Quality by Design: Create Smart Control Points in Odoo for High-Risk Industries

As we head into 2025, quality assurance remains a top priority for high-risk industries like pharmaceuticals, aerospace, and food manufacturing. To stay compliant, efficient, and competitive, these sectors must adopt modern technologies that enable consistent, proactive quality control. Enter Odoo 18—the latest ERP powerhouse designed to support risk-based strategies through scalable, smart automation.

In this blog post, we’ll explore how to elevate your Quality by Design (QbD) strategy by leveraging Odoo quality control points within Odoo 18. You’ll learn how to create risk-based control setups, configure dynamic quality rules, and receive real-time alerts that prevent compliance mishaps before they occur.

Why Quality by Design (QbD) Matters in 2025

Quality by Design is more than a regulatory expectation—it’s a business imperative in today’s high-risk sectors. With regulators like the FDA and EMA advocating for QbD frameworks, companies are expected to demonstrate that quality is embedded into their process rather than inspected after the fact.

With increasing pressure to meet stringent compliance standards while optimizing operations, quality leaders need a system that can:

• Automate and monitor quality checks across the supply chain
• Dynamically adjust controls based on risk levels
• Deliver real-time insights to prevent deviation trends

Fortunately, with Odoo 18’s enhanced Quality module, these capabilities are not just possible—they’re accessible.

Establishing Risk-Based Control with Odoo Quality Control Points

At the heart of an effective QbD strategy is intelligently set Odoo quality control points. These are checkpoints configured within Odoo that automatically trigger inspections at critical stages of the manufacturing and operations process.

For high-risk industries, Odoo 18 now allows you to configure quality control points using a risk-based approach. Instead of flat, generic checks for all products, you can prioritize frequent inspections for high-risk products or processes while reducing low-value checks for low-risk items.

Here’s how to implement a risk-based control setup in Odoo 18:

1. Classify Products by Risk Factors: Utilize Odoo’s product categorization to assign criticality levels (e.g. high, medium, low) to your inventory or processes.

2. Associate Risk Levels with Control Frequencies: In your quality control points configuration, link criticality to inspection frequency. For example:

•    High risk: 100% inspection frequency
•    Medium risk: 50% randomized control
•    Low risk: Statistical control every 1 in 10 batches

3. Configure Custom Triggers: Odoo 18 lets you define triggers like product reception, during production, or prior to delivery, ensuring high-risk touchpoints are always monitored.

4. Document Risk Matrix: Embed a digital risk assessment matrix into your Odoo quality workflows for audit traceability and continuous improvement.

By centralizing this logic in your ERP, you not only reduce regulatory risk but optimize operational efficiency by focusing resources where it matters most.

Dynamic Quality Rules Powered by Smart Automation

Static rules just don’t cut it anymore—especially in industries where environmental changes, suppliers, or customer specifications can evolve rapidly. Odoo 18 allows you to convert your basic quality control points into automated, dynamic quality rules.

Here’s how dynamic quality rules work:

Trigger-Based Rules: Quality checks can be made conditional based on triggers like temperature logs, supplier history, or operator performance.

QC Rule Hierarchies: Odoo 18 introduces hierarchical control logic. For example, if a product fails inspection for three consecutive batches, the system can escalate checks to higher-level protocols or even flag for batch quarantine.

Supplier Quality Scoring: By integrating with Odoo’s Purchase and Inventory modules, quality rules can be adapted on a per-supplier basis. This enables heightened scrutiny for underperforming partners and reduced checks for consistent vendors.

Version-Controlled Rulesets: This is essential for industries with evolving quality standards. Odoo 18 supports rule versioning, giving you seamless traceability when processes or compliance requirements change over time.

With dynamic rules, you shift from reactive QC inspections to proactive, adaptable quality assurance rooted in real-time data and process intelligence.

Real-Time Alerts and Dashboards: Stay Ahead of Failure

One of Odoo 18’s standout features for quality management is its real-time alert system—a game-changer for decision-makers tasked with rapid issue resolution.

For high-risk sectors, seconds matter. A single oversight or delayed mitigation can have serious consequences across compliance, cost, and customer trust.

How to use real-time alerts effectively:

1. Threshold-Based Notifications: Set thresholds for defect rates, test results, or machine parameters. When borderline risks are nearing failure levels, alerts are sent instantly via the Odoo chatter, mobile push, or email.

2. Escalation Logic: Assign severity levels to alerts (e.g., minor deviation vs. critical deviation). Configure Odoo to automatically escalate to quality leads, operations managers, or compliance officers based on risk level.

3. Integrated Dashboards: Odoo 18 introduces customizable dashboards showing live quality metrics. With widgets like non-compliance graphs, open NCs, or critical process KPIs, you get instant visibility into operational health.

4. Root Cause Analysis (RCA) Integration: If an issue is detected, Odoo can automatically launch a Quality Alert linked to corrective action (CAPA) workflows. This traceability not only helps in solving the issue but also demonstrates regulatory responsiveness.

These features unite strong process control with rapid response capability, driving both compliance and continuous improvement across your operations.

Benefits of Smart Odoo Quality Control Points in High-Risk Industries

By implementing advanced control point strategies in Odoo 18, organizations in high-risk sectors experience exponential advantages:

Increased Compliance: Ensure audits go smoothly with clear digital logs of inspections, CAPA, and deviation handling.

Operational Efficiency: Avoid bottlenecks caused by manual checks or over-inspection, saving time and reducing costs.

Proactive Risk Management: Identify and address problems before they escalate using predictive analytics and alerts.

Scalability & Flexibility: Easily scale quality strategies across multiple sites, product lines, or regulatory jurisdictions.

Data-Driven Decision Making: Leverage rich analytics to refine SOPs, vendor selection, and internal training programs.

These are not just incremental wins—they’re significant strategic advantages in industries where quality is vital for safety, brand reputation, and market access.

Final Thoughts: It’s Time to Upgrade Quality Thinking

As we move into 2025, doing more with less is no longer optional—it’s essential. Organizations that embed intelligent, risk-based quality controls using tools like Odoo quality control points will thrive in uncertain regulatory environments. Odoo 18 gives you the toolkit to deliver Quality by Design at scale—automated, auditable, and adaptive.

Ready to explore how Odoo 18 can transform your quality systems?

Let’s start the conversation. Connect with our Odoo implementation experts to assess your current quality strategy and discover custom solutions tailored to your industry.