Phases of a Management System

There are 3 phases in adopting a management system approach within an organization –

1. Establishing a management system
2. Implementing a management system
3. Maintaining a management system

The activities associated with each of these phases are distinct.

The activities associated with establishing a management system include – identifying organizational goals and objectives, evaluating existing practices and processes, assigning roles and responsibilities, and writing documentation (e.g. procedures and work instructions).

The activities associated with implementing a management system include – communicating responsibilities, developing competencies and implementing new or revised business practices.

The activities associated with maintaining a management system include – developing performance metrics, evaluating and auditing performance and undertaking corrective and preventive action.

These phases need to be sequential.

Some organizations make the process much more difficult than it needs to be because they attempt to accomplish all three phases at the same time.  This rarely works.

© ENLAR® Compliance Services, Inc. (2011)

Category: OHSMS Implementation