In this ultimate guide to ISO 27001 Clause 9.3 Management Review you will learn
- What is ISO 27001 Clause 9.3
- How to implement ISO 27001 Clause 9.3
- How to conduct a management review
I am Stuart Barker, the ISO 27001 Ninja and author of the Ultimate ISO 27001 Toolkit.
With over 30 years industry experience I will show you what’s new, give you ISO 27001 templates, show you examples, do a walkthrough and show you how to implement it for ISO 27001 certification.
Table of contents
What is ISO 27001 Clause 9.3?
ISO 27001 Clause 9.3 Management Review requires an organisation to conduct a Management Review Meeting at regular intervals and follow a structure, defined agenda.
The ISO 27001 standard for ISO 27001 certification wants you to have management oversight that meets regularly and covers the core components of the standard. It is one of the ISO 27001 controls.
The ISO 27001 standard requires an organisation to implement information security from the top down with leadership commitment. It is part of the process of continual improvement and one of the checks and balances. ISO 27001 is not a one and done. It is expected that it is in place and operating before the certification audit and after.
ISO 27001 Clause 9.3 Purpose
The purpose of clause 9.3 is to ensure that you have management oversight of the information security management system and that you have documentary evidence to support it.
ISO 27001 Clause 9.3 Definition
This clause has now had the wording removed and wording shifted to three new separate sub clauses.
ISO 27001:2022 Clause 9.3.1 General – New clause
Top management shall review the organisation’s information security management system at planned intervals to ensure its continuing suitability, adequacy and effectiveness.
ISO 27001:2022 Clause 9.3.1 General
ISO 27001:2022 Clause 9.3.2 Management Review Inputs – New clause
The management review shall include consideration of:
ISO 27001:2022 Clause 9.3.2 Management Review Inputs
a) the status of actions from previous management reviews;
b) changes in external and internal issues that are relevant to the information security management system;
c) changes in needs and expectations of interested parties that are relevant to the information security management system;
d) feedback on the information security performance, including trends in:
1) nonconformities and corrective actions;
2) monitoring and measurement results;
3) audit results;
4) fulfilment of information security objectives
e) feedback from interested parties;
f) results of risk assessment and status of risk treatment plan;
g) opportunities for continual improvement.
ISO 27001:2022 Clause 9.3.3 Management Review Results – New clause
The results of the management review shall include decisions related to continual improvement opportunities and any needs for changes to the information security management system.
SO 27001:2022 Clause 9.3.3 Management Review Results
Documented information shall be available as evidence of the results of management reviews.
ISO27001:2022 Changes to ISO 27001 Clause 9.3
There is nothing significant that has changed to the ISO 27001 Clause 9.3 Management Review in the 2022 update. The change is wording and clarification change with a change to the layout of how the requirements are presented. Rather than one clause they have split out elements into 3 sub clauses for enhanced clarity.
ISO 27001 Templates
ISO 27001 templates are a great way to fast track your implementation and leverage industry best practice.
These individual templates help meet the specific requirements of ISO 27001 clause 9.3
DO IT YOURSELF ISO 27001
All the templates, tools, support and knowledge you need to do it yourself.
How to conduct an ISO 27001 Management Review
We have provide a detailed guide on How to conduct an ISO 27001 Management Review Meeting
ISO 27001 Clause 9.3 Implementation Guide
There are many ways to conduct management reviews.
Follow the culture of your organisation on how you conduct meetings. They can be remote, they can be in person. It is best to follow the best practice of your organisation.
Good practice also includes allocate roles within the meeting to keep the meeting on track. This is not a requirement of the standard but good practice.
Consider allocating the role of a time keeper to keep you on time, a minute taker responsible for the minutes and meeting chair to guide and chair the meeting.
Watch the Tutorial
Watch How to implement ISO 27001 Clause 9.3 Management Review | Step-by-Step Guide
How to comply with ISO 27001 Clause 9.3
Time needed: 2 hours
How to comply with ISO 27001 Clause 9.3 Management Review
- Decide who will attend the ISO 27001 Management Review Meeting
Decide who will attend the ISO 27001 management review team meetings. It should include the information security manager, a member of the senior leadership team and members from each department in the organisation. This should then be documented in your roles and responsibilities documentation. Make sure that the members are added to the competency matrix.
- Create your meeting agenda and book your meetings
Create your ISO 27001 Management Review Meeting agenda based on the requirements of the standard, including all mandatory topics.
- Schedule your ISO 27001 Management Review Meetings for the year
Forward plan and schedule your meetings for the year.
- Conduct your meetings keeping minutes
Conduct your ISO 27001 Management Review Meetings and be sure to minute and keep copies of minutes. Follow the detailed guide on How to conduct an ISO 27001 Management Review Meeting.
What the auditor will check
The auditor is going to check a number of areas for compliance with Clause 9.3. Lets go through them
That roles are defined and assigned
The auditor will look for evidence that you have defined the roles for the management review team. They will want to see representation for the in scope areas. For best practice they will be looking for one representative of each in scope department, at least one member of senior leadership, deputies for everyone.
That management meetings have happened and are planned
They will be looking to see that management reviews have taken place and that future management reviews are planned in. It is likely to be the case that they will look for calendar entries and also, most important of all, they are looking for minutes and documentation of those management reviews.
Top 4 Mistakes People Make
In my experience, the top 4 mistakes people make for ISO 27001 clause 9.3 are:
- Not having minutes or documentation of management reviews happening
- People, including deputies, not attending management review meetings
- No planning ahead to evidence that reviews will happen in the future
- Not following the structured, defined agenda with no evidence that the provided agenda items were covered.
ISO 27001 Clause 9.3 FAQ
ISO 27001 Clause 9.3 Management Review requires an organisation to hold a regular management review meeting that follows the structure and requirements of the ISO 27001 standard.
ISO 27001 Clause 9.3 Management Review compliance is evidenced by having Management Review Meetings scheduled through out the year and evidence that meetings have occurred with meeting minutes available.
You can download ISO 27001 Clause 9.3 Management Review in the ISO 27001 Toolkit.
An example of ISO 27001 Clause 9.3 Management Review can be found in the ISO 27001 Toolkit.
You perform ISO 27001 management reviews monthly. If you cannot then at least once every 3 months.
The information security manager ensures that the meeting takes place. The meeting is attended by the information security manager, senior leadership representative and representatives from each department in the organisation.
Management reviews are reported to the senior leadership team.
If you do not do ISO 27001 management reviews and minute them then you will not achieve ISO 27001 certification. In addition your management system will not operate as intended and will not be effective.