ISO 9001:2026 management review: inputs, outputs, minutes

Complete guide to ISO 9001 management review (clause 9.3) for the 2026 edition: required inputs and outputs, what changes, agenda, KPI data pack, minutes example, checklist, frequency, IATF 16949 and audit findings.

Ľubomír Blažek

Process quality team leader, automotive · updated 2026-11-08

Short answer. An ISO 9001 management review is a meeting where top management reviews the quality management system at planned intervals, using a fixed list of inputs (customer satisfaction, objectives, process performance, nonconformities, audits, suppliers, resources, risks and opportunities), and decides on improvements, changes to the system and resources. In ISO 9001:2026 the clause stays 9.3; the review should now also show strategic direction, climate change, interested parties, quality culture, opportunities and planned changes.

How to read this guide. It explains clause 9.3 as it stands in ISO 9001:2015 and what certification bodies and consultants report about the sixth edition, ISO 9001:2026. We have not reproduced the text of the standard. Check the published edition and your certification body before you change your procedure.

What management review is for

Management review is where the quality management system meets the business. Top management looks at the whole system and answers four questions that come straight from clause 9.3.1:

It is not a report the quality department reads aloud once a year. Auditors look for two things: that the required inputs were discussed with real data, and that the meeting ended with decisions, owners and dates that were followed up.

What changes with ISO 9001:2026

The clause keeps its place (9.3) and its three parts: 9.3.1 general, 9.3.2 inputs, 9.3.3 results. The reported changes are mostly additions to the inputs and links to the new emphasis elsewhere in the standard (see ISO 9001:2026 changes and transition):

If your management review works well under the 2015 edition, the transition is an update of the agenda, the data pack and the minutes template, not a new process. Plan at least one review under the new agenda before the transition audit, so the auditor can see it.

Required inputs (9.3.2)

Use the inputs as the agenda. Each one needs data, a trend and a short conclusion.

1. Status of actions from previous management reviews.
2. Changes in external and internal issues relevant to the system (context, including climate change) and in the needs and expectations of relevant interested parties.
3. Information on performance and effectiveness of the QMS, including trends in:
   • customer satisfaction and feedback from relevant interested parties;
   • the extent to which quality 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.
4. Adequacy of resources.
5. Effectiveness of actions taken to address risks and opportunities.
6. Opportunities for improvement.

The word that auditors underline is trends. A single number for the year is not a trend; show at least 12 months or the last review periods side by side.

Required outputs (9.3.3)

The results must include decisions and actions related to:

• opportunities for improvement;
• any need for changes to the quality management system: processes, policy, objectives, organisation, documented information;
• resource needs: people, training, equipment, measuring equipment, software, budget, approved or rejected with a reason.

Add a written conclusion on the four questions (suitable, adequate, effective, aligned). Keep documented information as evidence: minutes with attendees, the data pack and an action list with owner and due date.

The data pack: KPIs for each input

The review is only as good as the data behind it. Prepare one data pack (a slide deck or a workbook) a week before the meeting and send it to the attendees. Typical measures:

How to run a management review, step by step

1. Plan the dates for the year in the QMS calendar, after the internal audit cycle and before the certification audit.
2. Assign an owner to every input. The process owner prepares the data, not the quality manager alone.
3. Build the data pack with trends, targets and a one-line conclusion per input. Send it a week ahead.
4. Start with the open actions from the previous review. Unfinished actions are discussed first, with a new date or escalation.
5. Go through the inputs in the agenda order. Keep presentations short; spend the time on deviations from target.
6. Decide. For each problem area: improvement action, change to the system, resource decision or a conscious decision to accept.
7. Conclude on suitability, adequacy, effectiveness and alignment with the strategy, and record it in one paragraph.
8. Update objectives and the policy if needed, and communicate the results to the organisation (clause 7.4).
9. Track the actions in your action or CAPA list until closed, and check their effect at the next review.

Management review agenda template

Management review minutes example

An extract of minutes for a fictional supplier of machined parts with 180 employees. The structure is what matters: data, conclusion, decision.

Frequency, attendees and timing

• Frequency: the standard says “planned intervals”. Most organisations hold a full review once or twice a year; many split it into monthly or quarterly reviews that each cover part of the inputs. That is acceptable as long as all inputs are covered within the cycle and you can show it, for example with a matrix of inputs by meeting.
• Attendees: top management must take part. Process owners present their own data, which also shows the auditor that they own their processes.
• Timing: after the internal audit cycle and before the certification audit, so the auditor sees a closed loop from audit findings to decisions.
• Duration: two to four hours for a yearly review in a medium-sized company. If it takes a full day, the data pack is not doing its job.

Management review in a small organisation

In a company of ten people the managing director may be the whole top management and the quality manager at the same time. The review can then be a half-day session with a filled-in checklist of the inputs, signed by the director. The requirement does not change with size: every input covered, decisions recorded, actions followed up. What changes is the effort: simple counts and a one-page KPI sheet are enough.

Typical audit findings

• One or more required inputs missing, most often the performance of external providers, the effectiveness of risk actions or changes in interested parties.
• Data shown without trends, conclusions or decisions.
• No outputs on resources or on changes to the system.
• Actions from the previous review not followed up or closed without evidence.
• Top management not present, or the review not held within the planned interval.
• Quality objectives missed for a long time without a decision.
• After the transition: the new topics (climate change, quality culture, opportunities, planned changes, strategic direction) not visible in the minutes.

Automotive: IATF 16949 additions

IATF 16949 is built on ISO 9001 and adds to clause 9.3:

• 9.3.1.1 management review at least once a year, and more often when there is a risk of not meeting customer requirements related to quality or delivery;
• 9.3.2.1 extra inputs such as the cost of poor quality, measures of process effectiveness and efficiency, product conformity, manufacturing feasibility assessments for changes, customer satisfaction, maintenance objectives, warranty and field failures, customer scorecards, risk analysis such as FMEA and contingency planning;
• 9.3.3.1 a documented action plan when customer performance targets are not met.

Until IATF publishes its update for the new ISO edition, the current text applies. The customer-specific requirements of OEMs may add more inputs.

ISO 9001:2026 transition checklist for management review

• ☐ Agenda and minutes template updated with the 2026 topics.
• ☐ Context analysis includes the climate change decision.
• ☐ Interested parties register reviewed and changes reported.
• ☐ Risks and opportunities reported separately, each with action effectiveness.
• ☐ Planned changes (6.3) listed with status.
• ☐ Quality culture and ethics evidence prepared by top management.
• ☐ Conclusion explicitly addresses alignment with the strategic direction.
• ☐ At least one review held with the new agenda before the transition audit.
• ☐ Internal audit questions for clause 9.3 updated (see the ISO 9001:2026 internal audit checklist).

FAQ

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