Difference Between Policy and Procedure

Policy vs. Procedure

An organization should be managed properly. Operations should properly run so that the goals of a certain organization will be achieved. An organization must follow a certain system so that it can be clear to everybody what goals it wants to reach as an organization. These are the reasons why policies and procedures are formed by committees in an organization.

If an organization does not have policies and procedures it will surely crumble and fall. Also, without these policies and procedures, a company or an organization will find it very hard to achieve any goal. An organization should be clear about its goals, how to reach it, what needs to be done and why it must be done. These policies and procedures may be written or unwritten.

Policies and procedures seem to be of the same nature. They both seem to be guidelines. However, these are two different things. These two have a lot of differences and you can see their differences by first defining them.

Policies are more like courses of actions. It dictates what a company is supposed to do. It gives a guideline to the organization on how things are supposed to be done. It not just show a company how is must operate; it also makes clear where the company stands on important issues. It gives direction to the organization towards its desired goals. It helps the company take the right directions and guide them to the achievements they want to reach. Policies are categorized into two. First, it serves as a guideline or rules for employees to follow. Second, it serves as missions for the company.

As policies are more of guidelines and missions procedures are the one that describe or outline what courses of action or what normal methods should be done to fulfill those company missions. In other words, procedures complement policies; it is the backbone of the policies in a company or organizations. Procedures are implemented protocols to show the step by step methods in order to reach the policies of a certain company or organization. Once these methods become a system being followed, then there will be a cycle in the company so that the desired end results will be achieved.

To sum it up, a policy is a course of action created so that the company will be guided towards the goals or missions it desires to reach. On the other hand, procedures are methods and s step by step instruction to follow the policies created by the company or organization.

SUMMARY:

1.

A policy is a guideline while a procedure is the method of action.
2.

Policies are not that technical, they are more like rules, while procedures are more detailed step by step system.
3.

Policies are very important parts of the strategies of an organization, while the procedures are more tactical.
4.

Policies are made by the people on top of the management hierarchy, while the procedures are laid down step by step by the leaders of the lower organizational level.

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