What is the Difference Between Policy and Procedure?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between policies and procedures lies in their purpose and content. Here are the key distinctions between the two:
- Policies: These are overarching guidelines that provide direction and outline the organization's rules, values, philosophy, and culture. Policies communicate an organization's plan for tackling certain issues and are designed to guide day-to-day actions and strategies. Some examples of policies include employee benefits, vacation policy, code of conduct, and confidentiality agreements.
- Procedures: These offer detailed instructions on how to carry out specific tasks to ensure compliance with policies. Procedures focus on the steps an organization must take to implement policies and may include elements such as the offices and positions responsible for policy implementation, instructions to university constituents, and the forms or documents to use. Examples of procedural topics include emergency procedures, material ordering, equipment operation, and inventory management.
In summary, policies provide the overall framework and guiding principles for an organization's actions, while procedures offer step-by-step instructions for carrying out specific tasks in line with those policies. Both policies and procedures are essential for effective operations within an organization, and they should be written down and codified to avoid misunderstandings.
Comparative Table: Policy vs Procedure
The difference between a policy and a procedure can be summarized as follows:
| Policy | Procedure |
|---|---|
| A policy is a high-level statement that outlines the organization's plan for tackling certain issues and provides direction on how to approach them. | A procedure provides detailed mandatory steps (sometimes in the form of a checklist) that someone needs to follow to achieve a recurring task or perform a specific action. |
| Policies address the "why" behind an action and serve as the foundation and rationale for a particular course of action. | Procedures explain the "how" and outline the specific steps and instructions needed to carry out a task or process. |
| Policies guide the day-to-day actions and strategies, allowing for flexibility. | Procedures detail individual processes and ensure that actions are carried out consistently and accurately. |
In summary, policies are decision-oriented and provide the context for why certain actions are taken, while procedures are more action-oriented and provide the specific steps and instructions needed to carry out those actions.
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