What is the difference between Policy and Procedure?

Policies and procedures are two words which both pertain to any organization. Policies guide top management in making decisions, while procedures guide employees into action. Policies can be adjusted accordingly by control, while procedures remain in force and are to be followed. Policies echo the mission statements and objectives of a company, while procedures are practical applications of these policies.

Policies are created by the top brass, while procedures are practical applications of these policies. A policy is a guiding principle that is put into practice to provide direction to the employees of an organization. In the context of government, it is a direction in which a specific department should move forward to achieve goals.

It is already a known fact that policies and procedures may need to work together to keep different establishments reach their main goals. A lot of people assume that this is only used for business environments but this is not always the case.

Policies are often used to help people know what they can and cannot do within the establishment. One can imagine what will happen when people do not have any rules to follow. Procedures are the things that people will do to reach the goals that they have set. If procedures will not be done properly, there is a big possibility that people will not be able to do their tasks properly.

Policies and procedures are mainly used in business environments, but can also be useful in schools and churches. A policy is a set of principles, which help guide the user to ultimately reach the goals of the business. The most familiar example is employee policies, often found in an employee handbook. A procedure is a step by step process of how something should be done.

The procedure lays out the way the goal should be reached each time. It helps everybody be on the same page and have a uniform way of accomplishing the task. Uniformity helps eliminate time being wasted and increases overall performance.