Groups putting together a policies and procedures manual frequently ask how a policy differs from a procedure. It's an important question to consider before beginning work on a policies and procedures manual, as the answer will fundamentally shape how the manual is organized. The organization of the manual is critical, because it impacts the manual's usefulness as a resource to stakeholders, as well as how easily updates can be made to the manual as the business or organization evolves.
This article, based on my experience advising complex organizations, outlines an approach for differentiating policies from procedures and efficiently organizing a policies and procedures manual.