If you’ve ever implemented an ISO Standard, then the term Management Review will be familiar to you.
It’s a mandatory part of the implementation process, and a crucial tool for monitoring continual improvement. Somewhere down the line, it’s become a bit of a myth that a Management Review needs to be an annual meeting.
That is simply not the case, while required by the Standard, it’s very flexible on how this could be achieved.
In this episode Ian discusses the purpose of Management Review, including what you should be including and getting out of the review and breaks down the fallacy of the annual event.
You’ll learn
- What is the purpose of a Management Review?
- What are the common misconceptions about Management Review?
- How Management Review supports other clause requirements
- What are the inputs for Management Review?
- What are the outputs of a Management Review?
Resources
In this episode, we talk about:
[02:05] Episode Summary – Ian discusses the real purpose of Management Review, and dispels the myth of the annual event.
[02:35] What is the purpose of a Management Review?: Management Review is a requirement of all ISO Standards. It’s main purpose is to check if your Management System is fit for purpose, and what needs to be updated to ensure it aligns with your businesses objectives and strategic direction.
In short, it’s there as a check to see what’s working well and what’s not working well, in addition to continual improvement considerations.
[03:30] What are some common misconceptions about Management Review?: Some common misconceptions include:-
- That it’s simply a formality – Rubber-stamping things and missing out on the opportunity to effectively monitor management system progress
- That It must be once a year
- Having to review everything in excruciating detail i.e. all audit findings
- The need to update the risk assessment and re-jigging scores
- That you must review and update your SWOT/PESTLE
- Or review and update all management system documentation
- That it’s the perfect opportunity to re-write a policy
There is a time and place for all of these, and you could tackle some of this in a Management Review if you really want to, but that is not the main purpose of a Management Review.
[04:50] How Management Review supports other clause requirements – Leadership: If we take ISO 9001 as an example, the Leadership clause states:
“Top management shall demonstrate leadership and commitment with respect to the quality management system by:
a) taking accountability for the effectiveness of the quality management system
e) ensuring that the resources needed for the quality management system are available
g) ensuring that the quality management system achieves its intended results”
These requirements at first glance may seem like they’d require a lot of effort and monitoring of many different factors, but in actuality they can all be satisfied through effective Management Review.
[05:55] What involvement is required from top management? As stated in ISO Standards:-
“Top management shall review the organization’s management system, at planned intervals, to ensure its continuing suitability, adequacy, effectiveness and alignment with the strategic direction of the organization.”
Top management also have involvement in the following elements of implementing and maintaining a management system:
- Context
- IPs
- Risks/Ops
- Objectives
- Policy
- Support
- Operation
- Performance monitoring
Management Review relates specifically to ‘performance monitoring’, but that in of itself will include elements of all the other clauses within the Standard, and many of those require top managements involvement on some level.
[07:45] The fallacy of the annual event – The Management Review clause specifically states that a Management Review should be ‘carried out at planned intervals’.
Many had interpreted that as once a year, which has been the prevailing myth for decades. Looking at the Standard, no where does it say ‘once a year’, planned intervals means it could be once a month, it could be once a week, it could be a set points during the summer.
When deciding on these planned intervals, take into consideration the nature of your business, the size of your business, the risks associated with it and the maturity of your Management System. This will determine how frequent the Management Review should be, as it will differ for every business.
[09:10] Examples of Management Review frequency – Ian has worked in an organisation where they had a rather grand Management Review process, where top management and other relevant individuals meet to review the past year and set the scene for the following year.
That same organisation also had monthly meetings with the same members of top management to keep on top of new and on-going issues.
That isn’t to say this is the only way to run Management Review. Some opt to have quarterly meetings, others once every 6 months and some even leave it to once a year.
[10:40] What is required of Management Review? Inputs – Clause 9.3 details the requirements of Management Reivew in most Standards (some swap 9.3 and 9.2 around, but the contents remains the same).
First, the inputs required for Management Review include:
The status of actions from previous management reviews – If you said you were going to do something before, how’s that going?
Changes in external and internal issues that are relevant to the quality management system – this doesn’t mean that every meeting should consider the SWOT/PESTLE/IP tables, but there must be some determination of when that’s done in detail and when a senior mgt discussion should include the key aspects of that and its impact. There is a need to review these things when required anyway, so doing it only at pre-defined times can be problematic.
Information on the performance and effectiveness of the quality management system, including tends in:-
- Customer satisfaction and feedback from relevant interested parties;
- The extent to which objectives have been met;
- Process performance and conformity of products and services;
- Nonconformities and corrective actions;
- Monitoring and measurement results;
- Audit results;
- The performance of external providers;
- The adequacy of resources;
- The effectiveness of actions taken to address risks and opportunities;
- Opportunities for improvement.
