Policies vs. Procedures
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Answer:
Policies are clear, simple statements of how your organisation intends to conduct its services, actions or business. They provide a set of guiding principles to help with decision making. Policies don't need to be long or complicated – a couple of sentences may be all you need for each policy area.
Procedures describe how each policy will be put into action in your organisation. Each procedure should outline:
- Who will do what
- What steps they need to take
- Which forms or documents to use.
Procedures might just be a few bullet points or instructions. Sometimes they work well as forms, checklists, instructions or flowcharts.
Policies and their accompanying procedures will vary b etween workplaces because they reflect the values, approaches and commitments of a specific organisation and its culture. But they share the same role in guiding your organisation.
In terms of ISO 9001 it is more common to write a procedure for HR, Biomedical Engineering, IT, Purchasing and Warehouses, and so forth because they fit better with the attributes of a procedure mentioned above.
For more information, see:
- How to structure quality management system documentation https://advisera.com/9001academy/knowledgebase/how-to-structure-quality-management-system-documentation/
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Oct 12, 2016