Policy vs. Procedure
POLICY | PROCEDURE |
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What is a Policy? - Describe the rules that establish what will or will not be done.
- Can range from a broad philosophy to specific rules.
- Guide decision making by employees.
- Are usually expressed in standard sentence and paragraph format.
- Does not restate the law or ask others to follow the law.
- Include WHAT the rule is, WHY it exists, WHEN it applies and WHO it covers.
| What is a Procedure? - Describe the critical steps undertaken to achieve policy intent.
- Are succinct, factual and to the point.
- Are usually expressed using lists.
- Include HOW to achieve the necessary result/compliance with the policy.
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Writing policies: - Avoid use of "should" or "may" as these words imply choice.
- Questions that a policy statement typically answers:
- Who needs to follow the policy?
- In what situation(s) does this policy not apply? What are the major conditions or restrictions? What is expected of the employee or student? Are there exclusions or special situations?
- Who is making a decision and what do they consider in their decision?
| Writing Procedure: - List steps to follow in order to comply with the policy, in the same order as in the policy.
- List responsibility for each step.
- Use one action per step – steps that contain more than one action can confuse the reader.
- Avoid too much detail - link to unit rules or work instructions on the University intranet if necessary.
- Refer the reader to related documents, forms, work instructions/unit rules.
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Request for new policy/modification to existing policy
To start the process for a new policy, modification to existing policy, or modification to departmental practice / elimination / consolidation, please contact the Policy Office (policy@kpu.ca) and request the KPU Policy/Procedure Request Form.
KPU Glossary of Policy Definitions (KPU Credential Login Required)
The KPU Glossary of Policy Definitions (sharepoint.com) contains a comprehensive, alphabetized list of policy definitions from all current KPU policies.