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Pharma Quality Management Systems online course

Learn how to establish, monitor and improve a modern Pharmaceutical Quality Management System taking into account Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements and recent changes in GMP's requirements for Quality Systems.
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Pharma Quality Management Systems online course

Learn how to establish, monitor and improve a modern Pharmaceutical Quality Management System taking into account Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) requirements and recent changes in GMP’s requirements for Quality Systems. 

The Pharma Quality Management Systems online course is available online using a desktop pc, laptop, tablet or even a smartphone.

It has been designed for busy Pharma professionals who want to fit short 15 to 30-minute chapters of learning into a hectic work schedule and cannot afford three, four or five days out of the office. 

Select these links to find out more about:

Training to inspire you

Our courses receive fantastic reviews. Some ‘nuggets’ from our reviews.io website are shown opposite/below. Use the chevrons under the ‘nugget’ to navigate all of them. See the full quotes further down this page.

The quotes above are also from our QP QMS course which is identical to this course except there are 2 tutor marked assessments.

Make a Booking

Book onto the Pharma QMS Online Course by  selecting the button in the panel shown below::

Pharma Quality Management Systems online course

Available: Anytime Anywhere using a desktop pc, laptop, tablet and most smartphones

Duration: Around 25 hours online learning 

Cost: £795 plus VAT per learner (see below for details)

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If you plan to pay by credit card then you should first look at this helpful information. Payment can be made by cheque, electronic transfer, credit or debit card. Login details will be sent shortly after payment has been made. 

VAT will be charged for delegates doing the course who are based in the UK. However, delegates from outside the UK but within the European Union (EU) will not be charged VAT if they supply their own company’s national VAT number when booking. VAT will not be charged for any delegates from outside the EU.

To try a free taster of these courses to see if they are of interest visit this page.

Academy Skills Library

Once a learner completes their course and leaves a review on our  review.io site they will be given free unlimited access to nearly 400 self-paced online courses for 12 months. For more details select the icon.

Key Course Information

Course overview

This Pharma Quality Management Systems course explains how to establish, manage, monitor and continually improve a forward thinking modern Pharmaceutical Quality Management System that adds real-value to your organisation. The course covers current principles on Pharmaceutical Quality Management Systems (PQMS) and includes the FDA’s “Guidance for Quality Systems” and ICH Q10 “Guidance on Pharmaceutical Quality Systems”. These guidelines explain the evolving nature of QMS thinking, with a focus on organisational effectiveness and efficiency rather than just product quality and GMP. We also include the ramifications to a pharmaceutical company of the recently updated EU GMP Chapter 1 on Pharmaceutical Quality Management Systems and Chapter 2 on Personnel. These both have a major impact on the role of Top Management within an organisation.
Delegates will leave the Pharma Quality Management Systems course with a clear understanding of how to successfully integrate GMP, ICH Q8, 9 & 10 and ISO 9000 principles into a compliant, effective, efficient and continually improving QMS for the whole business, as well as the role of Quality Personnel in re-shaping quality thinking to move with the times to meet today’s business challenges.

Who will the course benefit?

This Pharma Quality Management Systems course is aimed at busy professionals working in the Pharma industry who need to understand how a forward thinking modern Pharmaceutical Quality Management System can add real-value to their organisation. It is especially valuable for Quality Professionals, especially those working in Quality Assurance and Quality Improvement roles, as the course provides an eye-opening view of modern quality management thinking.

Cost: £795

VAT will be charged for delegates doing the course who are based in the UK. However delegates from outside the UK but within the European Union (EU) will not be charged VAT if they supply their own company’s national VAT number when booking. VAT will not be charged for any delegates from outside the EU.

The cost includes:
  • Access to the on-line learning platform for 12 months.
  • Course notes containing copies of slides, notes and handouts.
  • Tutor support provided.
  • A course certificate on completion of the course.

Study Anytime Anywhere:

This course is of about 25 hours duration – the equivalent to a 3-day classroom based training course. The chapters of the course are each done in your own time. Work through the course materials when you like! The course is presented in short bite-size chunks with assessments throughout to check your understanding. Tutor support is available via telephone and email. Once you are assigned to the Course you have 12 months to complete the programme.

To try a free taster of these courses to see if they are of interest visit this page.

