While you usually hear people talk about policies and procedures together, each has a different role.
Policies are high-level guidelines or statements of intent. They define the culture of an organization, provide strategic perspective and help leaders with decision-making.
Procedures detail the sequence of steps for specific organizational activities, including who should complete the action. Employees follow procedures to adhere to policies, complete tasks and follow processes.
Why Policies and Procedures Matter
Policies and procedures do more than guide daily activities in an organization. Policies and procedures also help to:
- mitigate or eliminate risks
- streamline or improve processes
- demonstrate legal and regulatory compliance (required for regulated industries)
- improve training for employees
- provide a structure to deal with incidents, errors, or problems as they arise
The Key Elements of a Policy
Generally, policies contain the following key information.
- The purpose: A brief statement (a sentence or a short paragraph) of why there is a need for this policy.
- Definitions: If there are any important or specific terms that could be unfamiliar, they should be listed and explained so there is no confusion when used in other sections of the policy.
- The policy statement: This is the explanation of key points related to the policy. This will explain how the policy should be implemented, including any conditions, restrictions, expectations, and exclusions.
- Procedures: This part explains procedures that will be required to implement the policy.
- Interested People: List anyone who should be notified about the policy or changes to the policy, as well as anyone who is affected by the policy.
- Additional information: Include any other information that is important to developing, revising, or implementing the policy.
Essential Elements for Procedures
Writing procedures requires in-depth understanding of the process or task.
- Get some background. When explaining a process or task, you need to understand context.
- Observe employees. Watch the process or task and document what happens. Involve key employees in the writing process to ensure that written description is accurate and adequate.
- Check whether there have been incidents. Find out if there have been safety issues, non-compliance events, or other problems. This will help to determine if there are updates or improvements to the process or task that could be detailed in the procedures.
- Review the procedures. Can users follow them as written without being confused or running into difficulty? Read or, if applicable, walk through the procedures and change the wording as necessary. Include any forms or diagrams that would help to explain the task or process better.
- Check alignment. The wording in procedures should align with the corresponding policy and any other related procedures.
Some organizations will combine policies and procedures into one document. Others will keep them as separate, but complementary, documents.
Finally, it’s important to update policies and procedures regularly, to reflect any changes to processes or responses to incidents or problems.