HOW TO WRITE

ORGANIZATIONAL POLICIES
HOW TO WRITE ORGANIZATIONAL POLICIES

I. What is policy?

Policies1 are statements of an organization’s purpose and philosophy. However, people

are using the word, “policy” for different purposes. Some people mean a policy and
procedures manual. Some want to refer to the implicit framework that guides day-to-day
actions on the job. The organization’s commitment to good practice and quality
improvements will influence its development of policy. Policies also reflect the
philosophy of an organization. Policies are developed to:

• Assist staff with decision-making

• Reduce the gap between what is required by the law or local rules, and day-to-
day procedures
• Respond to a recurring issue or need
• Identify the organization’s responsibility to its staff, stakeholders, and funding
body
• Outline what services are needed, and how to manage and provide these services
to the client/customer

1
Adapted from the manual: “Certificate IV in Community Management – Developing and Implementing
Policy
II. Why important2

Organizational policies are extremely important because they help the organization to
manage its resources in a regular way. These policies can provide a framework for
action that helps staff get on with the job they need to do. In addition, they are like a
tool in quality improvement. They can also prevent conflict about how something
should be handled. If there is disagreement, then the policy should show the agreed way
to manage it.

2
This manual is mainly adapted from IRC Somaliland manual: HOW TO SET UP A BASIC
ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM FOR YOUR LNGO
III. What are the basic steps to develop policies?

When you develop policies, you need to consider the size and type of your organization
and its philosophy. Small community based organizations normally follow the three
processes.

• The policy/planning/evaluation day

• A consultative process for developing particular policies
• A policy review process.

However, larger organizations like to follow formal procedures by forming:

• Standing Policy and Procedures Committee (s) for different areas

• Forms Committee(s)
• Recommendations and decisions passing through several levels of management.

Here are the basic steps to developing policies.

1. Identify what policies the organization needs-

Key stakeholders of the organization can meet together and determine priorities for
policy development. Basically, all the organizations usually have human resources and
material resources policies. These policies can be called administrative policies. Based on
the nature of your organization, you need to consider which policies are necessary.
2. State what the current procedures or existing policies are-
After you have established what policies your organization needs, then it is time to start
writing the policies. Begin by writing down all of the current procedures. Even if they
are very informal, write down what you are doing now. Or if you have policies, you
need to keep update all the time.

Sometimes you have policies but issues arise regularly in the workplace. An
organization’s existing policies should be constantly reviewed and evaluated for
relevancy. This will help meet the changing needs of the organization and its
beneficiaries3. When evaluating policies for relevancy, consider the following issues:
• Changes in beneficiary groups i.e. changes in the community
• Changes in legislation or local regulations if relevant or necessary
• Changes in service delivery practice or structure
• Changes in the size of organization (i.e. numbers of staff)
• Changes in hierarchy (i.e. levels of authority)
• Changes in organization’s aims and philosophy (i.e. vision, mission and/or goal)

3
from the manual: “Certificate IV in Community Management – Developing and Implementing Policy
3. Lay out the framework for a policy-
Based on your current procedure or existing policy, identify areas that are not covered
or that need to be improved. The guidelines for each policy as well as the standards for
a good administrative system in the following sections should help you to identify the
points that you need to cover. Policies should:

§ Define what the policy covers

§ Establish what the procedure is for managing the resource
§ State clearly who will have what responsibility
§ Explain how to monitor and evaluate the resource
§ List what records must be kept to manage the resource
4. Write a new policy -
Different management structures may have different arrangements for policy
development.

Policies usually provide guidelines for decisions and actions by a set of procedures.
Procedures outline how a policy will be put into day-to-day practice. Procedures will
provide answers to the following questions:
• What are the general steps to be taken to implement the policy?
• Who has authority, and what are their responsibilities?
• What resources are available?
• Who will provide these resources?
• What are the review and monitoring mechanisms?
• What are the possible circumstances that fall outside the policy’s guidelines?

When you draft a policy, it is necessary to test the procedures which accompany the
policy. You have to think through the procedures which go with it.
Research and consultation
The staff should develop the new policy based on current procedures and weaknesses
that they have learned. The development of any operational policy should begin with
both research and consultation. When establishing new organizations or programs, it is
common practice to contact other relevant organizations. Meeting these organizations
and requesting copies of their written documents and policies may help you.

Although organizations often do the research, they forget the consultation. Stakeholders
ranging from the funding agencies and staff can have opinions about needs and issues.
They will expect to contribute to policy development when it is relevant to them.
Recognizing all of your stakeholders and appropriate ways of including them in the
consultation process is important to the first stage of policy development. If
consultation is not done properly, you may meet with barriers from stakeholders in
policy implementation.

Resource Implications
When a policy is developed, it is necessary to consider the resource implication. You
need to consider how to effectively use resources such as human, physical, or financial.
Policy development costs staff, time and money. The implication on these and other
resources need to be carefully assessed.

