Can you elaborate on the following question please:
ISO 9001:2000- requirement 5.6 : Management Review states that … “top management shall review the organization’s QMS, at planned intervals ….” Will an external auditor during an audit want to know the “planned intervals” as defined by the auditee organization? Must the “planned interval” as defined by the organization be recorded under req 5.6 in the Quality manual”? or in some other document , how could an auditor obtain objective evidence of the “planned interval” as was defined by the auditee org??

What are your thoughts on posting a Management Review Schedule? If one is published if follows that “planned intervals” should be defined. Elaborate on how to best address “planned intervals” since the standard addresses intervals often.

You can define it anywhere you like. I had one small client who simply marked up a calendar on the wall. Most companies do have more than one review each year but cite a 'minimum' frequency in their quality manual. Bottom line is you have to in some way schedule management reviews and be able to show you held them.

Thanks. An auditor wanted to have a published "Internal audit schedule" in order to show that "planned intervals" were addressed and communicated to employees. His reasoning were that "planned" means to define a time gap. Does the same apply to MReviews? define a time gaps and publish a management review schedule?

I have documented the planned interval in a procedure for Management Review. We started out as quarterly, but last year changed to every 6 months. We have regular KPI meetings weekly and senior manager meetings and documented every morning. But the full blown management review report is documented for the 1st half and another report for the 2nd half of the year.

Thanks. An auditor wanted to have a published "Internal audit schedule" in order to show that "planned intervals" were addressed and communicated to employees. His reasoning were that "planned" means to define a time gap. Does the same apply to MReviews? define a time gaps and publish a management review schedule?

Your auditor was wrong to require that........

Your audit program has to be planned. You have to conduct them at planned intervals and you need to define the frequency. That doesn't mean having a published schedule! You can say, in an audit procedure, "we audit monthly' or whatever..........(as long as it's based on status etc.) You certainly shouldn't have all the audits planned out in front of you for any significant length of time - unless you want to keep changing it!

I tend to think of Management Review as like a navigation exercise. Looking at a map at the beginning and end of a journey isn't much use, if you want to arrive at the right place, on time. You might want to throw a couple more in there as the journey progresses.

So, you can say that you will hold a review quarterly, as a minimum, and have additional reviews if things indicate that there's a need - like a major change in markets, business impacts, customers etc.

M Review does not call for a procedure, of course, unless you want to expand on the requirement. How did you stated the documented interval. Have published a M Review schedule? Thanks.

M Review does not call for a procedure, of course, unless you want to expand on the requirement. How did you stated the documented interval. Have published a M Review schedule? Thanks.

Since this is a management process, I wrote a procedure! Hey, they put their pants on like everyone else! It defined the frequency.

Thanks. An auditor wanted to have a published "Internal audit schedule" in order to show that "planned intervals" were addressed and communicated to employees. His reasoning were that "planned" means to define a time gap. Does the same apply to MReviews? define a time gaps and publish a management review schedule?

We were in a similar situation during one of our audits.
What we have in place now and which satisfied the last auditor is a procedure stating that management reviews are conducted quarterly. Our internal audit schedule "audits" this process yearly.

Due to the numerous meetings held at various levels, we did have a procedure that highlighted:


Meeting name
Frequency / When held
Attendees
Agenda
Location of minutes


This is probably overkill for smaller orgnizations, but we had so many meetings and people running around to all of these meetings, we needed a simply way to define who had to be where and when. :D Mainly because we realized there were some people going to meetings to avoid doing work! :notme:

juliov, I agree completely with Marc. Not knowing the maturity or complexity of your program it is difficult to comment on what a representative or effective interval might be, but I can tell you that in my experience you want to have a shorter interval at the beginning, then increase the interval as program health and longevity increases. The interval can be called out in a procedure if that is what you would prefer, but remember to change the procedure to reflect your current process or practice. Remember, you and your management establish the frequency. Looking at it from a minimum standpoint, may work for you.

Bob