Templates and records · ISO 9001 · Clause 9.3
ISO 9001 management review minutes template
The document in which top management shows that it looks at the system with data and takes decisions about it. It is where more systems come unstuck at audit than anywhere else.
In one sentence
The management review minutes record how top management analysed the inputs ISO 9001 sets out — outstanding actions, changes in context, customer satisfaction, objectives, processes, nonconformities, audits, suppliers, resources, risks and improvements — and what it decided on improvement, changes to the system and resources, which are the results clause 9.3.3 requires to be retained.
- Where the standard requires it
- ISO 9001 · Clause 9.3 Clauses are cited using the numbering of the 2015 edition, the same one the Academy uses; certificates issued against it remain valid during the transition to the 2026 edition.
- Type of information
- Mandatory record Documented information to be retained (9.3.3)
- Who fills it in
- Top management Quality prepares the data and drafts the minutes; top management makes the decisions and approves them
- When
- At planned intervals The standard sets no frequency; annually is usual, and sooner if there are significant changes
- How long it is kept
- Set by the organisation The standard sets no periods: it asks you to decide on retention and disposition (7.5.3.2). Covering at least the three-year certification cycle lets you show the history at recertification.
What the standard requires
What ISO 9001 demands and what it leaves to your judgement
Top management must review the system at planned intervals to ensure its continuing suitability, adequacy, effectiveness and alignment with strategic direction. Clause 9.3.2 lists the inputs: status of actions from previous reviews; changes in external and internal issues; performance of the system and its trends; adequacy of resources; effectiveness of actions taken to address risks and opportunities; and opportunities for improvement.
Under performance, the standard specifies customer satisfaction and feedback from interested parties, the extent to which objectives have been met, process performance and conformity of products and services, nonconformities and corrective actions, monitoring and measurement results, audit results and the performance of external providers.
The outputs are decisions: opportunities for improvement, changes to the system and resource needs. Minutes that merely summarise data without deciding anything do not fulfil the purpose of the clause.
In the 2026 edition, according to the Global ACI transition document, clause 9.3.2 no longer asks for the review to be planned taking the inputs into consideration but requires it to include them; it also adds changes in the needs and expectations of relevant interested parties as an input and reorders the rest. This template cites the 2015 numbering and already includes that new input.
Structure
Fields the template should include
- Date, attendees and period reviewed
- Status of actions from the previous review
- Changes in internal and external context, including climate where relevant
- Customer satisfaction and feedback from interested parties
- Changes in the needs and expectations of interested parties (new input in ISO 9001:2026)
- Achievement of quality objectives
- Process performance and conformity of products and services
- Nonconformities, corrective actions and monitoring and measurement results
- Results of internal and external audits
- Performance of external providers
- Adequacy of resources and effectiveness of actions to address risks
- Decisions: improvements, changes to the system and resources, with owner and deadline
Example
Example: 2025 annual review
Company, people and figures are fictitious: the example only shows what a properly completed record looks like.
| Field | Content |
|---|---|
| Date and attendees | 27 January 2026 · managing director, operations director, sales manager and quality manager |
| Previous actions | 5 of 6 closed; the warehouse extension is postponed for budget reasons |
| Context | New pharmaceutical customer with more demanding traceability requirements |
| Interested parties | The new pharmaceutical customer asks for a certificate of analysis per batch; the occupational accident insurer's requirements are unchanged |
| Customers | Average satisfaction 8.1 out of 10 (7.6 in 2024); 11 complaints against 17 |
| Objectives | 3 of 4 met; on-time delivery at 94% against a target of 96% |
| Nonconformities and audits | 23 nonconformities, 2 open past their deadline; external audit with no major nonconformities |
| Suppliers | One cardboard supplier below the evaluation threshold for two consecutive quarters |
| Decision 1 | Approve a second cardboard supplier · purchasing · 31 March |
| Decision 2 | Extend batch traceability to the new customer's product · operations · 30 April |
| Resources | One additional part-time person in quality from March |
At the audit
Mistakes auditors commonly flag
- The minutes summarise data and record no decisions.
- Mandatory inputs are missing, typically supplier performance or the effectiveness of actions to address risks.
- Decisions have no owner or deadline, and the next review does not check whether they were carried out.
- Top management does not attend: quality signs the minutes alone.
- It is held once a year, the week before the external audit, with data put together for the occasion.
In Kimobox
How this record is kept in Kimobox
- 1The review report is generated with the period's indicators, audits, nonconformities and complaints already aggregated.
- 2The template comes preloaded with the minimum inputs required by the standard, so none are left out.
- 3Each decision is recorded with an owner and a date, and its implementation is tracked like any other action.
- 4The next review opens with the status of the decisions taken at the previous one.
Frequently asked questions
What people ask us before getting started
How often should management review take place?
ISO 9001 only says "at planned intervals". The most common approach is a full annual review; many companies also cover some of the inputs in quarterly meetings and bring them all together in the annual minutes.
Can it be spread over several meetings?
Yes. The standard does not require a single meeting: it requires all the inputs to be reviewed and the decisions to be recorded. Spreading it over regular meetings usually leads to more timely decisions.
What changes in management review with ISO 9001:2026?
According to the Global ACI transition document, the review must include all its inputs, changes in the needs and expectations of interested parties are added as an input and the rest are reordered. It is enough to add that input to the minutes and check the order against the text of the standard.
What is "top management"?
The person or group of people who direct and control the organisation at the highest level, according to ISO 9000. In an SME this is usually the managing director; delegating the review to the quality manager does not count.
Keep your ISO 9001 records without loose templates
We'll show you the module running with data similar to yours.
Keep exploring
Related pages
ISO 37301 compliance report to the governing body
What the compliance function’s periodic report to the board should include under ISO 37301: indicators…
Performance evaluation
A system that is not measured cannot be improved. This clause forces quality management into data…
ISO 9001 nonconformity report template
What an ISO 9001 nonconformity report (10.2) must record: description, correction, root cause, corrective…
ISO 9001 nonconforming output record
How to record a nonconforming output under ISO 9001: description, disposition, customer concession and who…
Sources
Where each figure comes from
References to the official text in force. If a standard is revised, this page is updated and the review date says so.
- ISO 9001:2015 — Quality management systems. Requirements ISO · 2015 ed., with Amd 1:2024
- ISO 9000:2015 — Fundamentals and vocabulary ISO · 2015 ed.
- ISO 9001:2026 — Quality management systems. Requirements ISO · 2026 ed., published 16 September 2026
- Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M), transition requirements for ISO 9001:2026 Global ACI (successor to IAF and ILAC) · Version 1.0, 4 September 2026