What is a Management System? – Part 2

Using a different approach, one can seek to determine what a management system is by examining the definitions penned by the individuals who develop the ISO management system standards.

The ISO Definitions of a “Management System”

The ISO definition of a management system was changed with the 2015 revision of the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standards when ISO required the use of consistent definitions, as set forth in mandatory standard development guidelines, for all of its management system standards.

The definition of a management system for all ISO standards is a “set of interrelated or interacting elements of an organization to establish policies and objectives and processes to achieve those objectives.”

What changes from standard to standard is the focus of what is being managed.

For the ISO 9001 standard, it is a  “management system  to direct and control an organization  with regard to quality.”

For the ISO 14001 standard, it is the “part of the management system used to manage environmental aspects, fulfill compliance obligations and address risks and opportunities.”

For the ISO 45001 standard, it is a “management system or part of a management system used to achieve the OH&S policy” where the OH&S Policy is defined as “a policy to prevent work-related injury and ill health to workers and to provide safe and healthy workplaces.”

What is interesting about the ISO definition is the explicit focus on defining a management system in terms of the task of  establishing policies and achieving objectives.  This focus on establishing and implementing a policy and achieving objectives is not part of the dictionary definitions for management.