In July 2024, Qualio’s Product team hosted two webinars outlining changes and improvements to the user experience. These updates include a new modernized user interface, AI-powered tools to help save you time and effort, and a new beta page where you can toggle between current betas in your sandbox to explore and provide feedback to the Qualio team before a feature’s release.
Looking for a full list of updates to the Qualio User Experience?
Check out our summary article!
View the recorded webinars below or jump to the Q&A.
View the Webinar and Q&A for the full August Launch Train
Questions and Answers from the Webinar
The Q&A below lists the major topics that were outlined in the webinar, as well as additional topics that can be found under the Other Topics header.
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Documents
Will we be able to add an Excel as an upload as opposed to an attachment?
This is not yet available. The solution here depends on the use case - whether the content can or should be maintained within Qualio depends on how it's used.
Are there any plans to add the effective date in the main Library area so you can see the effective date on documents without having to click on them?
We will be validating improvements to the Workspace and Library, the August Launch Train provides a foundation with consistency.
When reviewers leave comments, currently the Comment History just shows the comments, but does not point to where in the document the comment was made. Is that a plan for the future?
We do aim to improve the ease of reviewing comments in the future. Collaboration will be a big theme for improvements to Documents.
Are there plans to enable the new editor for Change control?
Yes, the Change control on documents will use the same single editor as the main document as the new updates roll out.
Could the CC# be added to the document cover page?
We will be validating improvements to exports and have noted your feedback.
Collaboration on documents is extremely cumbersome due to access being restricted to author only. Having a single owner makes sense, but we should be able to have multiple authors on a document so they can edit and comment on drafts.
Thank you for the feedback. Please look out for updates as we confirm features and changes in upcoming launch trains. Collaboration will be a big theme for improvements to Documents.
Document outputs (PDF) have a lot of wasted space. You could really improve readability by reducing margins and font size to fit more on the page.
We will be validating improvements to exports in the future.
How will the revised workflow impact document control?
The updated document workflow streamlines the creation of new documents but has not changed the requirement for change controls and approvals.
Is there a way for the users of a document to suggest an improvement to the document to the document owner, prompting them to create a new version and incorporate the recommended change? Would be nice to have a button to suggest changes.
Suggested changes to effective documents is not currently supported, but we have noted your feedback with the product team
Most of our documents are external documents. How do you add documents?
Documents can be added from SharePoint, OneDrive, or your own computer as an upload. Review our Help Center article on Document Creation here. The upload option remains in the new 'Create Document' flow.
When can we upload larger than 25Mb documents?
We support files up to 100MB in size, we recommend larger files are kept in other cloud storage at present.
Document width when viewing the document is what is very narrow even on a large screen as the screen size does not affect the width. Is there a way to extend this view?
The view on the document is, for now, linked to the dimensions of an A4 page so that we can better match what's printed and exported. We are interested in how best to provide users with more flexibility, we will continue to gather feedback and reach out as we approach proof of concepts.
Are there plans to implement multi-level document approval?
It's an area we're interested in - our next focus in Documents will be to improve collaboration, this would act as an enabler for multiple levels of approval and it would be useful to hear more from customers who need this. We will record your request with others to gauge demand.
Are the user groupings removed now as it was available earlier in the Reviewers and Approvers window?
The user groups will appear - it's a good question as this was not shown in our example today.
Why is there no restriction for the approver selection so that the editor, the owner of the document select themselves as the approver?
This is left to the document owner at present as, in some cases, it has been needed - especially when importing already approved documents. It's something that we could restrict in the future, but for now, it's an individual responsibility backed up by the audit trail. There is a restriction on reviewers, where the author cannot select themselves as a reviewer of a document.
Is there any plan to give a reviewer the ability to decline a document with comments?
Thank you for this feedback. Your request will be recorded with others as we prioritize opportunities.
Will landscape mode be available in the future?
Thank you for this feedback. Your request will be recorded with others as we prioritize opportunities.
In documents - will there be a better way to see which “For review” documents have had reviews completed (or not) without having to click into the document?
Thank you for this feedback. We will fold it into our analysis of ongoing improvements.
When creating the document, can an upload format be selected?
Yes, the upload remains.
