There are five tasks associated with a management review process:

• 5.1.1 Plan the management review
• 5.1.2 Collect information
• 5.1.3 Prepare information for presentation
• 5.1.4 Conduct the management review
• 5.1.5 Maintain records

5.1.1 Plan the management review

Frequency: Management reviews must be conducted at planned intervals; however, the frequency depends on your organization. When there are changes to your organization’s energy situation, or a large number of action plans or capital projects underway related to the EnMS, then additional management reviews may be needed. More frequent management reviews allow for quicker responses to issues and opportunities, while conducting a review annually serves as a review of the year. There is no prescribed or required frequency as long as the review is effective. Management review also does not have to be done as a single review; it can be a series of partial reviews. However, the partial reviews should result in a complete review of the entire EnMS over a specific period of time. Twelve months is the typical length of time within which the entire management system is reviewed.

Means: The means for accomplishing a management review is determined by your organization and is dictated by its needs. For example, management reviews could be conducted in a face-to-face meeting or through teleconferences, e-mails exchanges, electronic meetings, or other forms of electronic reviews. It is important that key information is communicated to top management for their use in making decisions and determining needed actions to ensure continual improvement of energy performance and the EnMS. The method or media used for the review is not what is important and there is no requirement for a face-to-face meeting.

Participants: At a minimum, your organization’s top management and the management representative participate in management review. Others may be invited to join based on:

• Who needs information,
• Who can take action, and
• Who can provide resources needed for any necessary actions.

Some organizations define a quorum that is required in order to conduct a management review, or specify a minimum attendance by certain positions or functions. If a quorum cannot be obtained or the required positions are not represented, the review is rescheduled or conducted through an alternative mechanism.

5.1.2 Collect the information

Management review involves fact-based decision-making related to continual improvement of the organization’s EnMS and energy performance. These decisions are accomplished by analyzing specific information (“inputs”) about the system and its performance.

Responsibility: The management representative is responsible for reporting to top management on the performance of the EnMS. As such, it is up to the management representative to ensure that relevant information is gathered and provided to top management for their review. The management representative may call on the energy team or others who have been assigned responsibility for certain data or information to help compile the information needed for the review. For example, the project engineer may be responsible for EnPIs, while the Environmental Manager may have responsibility for the results of compliance evaluations with legal requirements.

Information to be collected: Typically, the management representative ensures that the appropriate information is collected, organized and presented in a way that enables management to make informed decisions. But what information needs to be provided?

The extent of the management review to be performed will dictate the data and other information to be collected. If the review is to be a full management review, then information addressing all the required inputs is needed. If the review is only a partial management review, then only information on the issues and inputs to be covered is needed. Outputs of the previous management review and activities that have occurred since the last management review are reviewed during each management review.

One way of determining the needed information is to start with the end in mind. That means looking at the types of decisions and actions that will result from the management review. Typical topics to be addressed include:

• What is the status of the energy management system? How is it performing?
• What strategic changes or modifications are needed (e.g., a policy change), if any?
• What changes are needed in terms of energy performance?
• Do the current measures (e.g., EnPIs) provide the correct information?
• Is there a need to change, add, or delete any current improvement objective or target?
• What resources are needed for the energy management system?
• Is the energy management system suitable (appropriate) for the organization?
• Is the energy management system effective (generating the intended results)?
• Is the energy management system achieving continual improvement in energy performance?

Once the relevant topics and types of decisions that need to be made are understood, look at the information generated by the system and determine the data that will help management address these decisions and actions. In other words, the information needed for management review is generated by the systems and processes of the EnMS itself. For example, the energy review (Step 2), EnPI (Step 2.7) and baseline (Step 2.8) processes, along with the monitoring, measurement and analysis (Step 4.1) processes generate data on the status and performance of the organization’s energy uses.

ISO 50001 requires the following inputs be reviewed as a minimum:

• Energy policy
• Energy objectives, energy targets, energy management action plans and their status
• EnPIs and past, current and projected energy performance data, including the significant energy uses
• Results of evaluations of compliance to legal requirements
• Results of evaluations of compliance to other energy related requirements subscribed to
• Changes in legal requirements or other energy related requirements subscribed to
• EnMS audit results
• Status of corrective actions and preventive actions
• Recommendations and opportunities for improvement
• Action items from previous management reviews

The management representative can use the Management Review Data Assignment Sheet to identify the information needed for management review and to communicate responsibility for compiling the data. Make sure personnel are aware that they are responsible for providing the information in the format specified by the management representative and that they agree to provide it on or before the due date.

5.1.3 Prepare information for presentation

In general, the responsible personnel should provide the management representative with detailed source data and information, along with a summary that is concise and represented graphically whenever possible. For example, a detailed data table can be summarized in a line graph so that trends and deviations can be easily illustrated. This facilitates management’s review and understanding of the information. The information should give the big picture but be detailed enough to allow management to make fact-based decisions (see Example Management Review Presentation). The management representative can have the detailed source data available as a back-up in case it is needed during the review to answer questions (see Example Management Review Preparation Information).

The management representative collects the data from the assigned personnel and organizes it logically for presentation and/or dissemination to management, depending on how the management review will be conducted.

5.1.4 Conduct the management review

Management review is the “ACT” part of the PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT continual improvement cycle. It is a key responsibility of top management and is intended to be a dynamic activity focused on review and action. Remember that the purpose of management review is to ensure the ongoing suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of the EnMS. Effective energy management and continual improvement of energy performance relies on an EnMS that is appropriate, sufficient to meet requirements and generates the intended results. Based on their review of the status of the EnMS and the resulting energy performance, top management decides what ACTion is needed for continual improvement of your organization’s EnMS and energy performance.

Conducting a management review consists of:

• Analyzing data related to the EnMS and energy performance,
• Determining if appropriate actions are being taken and
• Making decisions on needed changes and opportunities for improvement.

Sometimes the management representative presents the material to management, but often it is more effective to have the person responsible for gathering the data be the presenter. This person is usually more knowledgeable of the details and is typically more prepared to answer any questions management may have. It is not important or necessary to discuss every single issue or small detail. The level of the information covered in the review needs to be sufficient so that management is able to make decisions and identify actions.

ISO 50001 requires that decisions and actions related to changes in the following elements of the EnMS are the minimum outputs from the management review:

• Energy performance,
• Energy policy,
• EnPIs,
• Energy objectives,
• Energy targets, and
• Resources.

Refer to Step 5.1.2 for additional information on decisions to be made in management review.

5.1.5 Maintain records

Records of management reviews must be maintained. The format of the record is not important, but the record should identify:

• Date of the management review,
• Names and positions of the participants,
• Topics covered and information presented,
• Any decisions or actions to be taken, and
• Any assignments made during the meeting.

A completed Management Review Record Form could be used as the record of management review.

These resources can help you develop, present and record information related to management review:

• Management Review Data Assignment Sheet
• Example Management Review Presentation-Industrial
• Example Management Review Preparation Information-Industrial
• Management Review Record Form

The following resources provide information needed to understand EnMS documentation and make decisions on what documents and records are needed for your EnMS:

• Understanding EnMS Documentation
• EnMS Documentation Guidance Table
• Energy Manual Guidelines

The following resource is designed primarily for organizations that plan to seek third-party certification to ISO 50001-2011. It helps you understand how to check and use your EnMS records to demonstrate the implementation of the system (you are doing what you say), and the effectiveness of the system in generating the intended results (what you are doing is working).

• EnMS Records: Check and Use the Evidence