Management Review

What is a management review? The management review process requires Top management must periodically review the QMS to ensure its continuing suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness while addressing the possible need for changes to quality policy, objectives, targets and other elements of the QMS.

The management review should include representation from Top management, functional managers, line managers, process owners, process users and action owners.

Why undertake management reviews?

1. Determine and evaluate QMS performance

2. Determine the need for change and improvement

3. Determine the suitability of the policies and the objectives

The purpose and outcome of the management review should be a continual improvement of the QMS. As your organization’s QMS increases in its effectiveness and efficiency, your processes performance and improvement process will likewise increase.

When should we schedule a management review?

The frequency or intervals of reviews must be defined in the QMS by the Management Team.

Aim to do a management review at least once a year or more often if appropriate. Little and often is best; there is nothing to say that you have to go through the full agenda each time, nor is there any need to duplicate effort if you cover certain aspects as part of other management meetings.

The frequency of management reviews might be monthly, quarterly, six-monthly or annually. You may decide to have stand-alone management reviews or combine it with other business activities, e.g. strategic planning, business planning, operations meetings, process reviews/councils, customer requirements or functional reviews. It is up to your organization to set the format, frequency and intervals of the formal review, but it must be defined in the QMS or related documented procedure.

What should be reviewed?

Customer feedback and Internal and external issues should be discussed, recommendations for improvement - and their potential effect on the strategic direction of the organization.

The management review must address the possible need for changes to policy, objectives, targets, and other elements of the QMS. The management review process must ensure that the necessary information is collected ahead of time to allow management to effectively carry out this evaluation.

Internal

1. Minutes from previous management reviews

2. The policies, objectives and targets

3. Results of QMS and process audits

4. The extent to which objectives and the numeric targets were met

5. Assessment of risk management actions

External

1. New or proposed legislation or regulations

2. External providers and suppliers performance

3. Changing expectations/requirements of relevant interested parties

4. New or modified activities, products, or services

5. Advances in technology and science

6. Changing the market preferences of buyers

All management reviews must be documented. 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.

The purpose and outcome of the management review should be a continual improvement of the QMS. As your organization’s QMS increases in its effectiveness and efficiency, your environmental performance will likewise increase.

Management Review Inputs (Agenda)

Effective management - The management review process must ensure that the necessary information is collected ahead of time to allow management to effectively perform the review.

The management review process should focus on the following inputs:

1. Risks and opportunities

2. Possible changes that might affect the system

3. External provider and suppliers performance

4. Customer satisfaction and perception Audit results in

5. Non-conformity and corrective actions

Management Review Outputs (Minutes/Actions)

All management reviews must be documented. 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.

Auditors should expect to evidence the same outputs from management reviews, however, they should note that the results of management reviews can now be held in any format that the organization chooses.

Typical outputs might include:

1. Process improvement actions

2. QMS improvement actions

3. Product improvement actions

4. Resource provision actions

5. Revised business plans and budgets

6. Changes to quality objectives and policies

7. Management meeting minutes

How's best to document management reviews?

It is not a mandatory requirement to document the management review procedure for achieving certification, however, if the management review process is vital in achieving product quality; you may find a documented procedure useful.

Develop and implement a management review procedure that defines:

1. Management review responsibilities

2. Management review scheduling

3. Management review inputs

4. Management review outputs

Measuring management review effectiveness

The management review process can be measured by assessing the effectiveness of key decisions/outputs; e.g. budgetary changes, forecasts, revised resources plans or changes to the quality policy or objectives.

Management review outputs are intended to improve your business; auditors will look for evidence that this is being achieved.