It looks like you've removed the ability to name a document and add tags all in one step. This change requires more navigation into different menus to manage tags, reviewers, approvers, and the document title.
The reasoning here was to enable the author to start writing the document without the need for these inputs upfront, our user testing found this was welcomed. Please share additional feedback as you complete your own testing.
The "Green ticks" for having performed the Reviewed or Approved status on Docs are good, but the Reviewed ones disappear once sent for Approval. I've been caught out by Docs not having been reviewed and would always have to check by Exporting the Doc with the cover page to double-check this. Could the Green ticks for Completed Reviews remain visible at the Approval stage?
The new design of the document properties panel will show checkmarks next to reviews along with the date and time of any completed reviews.
Is there any plan for a page break view of documents when drafting. It's painful to have to cycle through export to PDF and review and go back and edit.
Thank you for this feedback. Your request will be recorded with others as we prioritize opportunities.
Can a deadline be set for document review/approval? Can reminders be sent for outstanding reviews/approvals?
Review and Approval deadlines can be set at the template level. Reminders are sent automatically in weekly emails, or a Quality user can send reminders ad hoc through the Activity Report.
Can you assign a comment (in a document) to a specific person?
We're very excited to offer the option of mentioning users in the comments. The work you're seeing previewed on Notifications will enable us to provide this in the future.
Regarding restricted access, currently, the default is that the user sees everything that is not restricted. Can one create a user that sees only documents with a certain tag (so to do it vice versa)?
That is impossible today by default; users can see all documents without a private tag. However, if all documents are on private tags, then this would potentially achieve the outcome you are looking for.
Do documents now bypass Change Control?
No, when creating a document, a blank change control will be created. This can be filled out from within the change control tab.
If we are not using the editor, can we remove the CC tab on this if we are using a change control for other changes that reference CC in Documents?
Currently, this is not possible. All documents require a CC to maintain consistency and control.
Can the cover page on document exports include both author and owner?
Currently the cover page cannot be adjusted, but we will fold this feedback into our analysis of ongoing improvements.
Can you hyperlink to different sections of the same document?
That's beyond the scope of this release's improvements. We are excited to make further improvements to documents in launch trains to come.
Can A4 margins be adjusted?
The view on the document is, for now, linked to the dimensions of an A4 page so that we can better match what's printed and exported. We are interested in how best to provide users with more flexibility, we will continue to gather feedback and reach out as we approach proof of concepts.
Can documents be deleted from sandbox environments?
Only draft documents can be deleted. Any documents that have been approved will need to be retired.
When making a new draft of a document it would be helpful to see in which events this document was linked. It would make it easier to see if other changes to the document must be as well. Is there any plan to make this easily viewable?
Thank you for this feedback, we will fold it into our analysis of ongoing improvements.
Can the Change Control be moved to the right of the page? It would prevent having to go back to the document when filling in the change control.
Thank you for this feedback, we will fold it into our analysis of ongoing improvements.
AI
Will there be a training session or webinar specifically for AI uses within Qualio? How it works?
This will be part of the August 27th webinar. Along with this, we will share some material that you can share with your internal teams to train them on the new functionality.
Will it be possible to control AI feature access for every user separately? I could see a scenario where I'd only want particular personnel to have access to it.
In its current design these tools would only be shown to users with the access to create documents (Normal or Quality users).
Will AI still work if we have changed our change control template from those standard 3 questions?
Yes, the AI content generation takes the change control template into account when creating the CC.
I see in the sandbox the AI option can be turned on, will there always be an option to have AI on/off when it is released?
AI will be an optional feature, even after the sandbox validation period.
Is the AI an internal AI or is it going to a third party supplier? If third party, how are you managing IP security?
Although 3rd party as initially mentioned in the webinar, we can confirm that it's an internal tool within our own AWS instance, nothing moves outside of our network.
Is AI available in events?
Not at the moment. We are focusing on a successful rollout to Documents before so we have kept the initial release small and will build on this in the future.
Will the launch train validation pack include validation of the AI?
The launch train validation pack that will be shared with you on August 12th before it goes into sandboxes on August 13th will include AI.
What features will have AI available?
