Baugher Ranch Organics: Improving documentation and audit readiness

Project context

Baugher Ranch produces and sells almonds as well as almond-based products. The company works with a large number of customers, and each customer can have multiple SKUs with different requirements for production, packaging, and quality specifications.

Managing these requirements requires extensive documentation and verification throughout the entire production process. The quality assurance department oversees food safety programs, customer specifications, supplier compliance, and other certification requirements, including SQF certification.

Before implementing Paperless Forms, most records were managed through paper forms that were being stored in multiple locations. For each production lot, multiple different records needed to be completed and archived. Over time, this process became difficult to manage, especially when documentation needed to be retrieved for audits or investigations.

The quality team began looking for new ways to improve how their records were organized and accessed. While initially searching for a tool to manage customer specifications, the team discovered that converting their paper documentation into a digital system could also simplify their food safety recordkeeping and improve efficiency across the entire organization.

Challenge

As the company continued to grow, managing documentation for quality and food safety became increasingly difficult.

The quality manager was responsible for overseeing multiple programs at the same time, including supplier compliance, customer satisfaction, food safety programs, and certification oversight. With so many responsibilities, managing documentation alone could take up a large part of the role, with collecting and reviewing forms sometimes accounting for nearly 30 percent of the manager’s time.

• Paper-based documentation
  Most records were completed on paper and stored in separate folders. When preparing for an audit or reviewing documentation for a specific production lot, the team needed to locate multiple forms in many different files.

• Large volume of documentation per lot
  Each lot could generate between ten and thirty different forms. Retrieving and verifying all of these records required a great deal of manual effort.

• Limited time for higher-value work
  Because the quality manager was responsible for several different functions, spending time collecting and reviewing documentation reduced the time that was available for overseeing other programs.

• Concerns about technology adoption
  Many employees on the production floor did not regularly use computers. Language differences among employees also raised some concerns about whether a digital system would be easy for everyone to adopt.

These challenges brought to light the need for a system that could centralize records, simplify documentation management, and make information easier to retrieve.

Implementing digital food safety documentation

To address these challenges, Baugher Ranch implemented Paperless Forms to convert existing paper records into digital forms.

The project was managed internally by the quality assurance team. The quality manager and the operations manager first identified the forms that needed to be recreated in the system. These forms were then built using the platform’s form creation tools.

Although building the first forms required some learning, the process quickly became easier once the team gained more experience with the system. Implementation support and training sessions helped the team understand how to properly structure their forms and configure them.

Within about two weeks, the company had converted most of its documentation into digital forms. Training employees to use the system was also very straightforward. Employees were trained individually on the forms that were relevant to their roles and were shown how to complete them on tablets.

Within just a few days of training, employees were able to complete the forms independently and the system was fully operational.

Bringing visibility and reliability to records

The transition to digital forms has provided several operational benefits for Baugher Ranch.

• Faster record retrieval
  Documentation can now be accessed instantly by searching for a lot number, which significantly simplifies audit preparation and internal reviews.

• More reliable records
  Forms automatically flag missing or incorrect information, helping employees correct any issues immediately and ensuring that records are complete.

• Improved investigation capabilities
  Photos attached to forms allow the team to visually verify what occurred during production, which helps when reviewing customer complaints or deviations.

• Time savings for the quality team
  Because records are centralized and easier to review, the quality manager can now spend less time managing paperwork and more time overseeing food safety and certification programs. Previously, documentation collection alone could represent nearly one-third of the quality manager’s workload.

• Better employee confidence
  Employees appreciate having access to the most current version of forms within the system, which eliminates confusion about outdated documents.

Why choose Paperless Forms

For Baugher Ranch, Paperless Forms provided a practical way to digitize all of its documentation while also improving the reliability and accessibility of food safety records.

By centralizing forms in a single platform, the company created a system that allows employees to complete inspections easily, ensures records are verified in real time, and makes documentation immediately accessible when needed.

The platform has helped the company strengthen its food safety programs while making daily record management a great deal more efficient.

Talk to an expert today.