Policies are key to a well-functioning organization. They provide a consistent structure for decision-making and operations, ensuring stability and predictability within the company. A well-crafted policy is more than just a set of rules; it aligns with the vision and direction of the company and helps achieve long-term goals.

Before writing a bunch of policies, ensure that you have established the vision and mission for the company itself. This is something that the staff authorized to write policies can align to and would be the highest level orientation for them to then align the policy to.
At Studio98 we have a Manifesto created to explain how we operate.

Check out our Studio98 Manifesto

Once you have established the vision and direction for the business, then you can start writing the policies.

Definition and Purpose of Policies

A policy is a formal guideline or rule established by an organization to dictate decision-making and actions in alignment with its long-term vision and objectives. It provides a consistent framework for behavior and operations, ensuring stability and predictability within the company. Policies should not be seen as barriers but as enablers that guide the organization toward success.

Guidelines for Crafting Effective Policies

1. Clarity and Simplicity: Use clear, straightforward language that is easy to understand. Avoid jargon, technical terms, and complex sentences. This ensures that everyone in the organization can comprehend and follow the policies.
2. Specificity: Be precise about what is required, who is responsible, and under what circumstances. Clearly define roles, responsibilities, and expectations. This removes ambiguity and ensures everyone knows their duties.
3. Consistency: Ensure that the policy is consistent with other policies and the overall mission and values of the organization. Avoid contradictions that could lead to confusion or misinterpretation. Consistency reinforces the company’s direction and culture.
4. Accessibility: All policies should be easily accessible to any employees or contractors who need them. Store and share policies through a centralized system like GrandCentr.al to ensure everyone has the latest version.
5. Regular Review: The staff responsible for the relevant policies should regularly review them to ensure they remain relevant and effective in response to changes within the organization or its external environment.
6. Legal Compliance: Ensure that all policies comply with applicable laws and regulations. Any policy that violates the law is invalid and must be revised.
7. Actionable: Include actionable procedures or guidelines so that employees can implement them effectively in their day-to-day activities. This bridges the gap between theory and practice.
8. Approval and Authorization: Policies must be reviewed and approved by the appropriate level of management before they can be activated and enforced. This ensures that policies are aligned with the company’s strategic direction.
9. Clear Responsibility: Clearly communicate who is responsible for each action. Avoid ambiguous terms like “we”; instead, use specific roles and directives.
10. Spell-Check: Ensure all policy documents are free of spelling and grammatical errors. Tools like Grammarly can help with basic checks.

Policy Format

When drafting a policy, we recommend you follow this structured format to ensure clarity and completeness:

1. Title: Clearly state the subject of the policy.
2. Purpose: Explain why the policy exists and its objectives.
3. Scope: Define who and what is affected by the policy.
4. Responsibilities: Detail who is responsible for implementing, enforcing, and maintaining the policy.
5. Policy Content: Articulate the core principles or rules of the policy.
6. Procedures (Optional): Provide step-by-step actions required to comply with the policy, if necessary.
7. Approval and Revision History: Note the history of the policy’s approval and any revisions.

As executives our job is to help our staff competantly do their jobs. That is our whole focus and policies are a key part of how we can do this.

By adhering to these guidelines and format, you can create effective policies that support your company’s vision, facilitate decision-making, and ensure consistent and predictable operations.

GrandCentr.al includes a full company library and LMS (Learning Management System) so that you can provide a central place that is easy to access for you staff to look up and search all your policies, procedures, job descriptions, flow charts and more.

If you have any questions, or like to know more, click here to schedule a call with Kaeio