Writing documents, change control and training assessments.
When is the planned roll out date for AI features to production?
The roll out date will depend on the feedback gathered during the beta, but the expected date is September 12th as part of the August 2024 Launch Train
Is there any indication on a completed document that AI tools have been used?
Not at this time. Thank you for raising this feedback.
Can the number of AI questions be increased for 3?
At the moment this is fixed.
Who can toggle AI on or off?
Admins only.
How did you train your AI if it is internal?
It’s trained by AWS for generic LLM usages. We've not trained it further.
Events
Will we be able to add more than one product to an event?
Adding multiple products to an event is outside the scope of these changes, but is something we are looking at including in a future update.
How can we export events that are closed and the turnaround as opposed to the created date?
Events can be exported in bulk from the main list page by selecting the three dot menu next to the filters. Individual event exports can be kicked off from the event detail page. Both exports should include both the created date and the date of resolution or completed date. Learn more about event exporting in our Help Center.
Were there any functionality changes in events?
The UX update does not include any changes to the Events functionality.
You use the words issue and event. Are these different things or is an issue an event?
Yes they are equivalent. Events is the term we will be using going forward.
Notifications
Is it possible to tag people in comments so they are notified when collaborating on revisions?
Tagging people in comments does not currently send a notification, but is something we can consider for future notification improvements.
Will supplier notifications be happening soon?
Notification updates for this launch will not include any new notification types, however, we will be continuing to invest in notifications going forward with Supplier notifications the top priority.
Can reminders be sent to reviewers and approvers?
Yes, reminders can be sent to users via the Activity Report.
Can only admin users send reminders for document reviews and approvals?
Normal users can send notifications on documents they own, while quality users can access and send reminders on all documents. Please see our Activity Report article.
Can reminders be sent for Event (review/approval) stages or only for documents?
This is not currently a feature planned for the next launch train, but it is something we will consider for future launches.
Can email notifications or notification messages be customized?
Email preferences for notifications will be included in the upcoming notifications release, but the structure of these notifications cannot be changed.
Will the in-app notifications include Supplier approvals?
The in-app notification feed, will only contain existing notification types. Suppliers will be added at a later time.
Can notifications be adjusted based on document type?
No, notification preferences do not take document type into consideration.
Will weekly summary emails still be sent to users? Can these be disabled?
The weekly summary emails will still be sent. At the moment these are not considered a notification relative to in-app notifications and can not be controlled by the notification preferences.
Does a smartlinked user receive a notification when they’ve been added via a smartlink?
Adding a smartlink for a user does not currently send a notification. The link is a purely informational text that will stay updated with any user information changes.
How long do notifications last in the list? Is it never-ending? If I am out of the office for a month, will the ones from Day 1 have disappeared by the time I return?
Notifications are retained in the in-app feed for 1 year.
When will the Qualio docs/articles be updated with the instructions on how to edit these notifications?
Articles are updated in line with the launch date, which is September 12, but there is a specific article here for these updates.
Will the in-app notifications display the details of why the approval has been declined?
The approval declined notification emails will contain the decline comment, but the in-app feed will not show that level of detail. Selecting the notification from the feed will redirect you to the document where the decline comment will be visible.
Can you make the decision on how to receive each different type of notification? For example, I don't want an email every time a document is approved (unless I'm an approver), but I want an email for training.
Yes, you can turn on and off emails using the in-app feed preferences panel. The preferences are based on notification type.
Does the item get removed from the notification list when it has been addressed or does it remain until you yourself remove it?
Unread notifications are denoted by a blue bar on the left side. When you click on the notification to take the required action the unread bar goes away. Notifications can be removed completely on an individual basis, but only through manual action.
Is it possible to use a filter (e.g. show only unread notifications) in the notification app?
It is not currently possible to filter the in-app feed, but this is something we can explore for the future.
Can Quality Users ensure that no one can turn off training emails?
Not yet, but we're exploring the adding of account-level controls in the future.
Who gets a notification that a document is made effective? Anyone who has it on their training plan or only Quality?
Training notifications are separate from Made Effective notifications. When a document is made effective that requires training only Quality users will receive the Made Effective notification but any user with assigned training will receive a training notification.