You should consider the following questions in policy development process4.

Resource Resource Implications

Equipment Do you have adequate equipment?
If not, do you need to buy or rent it?
Facilities Do you have the space to accommodate this activity?
Can you increase the space?
Budget What funds are available?
How can you develop this policy and stay within the
budget?
Can you afford additional staff and/or materials if
necessary?
Materials What materials are needed to implement the policy?

4
Taken from the manual: “Certificate IV in Community Management – Developing and Implementing
Policy
 Do you have access to all required materials?
Training Who will train? When? For how long?
How should you fill their position during training?
Support for staff and Do you have enough staff to ensure proper
beneficiaries implementation?
Do you need additional staff?
What will the impact be on our beneficiary group?
Supervision Who will supervise the implementation?
Will training be required for supervisors?

Review mechanisms
Review mechanisms are the methods used to assess the impact of a policy on the
achievement of an organization’s objectives. These mechanisms will also be used to
review all resource implications. The review of policies is directly related to reviewing
the performance of the organization. If an organization is not achieving its objectives, a
review of its policies may reveal the reason.

When developing a policy, it is a good practice to include both resource implications

and review mechanisms within the policy document. When the draft can be finalized, it
should be circulated for comment. There may be a meeting to amend or revise the draft.
Sometimes, there can be major policy debate among the staff. Policy drafting committee
or staff leading the policy development process should consult with the
Board/Management Committee instead of resolving the issue/s on their own. Then the
draft may be recirculated for comment if necessary.
5. Approve the policy

After the policy has been drafted, all of the organization’s staff, members, and leadership
should discuss it. Decision is made by the Board/Management Committee. The policy
is communicated to all those who are relevant and when necessary training is provided
to ensure all staff have the knowledge and skills to implement the policy. Review the
policy and decide if it is something that your organization can actually implement.
Remember that the policy must include ways of monitoring itself so that you can check
to see that it is being implemented.
STRUCTURE OF A POLICY DOCUMENT

A POLICY THAT IS EASILY UNDERSTOOD BY THE PEOPLE IS OFTEN

CALLED USER-FRIENDLY.

The following questions can be answered by a user-friendly policy.

1) Is the language used clear?

2) Is it easy to understand?
3) Is the style appropriate for the staff?
4) Are all the technically words (unavoidably used) well-explained?
5) Does a glossary provide?

Structure of Policy Document 5

The following headings are helpful when preparing a policy document

5
Adapted from Certificate IV in Community Management – Developing and Implementing Policy
Manual
Policy title • the title should reflect the issues that is
being addressed
Purpose • the expected outcome of this policy
Guidelines • expression of the organization’s
philosophy
• when and how the policy will be
applied
• attitudes and behaviors
• best practice standards
Procedures • actions or steps to be taken to
implement this policy
• levels of authority responsible for
implementation
Resources • resources to be made available
• resource implications
Monitoring and Evaluation • who will monitor and evaluate policy
• time frame of monitoring & evaluation
(how often)
20 QUESTIONS FOR POLICY MONITORING AND EVALUATION

It is the role of the Board of Directors or leadership body to develop and/or approve all
of the organization’s policies. Adopting a policy is an important responsibility;
therefore, it is necessary to consider many aspects of the policy before deciding whether
or not to accept it. Here are some issues to discuss:

1. Does the policy reflect the organization’s missions and goals?

2. Does the policy conflict with another one of the organization’s policies?
3. Is the policy similar to what is actually being practiced?
4. Is the policy realistic? Can what has been written actually be implemented?
5. Is the policy in agreement with an international standard (such as the Generally
Accepted Accounting Procedures for finance)?
6. Is the policy acceptable to local standards and local regulations (such as Thai labor
law)?
7. Can the policy be integrated with other policies?
8. Is the policy transparent? Does everyone know what it says can they see it being
followed?
9. Does the policy include technical words that some people may not understand?
10. Does the policy specifically say who has what responsibility for what, and when it
should be done?
11. Is the policy too vague?
12. Does the policy outline clear lines of responsibility and accountability?
13. Does the policy explain how it is to be implemented and/or enforced?
14. Does the policy state the consequences of not obeying the policy?
15. Are there financial costs in implementing this policy (such as stating that forms must
be pre-numbered, and therefore pre-printed)?
16. If so, can the organization cover these costs?
17. Does the policy discriminate against or favor women?
18. Does the policy help minorities in any way?
19. Does the policy allow for changes when necessary?
20. Is the policy flexible enough to be implemented for a long time

The most important thing is to make a policy that you can really implement and
follow!
References:
1) Certificate IV in Community Management – Developing and Implementing
Policy, DEP First Edition, 2000
2) IRC Somaliland Manual: HOW TO SET UP A BASIC ADMINISTRATIVE
SYSTEM FOR YOUR LNGO
3) Writing policies and manuals: http://www.mapl.com.au/policy/tp5.htm