Overview of Management Review in ISO Certification Process

Author: Sarah Francoise

What is a Management Review?

Management review is a methodical assessment to ‘measure the efficiency of the organizations’ management system. ISO standards need management reviews because they confirm that management systems remain focused on the direction of the business and constant improvement. An ineffective management system leads to a lack of engagement, uncertainty and lack of clarity throughout the business. The idea behind the review procedure is to take a regular and efficient step back from day to day running of a business to review the performance of the management system.

Regularly reviewing and improving procedures within an organization is a critical element of constant improvement. Management review permits an organization to make informed decisions using the Key Performance Indicators driven by their management system; identify chances for improvement and review and manage business risks.

Why are Management Reviews Important during ISO Certification?

Management review is an important and required part of running an ISO certified Management System. They permit to control and evaluate management system performance, the essential for change and improvement, and the suitability of business policies and objectives.

Management review permits an organization to:

  • Review real results relating to the performance of the business and its systems.
  • Look at trends in issues encountered with a view of improving practices to eliminate their causes.
  • Review data on the performance in meeting the quality objectives and key performance measures for the organization.
  • Learn from what has gone wrong.
  • Monitor subsequent corrective and preventive actions.

Who should perform a management review?

Responsible managers should be present an participate in management reviews. The person with the complete responsibility of the Management System should head the meeting.

When should management reviews be conducted?

Purpose to do a management review at least once a year, while for larger organizations it’s recommended that reviews should be conducted more regularly. Regular management reviews are a requirement of ISO standards and should be done regularly. It is up to the organization to set the occurrence of the management review. However, ISO standards state that the frequency of reviews must be defined in the management system procedures or related documented procedure for ISO certification.

The training for management review coordinator will help to understand he requirements of management review meetings with practical examples for the QMS. This Management review Coordinator Training will help to gain knowledge of Management Review Meeting so that they can differentiate between other meetings conducted by the top management and the management review meetings.