What is a management review for ISO 9001?

Complacency is the enemy of progress – that’s where management review meetings come in. These meetings are crucial in keeping your Quality Management System on track. In this article, we dive into the nuts and bolts of what these meetings should cover, why they matter, and how they align with ISO 9001 guidelines.

What should a management review cover?

A management review is a formal meeting that involves top management and occurs at planned intervals throughout the year. These meetings aim to assess the effectiveness of an organisation’s quality management system and are pivotal in ensuring continual improvement.

A management review meeting should cover:

• The status of issues from previous meetings.
• Modifications that affect the organisation’s quality management system.
• Evaluation of the adequacy of the available resources.
• Identification of opportunities for improvement.

Objectives of management review meetings

Some of the most significant objectives of management reviews include:

• To address changes in the organisation.
• To highlight and take advantage of areas of improvement.
• To boost employees’ motivation.
• To address potential risks.
• To let your team learn from previous mistakes.
• To evaluate ISO 9001 compliance.
• To keep the business on track, focusing on its targets and goals.

ISO 9001, clause 9.3 management reviews guidelines

ISO 9001 requires top management to regularly evaluate the adequacy, suitability, and effectiveness of their organisation’s Quality Management System. The review should be conducted while addressing the need to include changes to the objectives, targets, quality policy, and other aspects of the Quality Management System.

Inputs for a management review meeting should include:

• Risks and opportunities.
• External supplier performance.
• Customer satisfaction levels.
• Changes affecting the system.
• Audit results and findings.

Although you don’t have to record the proceedings to get an ISO 9001:2015 certification, it’s essential to document the date of the review, decisions taken, participants in the review, discrepancies in the system, and recommendations for improvement. The record of the management review outputs should specify the resources, individuals, and the timeline needed. ISO 9001:2015 requires that the management be monitored gradually and reviewed if problems persist.

Measuring the effectiveness of a management review

You can measure the effectiveness of the management review by evaluating the effectiveness of the outputs. Here are some of the areas to check:

• Key decisions.
• Completion of previous tasks.
• Work in progress.
• Employees’ motivation towards achieving the new goals.
• Budget estimates.
• Next production plans forecasts.
• Support required by your peer and team members.

Management review follow-ups

It’s recommended to circulate an action plan with the names of the people responsible for performing the specified tasks within an appropriate timeline. It’s best to consider making and circulating the management review meeting minutes for them to be discussed during the next scheduled meeting.

In the meantime, the heads of departments should ensure the completion of all the agreed-upon tasks before the next management review. Additionally, they should guide and mentor the teams as they focus on completing the tasks before the deadline.

Eventually, your team will adopt a culture of efficiently and effectively facilitating management reviews. The management will be able to determine what’s to be done, who should complete the tasks, the deadlines, and how to effectively evaluate the results of the accomplished tasks.

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