Colorado Bureau of Investigation Success Story

Colorado Bureau of Investigation Relies on Qualtrax

Clint Thomason, Quality Manager with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, works with people each day who are responsible for the collection, preservation, and analysis of evidence found at crime scenes.

In the past, CBI kept electronic copies of all their records, but multiple locations had to be searched to locate the correct document.

This was a problem, not only during their two yearly audits, but also on a daily basis. It drained Clint’s time, as well as the time and resources of the lab managers. They needed a solution to better manage their files in order to maintain their Quality Assurance Standards for Forensic DNA Testing Laboratories and ISO 17025 accreditation.

After adopting Qualtrax, document management became easy to navigate and simple to understand. Staff members quickly adapted to the simplicity of the system – finding files with the search function, using the document tree to organize and viewing and revising documents.

“The access to our staff to the actual published documents has really increased. People find it a lot easier to find the actual documents,” Thomason said.

Qualtrax removed the tedious process of searching through various folders on computers and servers to find the most up-to-date version of a file.

“Because documents are so easy to change, they’re always up-to-date and people only have access to the most current version – it also saves time on the corrective action process at the end,” Thomason explained.

Clint is able to track revisions by running a simple report that can then be handed off to auditors. He no longer has to keep track of dozens of revised files on his computer.

“Audit preparation time is much easier now because everything is in one place,” Thomason told us.

Clint has also taken advantage of the workflow feature that allows business processes to be routed from person to person within Qualtrax. As part of CBI, there are four labs across the state that must be trained and tested in the same way to maintain quality and compliance. Clint uses workflows to ensure that each lab receives that same training.

Qualtrax is a time savings as it allows CBI to identify potential problems and necessary corrective actions and then push them forward using workflows.

“[Qualtrax workflows] have saved us, not only time, but it’s saved us confusion, and it’s saved us, of course, a mountain of paperwork,” Thomason said.

Additionally, Clint uses the Training and Testing functionality to send required trainings directly
to the staff members that need to take them. He also uses this functionality so users can acknowledge that they have reviewed changes in documents and policies. Clint is then able to view the Training Matrix and clearly see who has and has not completed their trainings.

Reporting has been valuable to CBI during their audits, but also on a weekly basis. Clint runs weekly reports to view the status of documents and workflows. These reports can also be used when an auditor pops in to review your documentation.

It is as easy as that. Qualtrax has saved Clint and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation time, resources and a lot of hassle.

Download the success story.

Categories: Cannabis Labs, Forensic Labs

Download PDF