Today, I am going to talk about ISO Management Review. What on earth is management review? How do we do this efficiently?
Text follows the Movie
What is Management Review?
Management Review is a process where top management reviews and confirms the suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness of the management system in place. During this Management Review process, top management also issues instructions for necessary actions.
How is Management Review conducted?
Honestly, I’m a bit afraid that what I explained now may sound abstract to understand, so to make things more concrete, I'd like to share a dramatized version of a management review, featuring my favorite actors, the pandas.
In a typical management review, both the president and the managers attend the meeting.
At this review, the managers will report to the president. For instance, they share the objective achievement rates in the current fiscal year. The president acknowledges their efforts, like by saying, "You are doing a great job."
Then, another manager provides an update on any nonconformities that have occurred during the current term, and the measures taken to address them. The president nods and says, "I see."
Finally, another manager reports on the external environment by sharing any relevant news or updates such as, "I heard that something like this is happening in the world these days." The president understands the reports and responds with a nod, "I see."
However, there are also negative reports that must be addressed, such as receiving complaints from customers. The president thinks, "That's not good enough."
These kinds of reports are important "inputs" in the management review. Based on these inputs, the president says “let’s do better in the future,” and makes a decision to improve, which is considered as the "outputs" of the management review. After the president shares the decisions, the managers respond with "yes," “sure,” or “certainly.” This collaborative process ensures that the management review is completed efficiently.
What is "inputs" and "outputs" of Management Review?
Inputs and outputs for management review are determined by the ISO standard requirements.
Now you see above what ISO 9001:2015 specifies as the inputs and outputs for management review. I will not go into the details of each requirement today, but it's important to note that all the inputs and outputs specified by the standard must be covered.
In addition, the ISO standard requires that a record of management review should be maintained. To meet this requirement, it would be beneficial to keep meeting minutes of the management review in a specific format. This kind of format involves listing inputs and outputs on the left side of the minutes, and providing a detailed summary of the discussions pertaining to each items, on the right side of the minutes. This approach ensures that the inputs required by the ISO standard are fully reported to top management and adequately addressed in the discussions during the management review.
How do I conduct successfully Management Review?
To conclude, I would like to suggest some effective techniques for conducting successful management review. The first technique is to integrate management review with existing meeting. Many companies already have established regular meetings, such as executive or manager’s meetings, which can serve as an opportunity to conduct management review. By doing this, there is no need to schedule additional meetings, which can save your time and resources. This approach can streamline the management review process and ensure that it is conducted efficiently.
Another technique is to conduct management review in separate sessions rather than reviewing all items at once. The ISO standard requires more than 10 inputs to be reviewed, but it does not specify that all items must be addressed in a single meeting. Splitting up the review into multiple sessions can make the process less overwhelming and more manageable. Ultimately, the key to conducting an effective management review is to approach it in a way that minimizes hassle and promotes productivity.
I hope you finally understand what on earth is management review. 😊