Is a report to see what notifications people have disabled? I worry that non-Quality users will disable all notifications.
There is not a report outlining individual notification preferences, but this is something we can explore adding in the future.
Can an admin set the periodic review reminder for all docs, i.e 3 months before due, so the owner receives this in their dashboard?
Periodic review is first set at the document template level which gives each new document a default setting, from there the document owner can set this on each version. Reminders are automatically included in the Weekly Summary Report beginning at 30 days before the due date.
How can I minimize the in-app notifications area?
It can be minimized by clicking the small bell icon or anywhere outside the panel. In this case it shrinks back to just how the bell and a small 'dot' to indicate if there are any notifications to read
Is there differentiation between notifications that require actions from me and those that are for info only?
The controls over types of notification allow each user to decide what's sent and how (in-app or by email). We won't have a separation between 'action' and 'watching' upfront but the title of the notification makes this clear. We're excited to get your feedback as you try it out!
Will all user types see when documents are approved in notifications or still just Quality users?
There are no changes planned to who receives these messages on launch, but these users can now disable these (if they are not desired).
Will the new user experience have a "frequently accessed documents" shortcut section?
Thank you for the suggestion, while it's not in the August launch train release we are interested in making it easier to find documents like these in the future.
If a document has more than 1 reviewer, will we receive a notification every time a person completes the review or only when all reviewers have completed the review?
The current functionality only sends a notification to the author when all reviews have been completed. This functionality hasn’t changed with this update.
Smartlinks
Can I smartlink to a specific version of a document (instead of the latest version as it is now)?
Currently smartlinks will point to the latest version of any of the linked resources, but we may expand that functionality in the future to provide links to specific versions. As a workaround, a hyperlink can be added by copying the version’s URL, but only Quality users will be able to access any superseded version.
Are there plans to add figure & table captions with smartlinks similar to MS Word captions?
We have not committed to these features yet, please look out for updates. Collaboration on documents is our next focus.
Can you now smartlink in Suggestion mode?
Smartlinks have been enabled in suggestion mode with a recent update.
Is it possible to use a smartlink to sections within the same document (i.e. jump to different sections within a long document)?
Smartlinks currently are used to link to entire resources, not to specific sections.
What happens when you click on a link for a user, what does it take you to?
Smartlinks for users currently will display as read only text as there is no user profile page to direct to.
Can you do smartlinking only in the events or also in the documents?
The new smartlinks will be available in both documents and events.
What happens to the user smartlinks when a user is removed from our Qualio account? Does the user link disappear and we lose the reference to the user?
Any user name updates will flow automatically, but the text will not be removed from your documents, events, etc, when a user is removed from an account, unless you manually delete the text.
Will it be possible to track all items (documents, events, etc.) in which a specific document is referenced with a smartlink?
This is not currently available but is something we plan on adding in the future.
Would it be possible for links to change the names if the linked document has changed the name?
The answer is yes! Name (and ID) updates to a document will be updated wherever you reference it. Any PDFs will need to be exported again to see the new name, as these are outside the Qualio system.
Can the icons be disabled when using smartlinking?
This feature is not planned for the upcoming launch train, but we will consider your feedback for a future launch. Regular links entered using the toolbar 'link' icon will continue to appear without the icons.
Can you add a smartlink in the change control?
In change controls, you will be able to add smartlinks to documents, events, suppliers, and change requests.
Will these smartlinking capabilities be available in Analytics? For example, will we be able to report on how many times an event is mentioned or where it may be mentioned, etc.?
Smartlinks will not be part of Analytics, but we are exploring adding references to individual resource links in the future.
If we are currently using smartlinks, do they remain?
Yes, you will notice these with the new icon if you are editing the document, but they will remain the same in any exports, etc.
Other Topics
Collaboration
Are there any plans to add 3rd party / external document signing?
Thank you for the feedback, this is something we can consider for the future.
Will the new release allow for real-time collaboration on a document between multiple users?
That won't be part of the August release but we have collaboration in analysis as we recognize the benefits and want to validate our approach with customers soon. We will add you to the list of customers to help validate designs.
Dark Mode
Will we ever get a dark mode for Qualio?
