Policy vs. Process vs. Procedure: What’s the difference?

Though interconnected, policies, processes, and procedures respectively harbor different meanings and intended purposes in their use thereof. But although they cater to dissimilar tendencies, they aren’t so unalike as to be extravagantly divergent from one another as well.

📃We use the term Policy when referring to the guidelines set about by management to lay out the strategic direction of the institution. Speaking of, they serve as rules which supervise how one is to operate to wholly ensure consistency and compliance amongst the employed and within the workplace. Though a policy presents the destination the institution intends to move forward to, it is void of any detailed instruction to formally implement such.

📐A Process, on the other hand, cites the interrelated operations which yield a desired outcome similar to an offered service or product. Though it sets out to expand and give an overview of who is responsible for the operation, what the entailed major functions are and includes when these responsibilities are to be executed, they do not state in full detail how one should accomplish it.

🛠️ When one is aiming to realize a document containing a series of detailed steps and further instructions regarding a given standard operation as mentioned under a particular process, this type of content is then called a Procedure. Procedures completely define specific courses of action necessary for the fulfillment of an activity, and as such can serve as a quick reference guide on how to correctly administer or complete a task at hand.

Having all three components allows for the standardization of work and the propagation of efficient workflow in any environment and as such, defining these elements prior to the inauguration of any institution is key to ensuring the successful implementation and application of services on a day-to-day basis.

further readings/references:

Alqaheri, K. (2015, July 5). Policy, Process, and Procedure – What is the Difference? https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/policy-process-procedure-what-difference-khalil-al-qaheri

Elson-Vining, P. (2022, April 19). Policy vs Process vs Procedure: What’s the Difference? https://blog.triaster.co.uk/blog/policy-vs-process-vs-procedure#two