The Quality Management (QM) module is Mantsu's dedicated solution for product quality control on the shop floor. It manages the full lifecycle of quality checks: from defining what needs to be measured, to executing those checks against a specific production batch, to maintaining a traceable record of every result.

Where the Checklists module handles general purpose checklists and SOPs (process steps, safety checks, operator guidance) the QM module is purpose-built for product quality. Every inspection is tied to a specific material and a specific batch. Results are measured against defined tolerances. Outcomes are tracked, versioned, and auditable. If your goal is to verify that a product meets its quality specification, the QM module is the right tool.

The QM module follows a three-layer model that will be familiar to anyone who has worked with quality management systems in a manufacturing context. It separates the definition of quality checks from their assignment to materials, and both from their execution on the shop floor.

Characteristics are the individual quality checks: a pH measurement, a weight tolerance, a visual pass or fail. They are defined once and reused across as many inspection plans as needed.

Inspection Plans are the blueprints. They define which characteristics apply to a given material, at which point in the production process they must be checked, and what the acceptance criteria are. Plans are versioned and go through a controlled review and approval cycle before they can be activated.

Inspections are the execution layer. When a quality check is due (either triggered automatically by a production order step or created manually) the system generates an inspection lot based on the active plan. The operator or quality technician works through each characteristic, records the result, and the lot is closed once all checks are complete.

The QM module does not require SAP or any other external system to function. Its structure draws on concepts familiar from SAP QM (characteristics, inspection plans, inspection lots), making it straightforward to adopt for teams with that background. However, it operates entirely within the Mantsu suite and can be implemented as a standalone module on any plant, regardless of the ERP landscape.

For plants already running SAP QM, the module can be configured to mirror existing inspection plan structures, reducing the learning curve for quality teams. For plants without an existing QM system, it provides a clean, structured starting point that grows with the operation.

Both the QM module and the Checklists module present operators with questions to answer during production. The distinction lies in purpose and data structure.

As a rule of thumb: if the question is about the product, use the QM module. If the question is about the process, use the Checklists module.

Inspection lots can be generated automatically when a production order reaches a specific routing step in the Order Cockpit. This means quality checks are built into the production flow rather than managed separately. Operators are urged to complete the inspection, ensuring that no batch moves forward without the required checks being performed.

Every action in the QM module is logged. Inspection plans maintain a full status and version history. Inspection lot results are stored as revisions rather than overwrites, meaning every edit to a recorded result is preserved alongside the original entry. This provides the audit trail required for regulated industries and internal quality reviews alike.

Characteristic: a single, reusable quality check definition, such as a pH measurement or a weight tolerance.

Inspection plan: the versioned blueprint that defines which characteristics apply to a material and what the acceptance criteria are.

Inspection lot: a generated instance of an inspection plan for a specific batch; the actual execution record on the shop floor.

Tolerance: the allowed range for a measured result before it is flagged as out of specification.