[20:45] What is required of Management Review? Outputs – You will also have a number of outputs from Management Review, including:-
Opportunities for Improvement – This could be as a result or reviewing audit findings and discussing the OFI’s found and how you can address and implement these. You could also use the Management Review to review and set new objectives for the year ahead.
Any need for changes to the management system – You may need to review policies and procedures and see if they’re still fit for purpose, if they’re not then this is a good venue to discuss and update them. Other aspects that may have changed or will have a need to change include:
- Interested parties – have their needs and expectations changed?
- People – Do you need to change the people involved with certain processes?
- Awareness – Do you need to raise more awareness around a specific topic?
Resource needs – You may need to raise the need for more resourcing in regard to the management system or related processes.
If you’d like to learn about alternative ways to host a Management Review, listen to one of our previous episodes.
We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:
- Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin
- Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.
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Happy New Year! We at Blackmores hope you all managed to have a break over the holiday season and are gearing up for many challenges and successes in 2023.
As a reminder, we signed off last year by highlighting the top 5 podcasts as dictated by you, the listeners.
Before we dive into a brand-new year full of top tips, expert advice with industry leaders and client interviews, we’d like to take a step back and let the host share her reflections on 2022.
Join Mel as she shares her personal top 5 ISO Show episodes from last year.
You’ll learn
- What are Mel’s top 5 episodes of 2022?
Resources
In this episode, we talk about:
[00:30] A reminder to listen to our last podcast, covering the top 5 podcasts as dictated by the listeners.
[01:21] #1 Episode 102 – What’s in a name? This episode features our Senior Isologist, Sarah Ball, as she explains the importance of giving a meaningful name to your Management System.
[03:40] What’s in a Name snippet – Full episode available in the ISO Show Archive
[08:01] #2 Episode 94 – The 7 Steps of Carbonology_ Reduce – Part 4 of the 7 Steps of Carbonology series, featuring our Carbonologist, David Algar. This episode delves into the creation and communication of a carbon reduction plan, and the benefits of reducing your footprint rather then relying on offsetting alone.
[10:14] The 7 Steps of Carbonology – Reduce snippet – Full episode available in the ISO Show Archive
[16:48] #3: Episode 117 PMC’s journey and ongoing success with ISO 27001– This is an interview with Philip Bailey, the Managed Services Director at PMC Retail, talking about their ISO 27001 journey. Philip shares his lessons learned and gives some top tips for anyone considering implementing the Information Security Standard
[17:58] PMC’s journey and ongoing success with ISO 27001 snippet – Full episode available in the ISO Show Archive
[24:00] #4: Episode 100 How to get the most out of your Management Review – Featuring Rachel Churchman, Managing Consultant here at Blackmores, this episode explores how added value can be gained from doing a Management Review. Mel and Rachel discuss various ways you can conduct a Management Review and what should be your key inputs and outputs.
[26:14] How to get the most out of your Management Review snippet – Full episode available in the ISO Show Archive
[30:41] #5: Episode 108 How to align your Management System with the Sustainable Development Goals– Following on from the Sustainable Development Goals summary episodes, Mel shares how you can align your Management System right now without the need for any ISO certification.
[32:37] How to align your Management System with the Sustainable Development Goals snippet – Full episode available in the ISO Show Archive
We look forward to bringing you even more amazing content in 2023, so stay tuned! 😊
We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:
- Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin
- Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.
Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episode’s
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It’s been a busy year here at Blackmores! Somehow, we managed to fit in the time to publish 37 new ISO Show episodes.
It’s been a mix of knowledge sharing, top tips, advise and stories from our very own consultants and clients – and we’re looking forward to sharing even more with you next year!
We thought it’d be good to end this year on a look back at 2022 and highlight 5 of the most listened to episodes of the ISO Show across its many platforms.
Join Mel as she shares some snippets from our top 5 most popular episodes this year.
You’ll learn
- What are the most listened to episodes of the ISO Show for 2022?
Resources
In this episode, we talk about:
[00:30] The top 5 episodes of 2022 have been selected based on which episodes have been listened to the most.
[01:00] #1: 98 What is a Management Review? This is an episode that appeals to a more general audience as Management Review is a requirement of many ISO’s. This was the 1st of a 3-part series and explains the basics of what a Management Review is and what it typically includes.
[02:47] What is a Management Review snippet – Full episode available in the ISO Show Archive
[05:40] #2: 100 How to get the most out of your Management Review – Part of the Management Review series – this episode includes Rachel Churchman, a Managing Consultant here at Blackmores. The episode explored various ways in which you can make your Management Review both more engaging and successful in achieving tangible outcomes.
