When it comes to management-based standards and regulations they almost all include a requirement for Management Review. The purpose of a management review has traditionally been to look at what has been accomplished and make necessary corrections to maintain targeted levels of performance applied to quality, safety & security, environmental and regulatory objectives. In recent years requirements have been expanded to consider strategic alignment and overall effectiveness, which requires a different point of view.
The prevailing perspective to Management Review is looking at a rear-view mirror of past performance and using lagging indicators to make adjustments that improve consistency. This is necessary but limited in terms of contending with what's coming ahead and often very soon.
A proactive approach to Management Review, let's call it, Management Preview adds another perspective by looking at what's ahead and using leading indicators to make course corrections that improve effectiveness.
The purpose of systems is to achieve consistency by adhering to procedures, resisting change and reacting to variation. While programs anticipate conditions, introduce change, and advance outcomes. While this distinction is conflated in many management-based standards and regulations it helps to better understand the difference between governance, the process of steering; and managing, the process of controlling.
Using this distinction we can say that Management Review is a function of systems that control processes whereas Management Preview is a function of programs which govern systems.
Management Previews are essential for all purposeful endeavors where outcomes are being advanced and improvement in performance is needed not only to maintain consistency but to improve outcomes.
