9.

3 Management review
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9.3.1 Management review - general
The guidance shown on this page is relevant to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO
45001. Top management must periodically review the management system to
ensure its continuing suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness. The frequency or
intervals of the Top management’s formal review must be defined.

The management review must address the possible need for changes to
policy, objectives, targets, and other elements of the management system. If
you need a procedure and forms to help your business control its
management review process, click here.
Here's what management systems stanards are really all about: defining a
policy and creating a plan with relevant objectives. You then implement the
system according to the plan and begin auditing, monitoring and measuring
performance against the plan and reacting to your findings.

As such; management review meetings provide useful insight into the

operation of the management system and its processes to enable Top
management to respond to issues and to recommend improvements.
Who should attend management review meetings?
As per Clause 5.1 of the standards, it is important that a member of Top
management chairs the management review meetings. It is imperative that
everyone involved with the management review process fully understand and
appreciate the management review requirements from Clause 9.3.
Other attendees at management review meetings should include functional
management, line management, process owners, process champions, lead
process users, and action owners within the scope of the quality management
system, as appropriate, and the internal auditor(s) should also attend.

The management review process must ensure that the necessary information
is collected ahead of time to allow management to effectively carry out an
evaluation prior to the meeting. Note taking and action recording is often
undertaken by the Management Representative who will forward minutes of
the management review meeting to those on the distribution list and to those
with actions.
How often should we have management review meetings?
There are no specified time periods applicable to conducting management
review meetings. However, they should be organized with a frequency and
format commensurate to the level of risks and the complexity of your
organization.

Critical management review agenda items, such as; process performance,

customer feedback and monitoring and measuring results should be reviewed
monthly, while less critical agenda items, such as reviewing the quality policy
and objectives should be undertaken less frequently, perhaps every quarter.

This approach minimizes the length of each management review meeting,

covers all of the required management review inputs over the duration of the
management review programme, and allows for the analysis of trends in data
while the information is contemporary. Our management system
templates include this type of management review programme, you
can download a copy for free.
Annual management reviews are insufficient in frequency to be able react to
any issues effectively. Performance metrics should be monitored with varying
frequencies, some hourly, some daily, some weekly and some monthly.
Management cannot wait for six months to respond, if they do, it will be too
late.

Top management might conduct weekly meetings in which they review

metrics and objectives to determine if any corrective action is required. The
process owner is then responsible for reporting close out progress in the
meeting a week later. Every time management convenes to review and react to
performance, it is considered as a management review.
Some companies have multiple review levels, whereby, each review may
require multiple subjects and rely upon multiple metrics as inputs. Sometimes
subjects are reviewed at more than one level, e.g. production numbers might
be reviewed by the Production teams during daily production meetings and
then by senior management, possibly weekly.

9.3.2 Management review - inputs

This now includes additional requirements for your organization to have a
structured management review process that includes discussion of internal
and external issue changes, and its potential effect on the strategic direction
of your organization. The management review process should focus on the
following inputs:

Quality management review inputs

 Status of follow-up actions (open/closed) from the previous
management review
 Changes in internal and external issues (Clause 4.1 & Clause 4.2);
 Customer feedback (Clause 9.1.2);
 Performance indicators and objectives (Clause 6.2);
 Process performance and product conformity (Clause 8.1);
 Non-conformities and corrective actions (Clause 10.2)
 Monitoring measuring results (Clause 9.2);
 Results of audits and inspections (Clause 9.1);
 External providers (Clause 8.4);
 Resources (Clause 7.1);
 Risk and opportunities (Clause 6.1);
 Opportunities for improvement (Clause 10.1);
 Changes affecting the QMS (Clause 6.3);
 Review of QMS policy & Objectives (Clause 5.2);
 Review of action items.
Health and safety management review inputs
 The status of actions from previous management review meeting;
 Changes in:
o The needs and expectations of interested parties (Clause
4.2);
o Legal requirements and other requirements (Clause
6.1.3);
 o Risks and opportunities (Clause 6.1.1).
 The extent to which the policy and objectives have been met
(Clause 5.2 & Clause 6.2.2);
 Information on the OHS performance, including trends in:
o Incidents, nonconformities, corrective actions and
continual improvement (Clause 10.2);
o Monitoring and measurement results (Clause 9.1);
o Results of evaluation of compliance with legal
requirements and other requirements (Clause 9.1.2);
o Audit results (Clause 9.2);
o Consultation and participation of workers (Clause 5.4);
o Risk and opportunities (Clause 6.1.1).
 The adequacy of resources for maintaining an effective OHS
management system (Clause 7.1);
 Relevant communication(s) with interested parties (Clause 7.4.3);
 Opportunities for continual improvement (Clause 10.3);
 Review of action items.
Environmental management review inputs
 The status of actions from previous management reviews
considered during management review;
 Changes in:
o External and internal issues that are relevant to the EMS
(Clause 4.1 & Clause 4.2);
o Compliance obligations and other expectations of
interested parties (Clause 6.1.3);
o Significant environmental aspects (Clause 6.1.2);
o Risks and opportunities (Clause 6.1.1).
 The extent to which objectives have been met (Clause 6.2);
 Information on our organization’s environmental performance,
including trends in:
o Non-conformities and corrective actions (Clause 10.2);
o Monitoring and measurement results (Clause 9.1.1);
o Compliance obligations fulfilment (Clause 9.1.2);
o Audit results (Clause 9.2).
 The adequacy of resources (Clause 7.1);
 Communications from interested parties, including complaints
(Clause 7.4.1);
 Opportunities for continual improvement (Clause 10.3);
 Review of action items.
Observations, conclusions, and recommendations for further necessary action
from the review must be recorded. If any corrective action must be taken, Top
management should follow up to ensure that the action was effectively
implemented.

9.3.3 Management review - outputs

Management review results should be summarized, specifying management
commitments, directives and action items. Action items should specify
responsible individuals and target completion dates. Affected individuals
include those impacted by or responsible for addressing findings. You should
seek and record evidence of outputs from the management review process,
there should be evidence of decisions regarding:
1. Process improvement actions;
2. Management system improvement actions;
3. Product and service improvement actions;
4. Resource provision actions;
5. Revised business plans and budgets;
6. Revised objectives and KPIs/SPIs;
7. Amendments to policies;
8. Management meeting minutes.
Any corrective outputs from the management review meeting should be
actioned as necessary through the nonconformity and corrective action
system. Auditors should expect to evidence the same outputs from
management reviews as at present. However, they should note that the results
of management reviews can now be held in any format that the organization
chooses.

Management review meeting minutes, agenda, programme and presentations

should be retained as documented information. Action items should be
developed from the findings of the management review, while results and
action items from the management review should be documented,
communicated to affected individuals, and tracked to completion.