We have not made a delivery commitment yet but please look out for updates, we aim to prioritize based on what's going to have the biggest positive impact for our users.
Design Controls
Have any changes been made to design controls?
No changes have been made to design controls at this time, but we are currently reviewing design controls and working with customers to design enhancements. If there is anything you would like to share, please share your feedback.
Document Change Requests
Can the Change Request template be modified?
Editing the Change Request template is not included in this launch train but is something that we can consider for the future.
Is it possible to see that a document is part of a DCR (additionally to when being in the DCR)?
Yes, if a document is part of a Change Request, the DCR ID will appear in the Document's properties panel and will be a link for easily viewing the DCR details in the context of your document.
Why is there an automatic CC for each document if there is also a DCR? Will the DCR be the same ID?
Change Requests allow bundling multiple document changes together but are not meant as a substitute for individual document Change Controls.
Integrations
When are you going to enable integration to external ALM and PLM tools?
That's to be decided, we'd like to hear more about your use cases so please feel free to reach out via support or your CSM.
Mobile Accessibility
Has any effort been made to make the platform work better on mobile devices?
Thank you for asking, we would appreciate more information on your use case - please share this via your CSM or the support channel. Most of our users are on desktops with some on tablets.
You refer to the website as the app, but there is no app version of Qualio, correct?
There is no mobile app version of Qualio. Any use of "app" during the webinar was in reference to the application accessed via your web browser.
Will you be launching a mobile-friendly app down the road?
Thank you for raising the interest, we track all candidates and aim to assess the benefits. If you're interested in working offline, then one approach would be to use the new OneDrive integration.
Pagination
Is the ability to pin the preference for the number of items to show per page part of the new function or is it planned for the future? For example, setting the default list view to show more than 15 items?
We don't offer that personalization in settings at the moment, but will consider this feedback for future enhancements.
Release
Are these changes currently live in sandboxes?
The changes are not live, but there is the option to switch it on the beta in your sandbox. Please visit beta features in the Admin Settings. These features are a part of the August Launch Train and will go in your sandbox account on August 13th and your production instance on September 12th.
Is there an option to opt out or postpone implementation of some of the updates planned for Aug/Sep?
Your CSM will be in touch with more information on the roll out.
Suppliers
Will any updates be made to the Supplier Module?
The supplier module has not been updated as part of this user experience update.
Supplier records new or being revised do not show up on the Dashboard, can that feature be made available?
Notification updates for this launch will not include any new notification types, however, we will be continuing to invest in notifications going forward with Supplier notifications the top priority, including displaying these on the dashboard.
Training
Will people managers be able to see their employees’ training?
We have not made any updates to the training functionality at this time, but this is something we can explore in the future.
Are there plans to add theability to edit training permissions for users? For example, giving a normal user the ability to see overall training status for groups.
The UX updates do not include any functional changes to training permissions, but this is something we can consider for the future.
If 1 person has multiple outstanding training, is there a way to send a reminder to said person for multiple trainings, rather than individually for each outstanding one.
Not at present, thank you for requesting this, we have noted it with our product team.
Can we get an option to waive training requirements for a single document for specific users when using Training Plans and Groups?
Thank you for the feedback, this is something we can consider for the future.
Can I bulk remind people who haven't yet completed the training?
Yes, you can bulk send reminders for outstanding training via the Activity Report. The help center provides a walkthrough on this topic. Please raise additional queries with Support.
Will we be able to set up auto retraining on a document? For example, if I want a specific policy to be retrained annually, can that be set up?
Thank you for the suggestion. While it's not in the August launch train release, we are interested in supporting this use case in the future.
Tags
Has there been any update to tags? For example, hard coding a tag into a document template.
Tag behavior has not been changed as part of this update.
User Management
Is the new "Make Effective” tab on the Dashboard visible to all users (Quality and Normal?)
This will be visible to both quality and normal users, but it will only show items if that user owns a document that is in an 'approved' state and has not been made effective yet.
Do any limitations exist for basic users vs. normal/quality users?
Please see our User Roles information for a full overview.
Will you have a "Manage Reviewers" option?
There is a manage reviewers option on the new document overview. You can try this out on sandbox today!