COLLINGWOOD'S review of its operations will include a full scrutiny of its football department's performance as the club faces an uphill battle to make the finals for the first time in four seasons.

The Magpies board commissioned the review, to be headed by Collingwood Foundation chairman Peter Murphy and Chris Thomas of executive search firm Egon Zehnder, to look into all aspects of the club.

Collingwood president Eddie McGuire told Triple M on Wednesday that the review would not determine whether Nathan Buckley, who is the final year of a contract, would remain, but it would examine what the football department should look like in the future.

"We will have a full review also of the football department, what are the type of coaches we need going forward, where is football going?" McGuire said. 

"We have got the boxes on the board: who is in them, what are the skill sets required?"

Collingwood has had a similar looking coaching setup for several seasons, with Brenton Sanderson joining Robert Harvey, Scott Burns, Tarkyn Lockyer, Anthony Rocca and Jared Rivers this season.

However, Rodney Eade, Neil Balme and Graeme Allan have been football managers either side of Geoff Walsh, who was in the position when Buckley started coaching and returned to the job at the end of last year.

McGuire said a review was necessary because of the rapid changes that had occurred recently, with Collingwood now having a women's football team and a netball team.

He said AFL equalisation policies had also had a significant impact on the way Collingwood managed its operations, with the football department tax changing the investment decisions the Magpies have made since Buckley became coach.

McGuire said enormous growth had occurred since he began as president in 1998 and the club had conducted several reviews in his time.

"It's amazing how big a change there has been in football," he said.

"What we need to do is actually take a helicopter view. I have deliberately said put these key executives in to find what we need to find and go forward with that."

McGuire also revealed met with AFL CEO Gil McLachlan, commission chairman Richard Goyder and key club presidents as part of the process of understanding the game's direction.