The management review (clause 9.3 of ISO 9001) is the meeting where top management stops, looks at the data from the management system and decides: is the QMS still suitable, adequate and effective? The minutes of that meeting are one of the most audited records there is — and one of the most poorly written. The standard lists mandatory inputs (9.3.2) and mandatory outputs (9.3.3), and the auditor checks item by item whether all of them were covered.
The inputs include: the status of actions from previous reviews; changes in the internal and external context; the performance of indicators and processes; customer satisfaction and customer feedback; nonconformities and corrective actions; audit results; supplier performance; the adequacy of resources; the effectiveness of the actions taken on risks and opportunities; and opportunities for improvement. The outputs have to record decisions on improvement, on any need to change the QMS and on the need for resources.
The classic mistake is the generic minute: "the indicators were reviewed and everything is adequate". That fails an audit because it evidences no analysis at all. Good minutes record the data that was discussed ("OTIF closed the half-year at 91% against a 95% target"), the analysis ("the drop is concentrated in the special line after the qualified operator left") and the decision with an owner and a deadline ("hiring of a second operator approved, by September — owner: HR").
Hold the management review at least once a year — every six months is the healthy rhythm for a small or medium company. The template below covers every required input in agenda form, ready to be filled in during the meeting itself.