What Methods are Used to Write Policies and Procedures?

There are several different methods used to write policies and procedures. They consist of gathering the right information for the right process to develop the right policy and procedure for your organization. What are these methods?

Gathering information from personnel and stakeholders through interviews can help to determine the content of a policy or procedure. It is important to understand who is involved with the procedure, the stakeholders, and the types of users in the process (frequent, occasional, or novice).

Surveys can help to identify what policies and procedures are needed, and what format they should take.

Analyzing existing documents, such as reports, can help to identify what needs to be included in the policy or procedure. If a document or record is used by the process, then it needs to be referenced by the procedure being written.

Focus groups are similar the surveys. They allow you to gather information from a group of stakeholders and can help to identify what should be included in policies and procedures.

Comparing policies and procedures from other organizations can help to identify best practices and what should be included in the policy or procedure. Benchmarking is a best practice itself.

Using brainstorming sessions with personnel and stakeholders can help to generate ideas for what should be included in the policy or procedure. You can even run a virtual brainstorming session with a remote ream.

Reviewing journal articles, textbooks, industry best practices, and white papers can help in understanding how policies and procedures should be written.

Many government agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provide guidance on creating policies and procedures specific to their areas of expertise.

Focusing on eliminating waste, improving efficiency, and reducing defects within a process are used to help develop and manage policies and procedures.

Policies and Procedures are used in a lot of industries, which has resulted in various standards organizations creating formal and informal guidance to help with documenting business processes. Following existing standards or guidelines like ISO 9001, ITIL, COBIT, GAAP, ICA, SHRM, AICPA, IIA, PMI, to name a few, can provide a lot of useful information and guidance for writing policies and procedures for many different industries.

• The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) publishes standards for management systems which can be used to help guide the development of policies and procedures.
• The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a set of detailed practices for IT activities which can be used to help guide the development of IT policies and procedures.
• The Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) and the IT Governance Institute (ITGI) publish COBIT which is a framework of Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies which can be used as a guide to policies and procedures.
• The International compliance Association (ICA) publishes guidelines for developing policies and procedures that are specific to the financial services industry.
• The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) provides templates and guidelines for developing policies and procedures that are specific to the human resources field.
• The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) provides guidance on drafting appropriate policies and procedures for the accounting profession.
• The Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) offers guidance on creating and documenting policies and procedures for internal audits.
• The Project Management Institute (PMI) has published a comprehensive guide for developing policies and procedures for project management.
• The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) updates Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) which can be used as a guide to Accounting policies and procedures.

Methods to Write Policies and Procedures

Knowing what to include in your policy or procedure will help you create one that achieves your goals. But, It requires time to investigate the process, comprehend best practices, and ascertain compliance with relevant laws, standards, or corporate rules before writing policies and procedures. When writing procedures, try to employ a variety of techniques to address the topic or sector that is the target for the policy and procedure.