Steps for a Successful Policy and Procedure

​Reviewing your policies and procedures regularly helps you manage them better. To reduce risks, it’s important to keep them current and relevant. Outdated policies can lose trust and aren’t followed. Regular reviews are the best way to fix this.

However, reviewing policies isn’t always easy. Overloaded policy owners might skip steps, delay the review, or forget altogether. This guide will explain why reviewing policies and procedures matters, what it involves, and how to make it successful.

Why Review Policies and Procedures?

Regular reviews of policies and procedures bring many benefits:

• Stay Current: Policies remain updated in a constantly changing world.
• Reduce Risk: Aligning policies with legal and regulatory requirements minimizes risks.
• Boost Efficiency: Updated procedures improve how your organization operates.
• Identify Gaps: Reviews help spot and improve overlooked areas.
• Make Policies Clearer: Easier-to-read policies are better understood and followed by employees.
• Encourage Respect: Clear, updated policies gain respect from employees and stakeholders.
• Promote Accountability: Regular updates remind everyone that policies are “living” documents that require attention.

When to Review Policies and Procedures

Policies are typically reviewed for three main reasons:

• Scheduled Reviews: Annual or six-monthly reviews keep policies fresh and relevant.
• Significant Changes: Major events like new regulations, risks, or technology updates trigger reviews.
• General Overhauls: Policies may be reviewed as part of an effort to standardize and improve management processes.

While these situations may differ, the steps for reviewing policies often remain the same. Regular reviews ensure your policies stay effective and useful for everyone involved.

10 Steps for Successfully Reviewing Policies and Procedures

Here’s a simple guide to review your policies and procedures effectively.

1. Set Triggers and Define the Process
Decide when and why policies will be reviewed, such as every six months or after major changes (e.g., new regulations or workplace incidents). Be clear about who’s responsible for the review, who will provide input, and who approves changes. Clear steps help keep reviews on track.

2. Gather Data Sources
Collect information to guide changes. This might involve research, employee feedback, or consulting external experts to get a complete picture.

3. Review the Policy’s Content
Examine the policy for clarity and practicality. Ask questions like:

• Is it easy to read and understand?
• Can employees act on it?
• Does it need additional guidelines?

Policy management tools can also provide insights into how the policy has been used.

4. Identify Areas for Change
After gathering input, pinpoint what needs to be updated. Look for gaps, outdated information, or unclear language.

5. Write a First Draft
Using the feedback, create a draft with the necessary changes. Take your time to ensure it’s clear and concise.

6. Get Stakeholder Feedback
Share the draft with key stakeholders, such as employees, managers, or legal experts. Their feedback can ensure the policy is practical, compliant, and easy to follow.

7. Revise and Submit for Approval
Make adjustments based on feedback and prepare the final version. Keep the approval process simple to avoid delays.

8. Final Revisions (If Needed)
Some policies may require additional tweaks, especially if they involve multiple teams or are complex. Once finalized, move to approval.

9. Plan Communication
Decide how to share the new policy. Will it go to all employees or specific groups? Will employees need to confirm they’ve read and understood it? Think about adding it to onboarding for new hires.

10. Release the Policy
Publish the updated policy and send out communications. Use tools like policy management software to distribute it, manage access, and track employee acknowledgments if required.

How Policy Management Software Can Help with Reviews

Policy management software is a powerful tool for reviewing policies and procedures. Tools like SP Policy Manager can support every step of the process and make reviews easier and more effective.

1. Clear Responsibilities and Transparency
Policy management software ensures everyone knows:

• Who is responsible for the review.
• When the review should happen.
• What steps are needed for approval.

This clarity keeps things on track and promotes accountability, making it more likely the review will be completed.

2. Useful Analytics and Data
The software can provide insights, such as:

• How often policies are viewed.
• How many employees have confirmed (attested) they’ve read them.
• Feedback from users, like which sections are hard to understand.

This data helps identify areas for improvement and makes reviews more informed.

3. Automated Reminders
SP Policy Manager sends automated reminders for regular reviews, whether they’re annual or bi-monthly. This is helpful for busy policy owners who might otherwise forget.

4. Organized Review Workflow
The software streamlines the approval process, ensuring only the right people are involved. It also tracks changes and keeps a record of the entire workflow.

5. Version Control
Having multiple versions of a policy can cause confusion and lead to outdated rules being followed. SP Policy Manager ensures only the latest version is accessible in its central library, building trust and reducing mistakes.

6. Communicating Changes
SP Policy Manager simplifies sharing updated policies by:

• Providing a personalized page for employees to see new policies.
• Offering mandatory reads and attestation features to confirm employees have read the updates.
• Integrating with tools like Microsoft Teams to ensure no one misses important updates.

7. Ensuring Compliance
SP Policy Manager helps track compliance by showing which employees have attested to reading the updated policy. This makes it easy to demonstrate compliance to regulators or stakeholders.

Policy management software like SP Policy Manager makes the entire review process smoother, more efficient, and easier to manage.