[06:55] How to get the most out of your Management Review snippet – Full episode available in the ISO Show Archive
[13:20] #3: 106 What are the Sustainable Development Goals – This is a 2-part series which explores the 17 SDG’S and how ISO Standards can meet certain goals. In both episodes, Mel gives specific examples of the many ISO’s that align with the SDG’s.
[15:08] What are the Sustainable Development Goals snippet – Full episodes available in the ISO Show Archive – Part 1 / Part 2
[22:08] #4 and #5: 109 What’s new with ISO 27002:2022? / 110 What are the 11 new controls in ISO 27002? – Both of these episodes shortly followed the release of ISO 27002 – A guidance document for ISO 27001. While not certifiable, it did give us an insight to the changes in ISO 27001 that were published later in the year. Episode 109 summarises how ISO 27002 works in relation to ISO 27001, along with a very brief summary of the changes. Episode 110 goes into more detail on each of the 11 new controls – and features our very own Managing Consultant, Steve Mason.
[24:38] What are the 11 new controls in ISO 27002 snippet – Full episode available in the ISO Show Archive
That’s it from us for 2022! We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New year – See you on the other side in 2023 😊
We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:
- Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin
- Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.
Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:
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Do you find keeping up with regular annual ISO tasks a struggle?
It’s easy to let ISO maintenance slip through the cracks, especially if it’s in addition to your primary job role.
If this sounds familiar, then you should consider outsourcing certain areas of your ISO management system to be managed by ISO experts.
Today, Mel explains the areas that should be managed in-house, the areas that can be outsourced, and the ISO support plan we offer to help businesses outsource aspects of their management systems.
You’ll learn
- How long ISO certifications are valid.
- Why businesses outsource some areas of their management system.
- The different ISO areas you can outsource.
- How to maintain quality when outsourcing internal audits.
- The importance of quantifying the results of your management system.
- The importance of employee engagement in your ISO management system.
Resources
- Need support with revamping your Management System? check out our ISO Support Plan
- Need guidance and support with ISO Standards? isologyhub
In this episode, we talk about:
[01:38] How long ISO certifications are valid and the ISO support plan we provide.
[02:38] Why businesses outsource certain aspects of their management system.
[03:34] What areas you can outsource and what you should keep in-house.
[04:48] Health and safety requirements and risk management needs.
[06:03] The most popular ISO areas that can be outsourced.
[09:27] How to optimise performance through updating management systems.
[09:57] The importance of being able to quantify the results of ISO systems.
[10:54] How to outsource the facilitation of your management review.
[12:15] Employee engagement training that can be outsourced.
Just a reminder, we’re offering 6 months free access to the isologyhub for anyone who signs up to an ISO Support Plan!
We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:
- Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin
- Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.
Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:
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This episode is the final part of our 3-part series on Management Review, and this time Mel is joined by Rachel Churchman to explain how to best conduct Management Reviews and what’s best to include in them.
Rachel Churchman is a Managing Consultant at Blackmores where she assists clients to implement, maintain and continually improve their UKAS certified ISO Management Systems.
Mel and Rachel discuss the different ways to conduct a Management Review, how to improve the Management Review process, and who should be involved in your Management Review.
You’ll learn
- The purpose of a Management Review.
- Different ways to approach your Management Review.
- The importance of using data.
- Who you should involve in your Management Review.
- How to deal with non-conformities and corrective opportunities.
Resources
In this episode, we talk about:
[07:30] The purpose of a Management Review.
[11:15] The Management Review carried out at Blackmores and the issues we came across.
[13:06] The ways Covid has shifted from being viewed as a risk to an opportunity.
[14:14] The importance of reviewing your company’s subscriptions in your Management Review.
[15:30] The benefits of involving more people in your Management Review.
[17:52] Why data analysis is so essential in a Management Review.
[22:35] The importance of considering your outputs as well as your inputs in your Management Review.
[24:47] Areas you should monitor and measure in your Management Review.
[30:53] The most beneficial ways to review your objectives.
[34:43] How to deal with non-conformities and corrective opportunities at Management Review.
[37:20] Types of resources you should review in your Management Review.
[41:50] Our top tips for Management Review.
[47:24] The three different ways to conduct a Management Review and the benefits of each one.
For members of the isologyhub, we have a few Management Review templates available for download
We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:
- Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin
- Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.
Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:
Stitcher | Spotify | YouTube |iTunes | Soundcloud
This episode is part 2 of our 3-part series on Management Review, explaining how to conduct Management Reviews and what you should include in them
Today, Mel looks at the three different ways you can deliver a management review, what you need to consider when planning a management review and the key aspects of what to include in your management review report.
You’ll learn
- How to plan your management review.
- What information you need to include in your management review.
- The different styles of a management review.
- Key aspects of what to include in your management review report.
- How frequently you should have a management review.
- How to inspire confidence when chairing a management review meeting.
