ISO 9001:2015 requires that you keep accurate and up-to-date documented information. However, it doesn’t tell you how you should review documents or at what frequency.
Many of our customers choose to review documentation on a 12-month basis.
It’s not a requirement that you review documents at that frequency. How often you do this is entirely up to you.
Is it necessary to schedule formal ISO 9001 document reviews?
Say your organization is rapidly changing and your ISO 9001 procedures are constantly being updated.
If documents are frequently updated, it may mean they’re also frequently reviewed. In this case, you might decide there’s no need for a formal review process.
On the other hand, say your processes don’t change frequently. Or perhaps your business isn’t disciplined about updating procedures when processes change.
This may mean you’d benefit from implementing a structured review process.
Factors affecting frequency of formal document reviews
The frequency of that review process should be based on what you think is reasonable.
If you’re not disciplined about updating your procedures, you might decide that a 12-monthly review is sufficient.
This might be reduced to 6 months or less if your company’s processes change frequently.
If you run your management systems diligently but things don’t change that often, a 24-monthly review might do the job.
So there’s no correct answer.
It’s up to you how you ensure that your procedures are up to date – provided that the system you use is effective.
How isoTracker’s Document Management software can help
The isoTracker Document Control system ensures that documents are properly reviewed and managed.
The system makes it easy to:
- find, review, update, and approve documents
- ensure that only the correct, most up-to-date versions of documents are used
- record and track all changes to documents
- make sure your systems comply with ISO 9001: 2015.
isoTracker offers modular, subscription-based quality management software that’s secure, cloud-based, and affordable.
Contact us to find out more or to discuss your company’s ISO 9001 document review needs. Alternatively, go ahead and sign up for a free 60-day trial of isoTracker’s quality management software.