Sunday, February 14, 2016

How ISO 9001 can benefit Management Review Contents



In previous posts I have emphasized that a Management Review (MR) need not imply a commitment to ISO 9001 certification. That is true, but there are advantages to using the knowledge of the ISO 9001 Standard in designing an MR.

The Standard represents Management Experience

The ISO 9001 Quality Assurance Standard has gone through several iterations over more than 30 years. As such, it represents a very considerable management experience base. ISO 9001:2015 is now being implemented. The standard is based on seven management principles: 1) Customer focus; 2) Leadership; 3) Engagement of people; 4) Process approach; 5) Improvement; 6) Evidence-based decision making; and 7) Relationship Management. An examination of how the standard is defined within each of these areas gives rise to a class of questions: Are we doing that? If so, how well are we doing it? If not, why not?

In the unlikely case that the company is doing everything that ISO 9001 would ask of it, a sense of validation comes from knowing that. In the more likely case that the questions expose areas of neglect, potential risks, and opportunities for improvement, it is better to know that now than to be surprised later.

ISO 9001 Audit Preparation

A corollary to the first advantage is that, if the company does plan to pursue ISO 9001:2015 certification, the MR will anticipate questions that arise during an external audit. Whether or not the MR serves as an entry point into certification, it offers some of the best features of ISO 9001.

A Complement to CEO Needs

The MR is the CEO’s meeting; he sets the requirements, goals, and objectives. That said, since the option is available, it makes perfect sense to draw on ISO 9001 requirements to either complement or validate his choices in that regard. Very few CEOs have become successful by ignoring the experience of their predecessors. As it relates to the MR, why would a CEO ignore that body of wisdom from previous CEOs and management experts?

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