Resources
In this episode, we talk about:
[01:30] What you need to consider when planning a management review.
[03:20] The different ways to deliver a management review.
[06:10] Facilitating a management review and emphasising continual improvement.
[06:47] Different inputs you can include in the management review.
[07:45] Chairing a meeting and how to inspire confidence during management review meetings.
[08:55] Key aspects of what to include in your management review report.
[10:05] The purpose of a management review.
[10:34] The importance of transferring agreed actions into deliverable continuable improvement.
For members of the isologyhub, we have a few Management Review templates available for download.
We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:
- Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin
- Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.
Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:
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This episode is part 1 of our 3-part series on Management Review, explaining exactly what Management Review is and how most companies carry them out.
Today, Mel looks at what the Standards require from a Management Review, the different areas Management Review addresses, and how companies can carry out a Management Review for the first time.
You’ll learn
- What a Management Review is.
- How to get started with a Management Review for the first time.
- Why is it so important?
- How to do Management Review the right way.
- Best practice dos and don’ts.
- What the Standard requires from a Management Review.
Resources
In this episode, we talk about:
[00:44] Which ISO standards have a requirement for Management Review.
[02:50] Why Management Review is important.
[03:53] Different areas Management Review addresses.
[04:26] The importance of being flexible with your objectives and when to look for trends.
[05:40] The main reason for carrying out a Management Review.
[06:10] What the Standard requires from a Management Review.
[06:55] What you should include in your Management Review.
[08:08] What the Standard says about inputs.
[09:42] How often you should review your objectives and trends.
[11:18] How the Standard helps you understand what the outputs of your review should look like.
For members of the isologyhub, we have a few Management Review templates available for download.
We’d love to hear your views and comments about the ISO Show, here’s how:
- Share the ISO Show on Twitter or Linkedin
- Leave an honest review on iTunes or Soundcloud. Your ratings and reviews really help and we read each one.
Subscribe to keep up-to-date with our latest episodes:
Stitcher | Spotify | YouTube |iTunes | Soundcloud |
Beyond certification, we take great pride in delivering ISO consultancy and support solutions. These solutions help our clients improve their productivity and profitability in a risk-controlled way.
We are your dedicated ISO consultants for all compliance matters from internal audits to updating Health, Safety and Environmental Legal compliance.
No matter what ISO certification you are hoping to achieve, we have a specialist ISO consultant ready to work with you and your organisation. Contact our team today to get started.
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Whether you choose to work with one of our ISO Consultants, our isologists®, or work your own way through the process on our isology Hub, we’re certain you’ll achieve certification in no time!
We have a proven step by step process that our ISO Consultants implement as soon as our working relationship begins. We use our specialist skills and industry knowledge to determine what is already on track and where improvements can be made. We live and breathe ISO standards, we know the standards inside out so you don’t have to.
Our ISO Consultants can help you implement systems for any ISO Standard. See the full list for specialised standards here.
What our clients have to say
We engaged Blackmores to develop our ISO 9001, 14001, and 45001 management system from scratch. Throughout the creation and development stages of our ISO journey, Anju Punetha demonstrated remarkable patience, knowledge, and understanding as our dedicated consultant.
During our internal audit preparations, Ian Battersby’s meticulous attention to detail and thorough approach ensured we were well-prepared for our external audit, which we passed with flying colours. His guidance during the external audit was invaluable.
Based on our engagement and experience, I highly recommend the entire Blackmores team. If you’re considering pursuing ISO accreditations, Blackmores should be your first choice.
Graeme Adam
The support and advise I get from our assigned auditors is immense. Forward planning for the following year is great and they are flexible and always willing to help.
Kalil Vandi
“Blackmores have assisted us almost since the start of our adoption of the ISO 9001 quality standard. Their input has improved our processes since the start, and enabled our goal of continuous improvement to be achieved. The people are also extremely easy to get on with, and they really understand our business, giving us a great deal of confidence in their advice.”
David Gibson
“Blackmores are the perfect bridge between working on your ISO as an individual or company, to being audited each year. We find that any queries we have are covered and we feel sure that we have everything as needs be before going into an external audit.”
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“We have been extremely impressed with the service and support provided by Blackmores. There knowledge and assistance through out our ISO journey has been amazing!”
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“Blackmores have really kept us on our toes with the broad scope and level of detail they apply to our internal audit schedule. They always stay abreast of ISO standard changes and help us to adapt our processes and documents to embrace these changes accordingly. Having Blackmores shadow our external audits provides invaluable confidence and peace of mind – would highly recommend their services!”
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“Our ISO 27001 certification project has gone so well, that there was no doubt in who we were going to ask to help us with our aspirations of becoming ISO 14001 certified. It’s been an absolute pleasure working with Blackmores, and we are really looking forward to working with them for the foreseeable future.”
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