What is a management review template?
A management review template is a tool used to prepare, track, and document meeting points and management system review details for compliance monitoring and standard recordkeeping. Often, management review templates are used in assessing a company's or a business's Quality Management System (QMS), especially when preparing for certification in or maintaining compliance with the QMS standard created by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) called ISO 9001.
Why use one
An organization's top management often does the management review on a regular basis. Similar to a management audit, this process keeps an organization's management systems in check. It makes sure the guidelines and standards in place actually work for what the organization needs. Some examples of where this is applicable are when reviewing a Quality Management System (QMS) and an Environmental Management System (EMS). This mirrors the approach behind frameworks like the Baldrige Performance Excellence criteria, which also tie system review to organizational goals.
Since the overall management review entails a complex, in-depth process, having a poor system of documentation and monitoring can lead to missed opportunities for improvement and growth. Thus, management reviews are ideally conducted regularly for best results. Doing so with a standardized template helps keep every detail accounted for and addresses points for improvement.
Beyond a static form, a digital version lets you assign follow-ups instantly and track them until they're closed, no separate spreadsheet needed. Skipping a regular review doesn't just risk a failed audit; it risks the safety and quality issues that reviews are designed to catch early.
Assessing your quality assurance and quality control processes alongside your management review helps close the loop between what you plan and what you actually deliver.
What should be included in a management review template?
The general sections that must be included in a management review template are the following:
Title or information page
The first part of your template should let you lay down the most basic information about the management review to be conducted. You may choose to include these details:
General instructions
Facilitator
Date of review
Location where the review is conducted
Attendees of the management review meeting
General reminders
Separate sections for management review inputs
You must also include dedicated sections for the specific areas you need to review in your management system. To help you get started, these are the key parts and components you can include in your management review:
Quality policy
Internal audit results
Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA)
Needed resources
Employee training initiatives
External providers suppliers
Subcontractors
Quality objectives, data, and goals
Customer feedback
Overall QMS
General recommendations for improvement
Management review outputs
Inputs feed into outputs, which are the decisions and actions your team commits to as a result of the review. These typically include:
Decisions on the suitability, adequacy, and effectiveness of the QMS
Opportunities for improvement identified during the meeting
Any changes needed to the QMS itself
Resource needs identified for the next review cycle
Completion page
The final part of your template must allow you to finalize the management review by indicating the following details:
Follow-ups List
Follow-up Management Review Meeting Date
Sign-off
Management review template PDF example
Now that you know the most important sections and details to include, here’s an example of a filled-out management review report template in PDF format:
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