Course contents

Unit 01: The Evolution of Quality Management Systems

  • Introduction to the course
  • The concept of Quality and Quality Definitions
  • The concept of Quality Management System thinking
  • The evolution of Quality Management System thinking
  • Good Manufacturing Practice – EU and USA GMP
  • Pharmaceutical principles of QA, GMP and QC
  • Traditional GMP and modern QMS thinking

Unit 02: How to Design a Quality Management System

  • The design criteria for an effective QMS
  • Comparison of ISO 9001 and GMP
  • Pharmaceutical QMS evolution
  • The FDA’s Quality System Model & ICH Q8, 9 & 10
  • Documentation systems, documents and record keeping
  • Organisational structures, reporting relationships and review
  • The design, selection and qualification of premises, equipment, utilities and services
  • The concepts associated with risk management
  • Additional guidance for those starting a new QMS

Unit 03: How to Implement a Quality Management System

  • Assigning roles and responsibilities
  • The roles of the Heads of Production & QC and the Qualified Person
  • The role of QA and their interaction with other departments
  • The roles and responsibilities of Top Management
  • Training and evaluation
  • The skills and competencies needed to provide effective GMP training

Unit 04: Half-way on-line assessment

Unit 05: How to Maintain a Quality Management System

  • Review of the system so far
  • Purchasing and supplier qualification
  • Supply chain, materials control, brokers, distributors and repackagers
  • Outsourcing and technical agreements
  • Production planning, scheduling and inventory control
  • Deviations and change control
  • Calibration and preventive maintenance

Unit 06: How to Evaluate a Quality Management System

  • Annual Product Quality Reviews
  • Economic and statistical indicators
  • Staff Appraisals and Performance Management
  • Management ReviewAuditing and self-inspection
  • The collection and analysis of data

Unit 07: How to Improve a Quality Management System

  • Customer complaints and satisfaction monitoring
  • Correction, Corrective Action and Preventive Action
  • Quality metrics – GMP and beyond
  • The Process Approach
  • Process based auditing
  • Internal customer focus
  • Interpersonal skills and required behaviours

Unit 08: Miscellaneous

  • Course summary
  • References and useful web-sites

Unit 09: Final on-line assessment

Why choose this course?

The benefits of this programme?

  • Designed for busy Pharma professionals who want to fit short 15 to 30-minute chapters of learning into a hectic work schedule and cannot afford three, four or five days out of the office
  • Course notes (delegate pack) available to print and keep.
  • Do the course when you like – no need to attend on specific days.
  • Convenience – access anytime at home or at work.  All you need is internet access and a computer, iPad, iPhone or tablet.
  • Assessments throughout the course to check understanding.
  • Tutors contactable via phone or email (UK office hours).
  • The course fee is the price you pay – no hidden or extra costs of travel, accommodation and meals.
  • Why not give us a try? Others have and were really impressed. To try a free taster of these courses to see if they are of interest visit this page.

Previous Delegate Feedback

I will definitely recommend it for other colleagues

QA Manager, GLAXOSMITHKLINE

I liked the course very much and wish to do other modules

QA Manager, ASTELLAS

This course is very helpful to understand overall QMS especially if someone has never worked in Quality Assurance department. Since I want to switch my career from QC to QA, the course has helped me a lot.  My knowledge and understanding about Quality, Quality management system, and other important aspects relating to funtionality of pharmaceutical industry have increased. I would recommend this course to others
Sheetal Patel

The whole course has been extremely well structured and I have enjoyed taking it

Pharmaceutical Consultant

Also see reviews about this course from the independent Reviews.io website:


Our expertise

The experts who have designed and built this course:

Peter Lavis

Peter Lavis

Peter is arguably the finest Quality Management Systems tutor in the business, his enthusiasm for quality system thinking and his outstanding training abilities have gained him international praise and appeal.  He is an IRCA registered Quality Management Systems Lead Auditor.  Peter is an enthusiastic trainer with over 30 years of quality and industrial experience, including spending the past 15 years working closely with pharmaceutical organisations small and large.

Dominic Parry

Dominic Parry has worked in the pharmaceutical industry since 1992 and is a leading pharmaceutical quality management specialist.  He initially worked for Evans Medical Limited as a Production Development Scientist.  He then moved to Hoechst Marion Roussel where he worked as a Quality Assurance Officer and then Validation Manager for the sterile manufacturing operations.

