) and its incorporation of ISO 13485. He details specific changes to traceability, including the requirement to meet 21 CFR Part 821 (Medical Device Tracking) and Part 830 (UDI) in addition to ISO requirements, and new FDA-specific controls for records, packaging, and labeling. Snyder contrasts FDA inspection techniques, which focus on finding non-compliance through deep dives into complaint and service records, with ISO surveillance audits that verify conformity. He also discusses the impact of QMSR on MDSAP companies, noting that while harmonization simplifies compliance for large firms, smaller US-only companies face more work to adopt the process approach and explicit risk management.

  • Being an Engineer · 37m

    S1E12 Simplifying Quality Management | Jon Speer

    Jon Speer, founder of Greenlight Guru, explains how his frustration with managing medical device quality via Excel spreadsheets led to the creation of a dedicated QMS software platform. He details the transition from chemical engineering to medical device systems, highlighting the specific pain points of manual data merging and the high validation burden for electronic records. The episode covers Greenlight Guru’s development, its focus on design controls and traceability matrices, and the regulatory challenges of FDA submissions and ISO 13485 certification for startups.

  • The Manufacturing Executive · 29m

    Digitizing Quality Management

    Andrew Steele, founder of FactoryQA, discusses the critical role of quality management systems (QMS) in manufacturing, emphasizing that quality must be a cultural element driven by engaged employees rather than just a posted policy. He explains how ISO 9001 certification serves as a vital credibility signal for suppliers and outlines the significant risks of poor quality, including high costs of poor quality and reputational damage. Steele highlights the inefficiencies of analog, paper-based systems and introduces FactoryQA as a cloud-based solution that digitizes non-conformance tracking, document control, and inspection sheets to enable real-time analytics and predictive maintenance.

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Global Medical Device Podcast. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.