ISO 9001:2026 Management Review: The Inputs Are Now 'Shall Include'

ISO 9001:2026 Management Review: The Inputs Are Now "Shall Include"

If you run management review meetings, one change in ISO 9001:2026 is worth a look before your next one. The wording about what the review covers has become firmer, and there is a new item to cover. This article explains what has been reported, and how to check your agenda and minutes.

A note on sources. This is our own summary of what Global ACI and others report, not ISO text. We have not checked clause wording against the standard itself, so check your own licensed copy.

What changed in clause 9.3.2

Global ACI's transition requirements (Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M), version 1.0, issued September 4, 2026) say clause 9.3.2 replaces the phrase "shall be planned and carried out taking into consideration" with "shall include". The same document says a new input has been added: changes in the needs and expectations of interested parties that are relevant to the quality management system. It also says the remaining inputs have been reorganized (Global ACI, TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M), section 3.1).

In plain words: in 2015 the inputs were things to take into consideration. In 2026, as Global ACI reports it, the review has to include them. UKAS lists management review, and interested parties, among the most significant changes in the revision (UKAS technical bulletin).

Why it matters for your agenda

If your agenda is a short list that people adjust each time, "shall include" is a reason to make it a fixed template. The point is that every input is covered every review, and that you can show it did.

Here are the kinds of items we would expect to see on a template. These are our own plain-words examples, not a list from ISO or Global ACI:

• Follow-up on actions from earlier reviews

• How your performance is tracking

• Whether you have the resources you need

• Ideas for improvement

• New in 2026, as reported by Global ACI: changes in what customers, regulators, owners, staff and other interested parties need or expect

Check your own copy of the standard for the full list of inputs and the exact wording.

The interested-parties input

This is the new one, so it is the one to look at first. Ask:

1. Do we have an interested parties register (clause 4.2), and when did we last update it?

2. Does the review agenda have a standing slot where someone reports what has changed?

3. Do the minutes record the answer, even when the answer is "no change"?

If the answer to the second question is "sometimes, when someone remembers", the fix may be a small change to your template: a named item, an owner, and a place in the minutes. It is a fair question for any organization to ask itself.

Risks and opportunities in the minutes

Clause 6.1 now separates risks from opportunities, as covered in our article on risks and opportunities in ISO 9001:2026. Our checklist asks whether management review looks at the effectiveness of actions on risks and, separately, on opportunities (question 104). If your minutes have one line for both, consider giving opportunities their own line.

What the auditor may look at

The ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group's guidance paper, which says it has not been through ISO's or IAF's endorsement process, says that at Stage 1 an auditor may evaluate whether internal audits and management reviews are being planned and performed (ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group, Guidance on two stage initial certification audit). Dated agendas, attendance and minutes are the records you can show. How a particular certification body will assess your review is for that body to say; ask it if you are unsure.

A short checklist for your next review

• Update the agenda template so each input is a named item.

• Add the interested-parties item, with an owner.

• Record decisions and actions, with owners and dates.

• Keep the minutes as records of the review.

• Follow up the actions at the next review, which is itself the first input.

Check where you stand

Three questions in our free Gap Analysis Checklist for ISO 9001:2026 cover management review (questions 102 to 104). The checklist has 111 plain-English questions covering clauses 4 to 10, with 25 new or changed 2026 requirements flagged. It comes as an Excel workbook and a printable Word version. The download page has a short sign-up form; occasional emails about Clearline Systems kits are a separate, optional tick box.

The checklist paraphrases requirements in our own words. It is not ISO text, you will still need your own copy of the standard, and using it does not promise a pass or certification. Only a certification body can certify your organization.

For the wider picture, see our overview of what changed in ISO 9001:2026 and our article on how to know where you stand before your audit.

Clearline Systems is an independent publisher of documentation templates. Clearline Systems is not affiliated with or endorsed by ISO (the International Organization for Standardization), IAF, Global ACI, UKAS, any national standards body, accreditation body or certification body. We don't reproduce ISO text; you'll need your own copy of the standard.

Sources

1. Global ACI-TECH-3-TR 2029-09-30 (M), Transition Requirements for ISO 9001:2026, version 1.0, issued September 4, 2026: https://sys.global-aci.org/uploads/documents/TECH-3-TR_2029-09-30_(M)_ISO_9001_2026_Transition_v1_03.pdf (news page: https://global-aci.org/en/news/global-aci-publishes-transition-requirements-for-iso-90012026/)

2. UKAS, Technical Bulletin, QMS ISO 9001:2026 transition, September 16, 2026: https://www.ukas.com/resources/technical-bulletins/qms-iso-9001-2026-transition/

3. ISO 9001 Auditing Practices Group, Guidance on two stage initial certification audit, Edition 1, January 13, 2016 (the paper says it is not endorsed by ISO, ISO/TC 176 or IAF): https://committee.iso.org/files/live/sites/tc176/files/PDF%20APG%20New%20Disclaimer%2012-2023/ISO-TC%20176-TF_APG-2stage.pdf

All sources checked October 1, 2026.