Over the past 20 years he has worked as a leading pharmaceutical trainer and Quality Management System specialist.  He works closely with pharmaceutical companies and their suppliers on evaluating, developing and continually improving their quality systems so that they add real-value to organisations.  He has a real passion for training in the pharmaceutical industry and has presented GMP and Quality Management related training courses all over the world.  He is an IRCA registered GMP Lead Auditor and regularly performs audits of pharmaceutical companies and their suppliers.

Ron Orme

Ron Orme

Ron has been involved in the learning and development industry for over 20 years. He is a Fellow of the Learning and Performance Institute and in 2004 received the LPI ‘Colin Corder’ award for outstanding services to the training industry. He is the architect behind our website and our learning platform and also develops the web-based learning courses that we now offer to support many of our learning programmes. In addition, he also provides general business support on strategy and sales and marketing.

Find out about our course ranges

GMP Training

QMS Training

GDP/RP Training

GMP Compliance

QP Training

GDP Compliance

The benefits of being IRCA registered

Our 5-day Pharmaceutical GMP Auditor/Lead Auditor Course is registered with IRCA, the International Register of Certificated Auditors (IRCA Ref:PR325).  This is the world’s premier organisation for professional auditors and sets down minimum standards for auditors and auditor training courses.

Raising non-conformities

Many auditors audit by going into areas, finding things that they don’t like and then announcing their non-conformities at a closing meeting at the end of the audit.  This is somewhat of an old-fashioned way of auditing.This article the best way of dealing with non-compliances using modern standards.

Documents required by USA GMP (21 CFR 211)

The article covers the requirement of written procedures required by 21 CFR 211

Documents required by EU GMP

The list below details the documented procedures specified as being required by EU GMP. It is worth pointing out that many times in GMP there is a requirement to have a “procedure”, but this is not the same as a “documented procedure”.

GMP Calibration

Around a pharmaceutical manufacturing site there will be many measuring devices that require calibration. GMP requires the calibration of such devices with similar requirements in both EU and USA GMP

Dealing with problems – for good

Problems happen in work and in life.  Problems also happen within any quality system. GMP requires problems to be dealt with correctly.

CAPA – time for a rethink?

Most manufacturing sites these days have CAPA systems – a mechanism to capture, record, control and approve or reject Corrective Actions. However despite this approach many organisations feel that they are still in “fire-fighting” mode – always dealing with yesterday’s problems rather than preventing future issues from occurring.

ISO 9001 versus GMP – Part 2

One of the main problems of comparing GMP and ISO is that the two standards are not the same and are not really trying to do the same thing. This article highlights the key differences.

QMS News and Articles

Read our articles on  QMS regulatory developments as well as news about our QMS training courses.

About Inspired Pharma

We help people in Pharma organisations to continually improve their regulatory systems to gain competitive advantage and ensure compliance.

We offer a wide range of highly praised and respected classroom and online training courses and also provide our global pharma clients with consultancy support. Our classroom courses are available on a public schedule and also can be customised for inhouse delivery at a client site.

Quick Links

Find your way quickly to any part of our website by selecting any of the links in this section:

Our Public Course range

Most of our public courses are currently being delivered using our proven 'live online interactive' courseware enabling you to attend the course from your home or workplace and be heard and seen throughout, just as you would be if we were in a room together. In 2022 we will also begin to offer some traditional classroom courses - see details on each course page.

Click on course name for full course details and dates:

Pharmaceutical GMP Auditor/Lead Auditor

Advanced Good Manufacturing Practice

Data Integrity

Documentation and Records in GMP

Good Distribution Practice

Good Manufacturing Practice

Internal Auditor

GMP Problem Solving

Responsible Person (RP)

Sterile Products

Online courses available anytime anywhere 

Data Integrity

Good Distribution Practice (GDP)

Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)

Pharma Quality Management Systems module

QP Medicinal Chemistry & Therapeutics module 

QP Quality Management Systems module

Each course typically consists of 10-20 minute chapters of content followed by a quiz based assessment. The QP courses feature tutor assessment too. The learning is accessed over the internet using desktop computers, laptops, tablets and even smartphones.

Visit our Independent Reviews.io website