A management system is the framework of policies, processes and procedures used by an organization to ensure that it can fulfill all the tasks required to achieve its objectives.[1] These objectives will be a mix covering many aspects of the organization's operations (including financial success, safe operation, product quality, client relationships, legislative and regulatory conformance, worker management, etc.). For instance, an environmental management system enables organizations to improve their environmental performance and an occupational health and safety management system enables an organization to control its occupational health and safety risks, etc.
Many parts of the management system will be common to a range of objectives, but others may be specific to an individual objective. However, many organisations will require their management system to support a range of many different (and potentially conflicting) objectives.
A simplification of the main aspects of a management system is the 4-element "Plan, Do, Check, Act" approach. A complete management system can include up to 20 (twenty) 'elements', covering every aspect of the management system and focussed on supporting the performance of the management system to achieve the objectives. The management system should be able to improve its own performance by means of continuous improvement.