Management Reviews - Who needs to attend?

Greetings All,

I've been following this forum for awhile and appreciate everyone's insights and guidance.

Given the language of ISO 9001 §9.3.1:
"Top management shall review the organization’s quality management system, at planned intervals, to ensure its continuing suitability, adequacy, effectiveness and alignment with the strategic direction of the organization."

Would I be in compliance with the standard if the management review only consisted of myself (QMS Manager) and the CEO?

Typically, in the past, we would involve all process owners, but as it is becoming more difficult to gather everyone in one location at a specific time we are looking to streamline the process.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

 

More benefits you will get involving the processes owners, normally they will provide data which is uded in the MR's.
Additionally remember your qms is a system (processes working together)

 

Good day @MichaelF_BMS;
The short answer: Yes.
This is a assuming that your CEO meets the definition provided by ISO 9000:2015, which is...
3.1.1 top management
person or group of people who directs and controls an organization at the highest level

However, as inferred from @Andy Nichols statement, what is beneficial for your organization? I would council to never do anything for the standard. Do what best serves your organization and its team, but simply in a way that meets the requirements of the standard/customer.
If process owners are not included, will there be a gap between the "corporate intent" and the team/actuality?

Be well.

 

I think that you should involve all process owners, the management review is the backbone of the quality system.
A good QMS includes everyone and provides a platform for employees to voice how they feel things are going and get involved in the business goals.

How inclusive can it be if it's just you and your CEO deciding between yourselves what is good for the company?

Have you tried an electronic meeting? That's what we do at my company, we are only small and we can't afford the time out for a physical meeting. Our Director sits and writes notes, I add the quality stats (Quality Manager) and the first email gets sent around all company emails. Comments are required by a deadline date and then all comments are reviewed, actions are added at the end. A final copy of the management meeting is then saved.

I believe this satisfies the leadership clause in (ISO:9001:2015) 5. Leadership, there's also an entire section in 9. performance evaluation. It specifies what the requirements of the management review should be in 9.3.

I highlighted my main answer in red because I went off on a bit of a tangent there

 

This is what we have done for over ten years. We have never had a room full of management sitting around a table. Everything is email, as a result, management "meetings" are practically continuous. At midyear and end of year, I send out a comprehensive report covering everything, and between these reports, the emails start flying. I think it is more valuable that even floor supervisors get these reports and are able to comment and add information, not just management types. This was a free exchange of ideas exists on both sides of the "wall".

 

I think we are still in the era of the "Management Review Meeting." I am constantly asked for "minutes" of the meeting. Years ago, after about 2 "management review meetings" we punted as they where useless. Our management review is a continuous process. We just incorporate it into our weekly operational/status meetings. We run numbers and review weekly, monthly, quarterly -- whichever is the relevant time period. When issues arise we address them. When we go off on a tangent in a meeting, and it happens to be a management review point we address it then. We have an annual checklist that we watch to ensure we hit all the required standard elements. So who needs to "attend?" Those who are relevant.

 

It depends on who you define as "Top Management". There is no requirement for anyone to "meet". Just top management review. The CEO could conduct the review alone if that makes the review ensures the QMS' continued suitability, adequacy, effectiveness and alignment with the strategic direction of the company. In fact, if you have a very small company, you might only have one person that is any level of management.

As others have pointed out, I think meetings are a good way to meet the requirements and allows interaction between top management and process management as well as communication across processes.

 

Ahh.... the "other Dave"... a blast from the old Cayman (Elsmar) Cove past...

 

I agree. In one small organization that I helped in establishing their QMS the Owner of the company only requires his key personnel to email their reports to him for his review since he's always out of town. They don't have the physical meeting and no minutes are documented. During their certification audit, the CB auditor was surprised about their approach but all the required inputs and outputs, including documents/records as evidences of the review were adequately presented.