What is a management system?
A management system is the way in which an organization manages the interrelated parts of its business in order to achieve its objectives. These objectives can relate to a number of different topics, including product or service quality, operational efficiency, environmental performance, health and safety in the workplace and many more.
The level of complexity of the system will depend on each organization’s specific context. For some organizations, especially smaller ones, it may simply mean having strong leadership from the business owner, providing a clear definition of what is expected from each individual employee and how they contribute to the organization’s overall objectives, without the need for extensive documentation. More complex businesses operating, for example, in highly regulated sectors, may need extensive documentation and controls in order to fulfil their legal obligations and meet their organizational objectives.
View the full list of ISO MSS.
The ISO model: agreed by experts
ISO management system standards [MSS] help organizations improve their performance by specifying repeatable steps that organizations consciously implement to achieve their goals and objectives, and to create an organizational culture that reflexively engages in a continuous cycle of self-evaluation, correction and improvement of operations and processes through heightened employee awareness and management leadership and commitment.
The benefits of an effective management system to an organization include:
- More efficient use of resources and improved financial performance
- Improved risk management and protection of people and the environment
- Increased capability to deliver consistent and improved services and products, thereby increasing value to customers and all other stakeholders
MSS are the result of consensus among international experts with expertise in global management, leadership strategies, and efficient and effective processes and practices. MSS standards can be implemented by any organization, large or small.
MSS and related standards: the big picture
There are four different types of ISO documents that support organizational management. We've grouped these below, with examples of standards given for each.
Management Systems Standards [MSS]
ISO standards that set out requirements or guidance to help organizations manage their policies and processes to achieve specific objectives. MSS are designed to be applicable across all economic sectors, various types and sizes of organizations and diverse geographical, cultural and social conditions.
Many ISO MSS have the same structure and contain many of the same terms & definitions and requirements.
Quality management systems — Requirements
Information technology — Security techniques — Information security management systems — Requirements
Environmental management systems — Requirements with guidance for use
Sector-specific MSS
ISO management system standards that provide additional requirements or guidance for the application of a generic management standard in a specific economic or business sector.
Medical devices — Quality management systems — Requirements for regulatory purposes
Railway applications — Quality management system — Business management system requirements for rail organizations: ISO 9001:2015 and particular requirements for application in the rail sector
Petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries — Sector-specific quality management systems — Requirements for product and service supply organizations
Management system related standards and implementation guidance
ISO standards that are intended to provide further guidance and/or requirements on:
- specific aspects of an organization’s management system,
- ISO management system standards, or
- related supporting techniques.
Food safety management systems — Requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of food safety management systems
Guidelines for quality management system documentation
Guidelines for auditing management systems
Management standards
ISO management standards that may support the implementation of specific aspects of an organization’s management system.
Guidance on social responsibility
Risk management — Guidelines
ISO management standards and the concept of a harmonized structure
ISO’s management system standards [MSS] are among the most widely used and recognized documents that we publish. They include standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 50001, which apply to quality management, environmental management and energy management respectively. In fact, there are more than 80 MSS. There’s a lot to know, and even experienced standards users might want to consult the complete list or find out more about how MSS work.
One of the fundamental principles is that all the standards can work together. Those who already use an MSS in one part of their business, and are considering implementing additional ones in another area, will find that the process has been made as intuitive as possible. That’s thanks to the Harmonized Structure [HS]. The concept of HS is that management standards are structured in the same way, regardless of the domain of application. Users who are familiar with one MSS will immediately feel at ease with another, even when using if for the first time.
Annex SL: more than a shared structure
In addition to being laid out in the same way, there are some parts of a standard where identical text can be used. This improves coherence and recognition, simplifies use, and is defined in something called “Annex SL”. It means that in addition to having the same structure, MSS can contain many of the same terms and definitions. This is particularly useful for those organizations that choose to operate a single [sometimes called “integrated”] management system that can meet the requirements of two or more MSS being used simultaneously.
Annex SL plays a key role in the interoperability and user friendliness of standards for countless users of ISO management standards around the world. You can find comprehensive information about the current Annex SL here.
Changes will take place in 2021: how might you be affected?
Annex SL has been in use since 2012. As part of ISO’s commitment to keep its standards real-world relevant, we surveyed MSS users in 2018 to get their views on how the Annex could be evolved. Conscious that any change would have widespread implications, everybody involved agrees that all changes need to be given thorough consideration. Literally millions of people work on a daily basis with MSS, so we are working to ensure that the changes made bring clear, widespread advantages. Where possible, changes will only be made to specific subparts of Annex SL to better maintain its overall familiarity to current users.
As with all ISO standards, the revision is a team effort guided by consensus. The agreed plan is to complete a new version in 2020, which will come into effect in 2021.
It’s important to bear in mind that the publication of the revised Annex SL will not mean that existing MSS are obsolete or in need of a revision. The approach will be to use the revised Annex SL only in new standards as well as those that are scheduled for periodic revision of their content.
Upcoming changes will be announced on ISO.org, or you can sign up to our newsletter to receive updates straight to your inbox.
Audits
Audits are a vital part of the management system approach as they enable the company or organization to check how far their achievements meet their objectives and show conformity to the standard.
In order to help the auditing related to these standards, ISO has released ISO 19011:2018 providing specific guidance on internal and external management system audits.
Certification
Certification to management system standards is not a requirement. You can benefit from implementing these standards without being certified to them.
However, if you are looking to get certified to one or more of our management system standards, then you need to get in touch with an external certification body.
That’s because ISO does not perform certification. Read more about certification to ISO standards.
Certification is not the only way to show conformity to standards. Read more about conformity assessment.
Some of our management system standards
We have a number of management system standards, each focusing on different issues affecting global business.
More information can be found about some of the best-known MSSs by clicking on the following links. You can find the full list of MSSs
here.