Management Review

Management review is one of the requirements from the ISO 9001 standard - Clause 9.3.1

A management review is the required activity of conducting regular reviews on the company management system to continue evaluating its performance, sustainability and effectiveness in planned intervals.

It is performed as a meeting where representatives of the top management are presented with data and information regarding the performance of the management system.

Companies are required to retain the documented information of the management review (inputs and outputs), including any changes that might affect the existing work practice.

Management Review demonstrates the commitment of the organization to maintaining and improving the effectiveness of the management system.

It is also a channel for communication from the first-line to the higher authorities. Issues or misunderstandings can be better addressed. Employees were given a chance to raise critical issues for leaders to make decisions to solve, change or improve.

A management review meeting is held usually after the implementation of change, procedures or improvements.

Determined based on the nature and complexity of the company activities, executives prepare reports respectively from the change.

A review is done when the report or a result has been raised to the management (outcome of the implementation).

Management will then decide if the strategy is yielding any positive results and if there are any refinements, adjustments to make. On the flip side, when things go wrong, what are the alternative actions that can be done or which implementation has to be phased out.

There are no stated requirements about the frequency of the management reviews. Some topics might be evaluated monthly, others quarterly or six months will be sufficient.

Referencing ISO 9001, the standard has clearly defined the top management as the main participants.

The top management consists of persons or groups of people who direct and control the company at the highest level.

This includes:

1. Board of Directors. The individual that has the authority to appoint resources for the management system.
2. Head of Departments. The organizational role the that steers and directs each functional department of the company.

Management is required to evaluate their current performance, customer feedback, opportunities for improvement and any possible changes that need to be made to the relevant documentation that has been analysed.

The review shall ensure that the management system is planned in alignment to the strategy (vision & mission) of the company.

No particular method of documenting is specified for management review. This is a choice company and the executives decide.

Records of the last review will be checked and referenced during each of the certification audits. To provide evidence of whether management is regularly performing a review on their system.

The documented information shall consist of:

1. Any decisions made on whether there is a need to change any aspect of the management system.
2. The level of resources required to support the operation of the management system.
3. Results relating to continual improvement opportunities.

As the management of your company, you'll need to establish a process of periodically reviewing your company management system to:

1. Ensure it is achieving the expected results.
2. Ensure that it continues to meet the requirements of the standard.
3. Agrees with the company's policies and objectives.
4. Continues to provide customer satisfaction.
5. Ensure it is functioning according to the established operating procedures.
6. Identify defects and evaluate possible improvement.

Management will also review and compare the previous results of the audit to identify problems and establish improvements.

This includes internal and external issues, process and delivery performance, achievement of quality objectives, supplier performance, complaints and operational risks and opportunities.

The inputs to management review should include any that is related to performance, conformance, and improvement. This includes technology, regulation and statutory conditions and changes, and environmental conditions.

This is where action for improvement or further decision regarding opportunities for improvement.

The outputs to management review should provide a continuous record of the company capability to produce quality that meets the quality objective, policies and to continue to provide customer satisfaction.

Inputs earlier will be taken into consideration with facts and data to set a new KPI for the organization. Previous records and decisions are also crucial in helping management leaders set an achievable KPI.

All-in-all, the process of management review is identical to the PDCA Cycle framework for continual improvement.

Following the core concepts of continual improvement, management review as the check stage helps monitor the progress of change and decision making.