Start with your own processes
List the processes you run today: incident reporting, inspections and audits, permit to work, risk assessment and CAPA, training and maintenance. The right software covers the ones that cause you the most follow-up pain and lets you add the rest later.
Criteria that matter
Coverage of your core workflows. Mobile use for field teams. Real-time dashboards for supervisors and leaders. A complete audit trail. Configuration to your hierarchy, departments and approval paths. Implementation support and a realistic time to go live.
Questions to ask in a demo
Can you show my permit or incident process, not a generic one? How are alerts and escalations routed? What happens when an action is overdue? What record can I show an auditor? What does implementation involve, and how long does it take?
Common mistakes
Buying for features you will not use. Ignoring how easy it is for the field team to report. Underestimating setup. A short, honest pilot on one process often tells you more than a long feature list.