Please give your opinion.
My take on the topic is the following:
1. Policy describes the why; also accountabilities, business rules for any decisions to be taken and corrective action/ disciplinary actions should the policy not being adhered to. Similar to 'laws', it states what is allowed and what not and how to redress it. A policy should not contain processes or procedures, but refers to them.
2. Process derives from the value chain (what, who, where, when) and can be modelled in various tools, from manual 'brown paper' maps to MS Excel, MS Visio to various database tools (ARIS etc). It comprises activities/ functions, decisions, may span several systems, executed by several teams/ people (RACI) and may cross functional/ organisation boundaries
3. Procedures comprise the work instructions to execute a task/ activity (how). It normally is executed by one person/ team, does not cross organisational boundaries and is normally documented in a document. It does not normally split in the process logic (decisions) that goes outside the boundary of the activity, but may contain complex decisions/ decision trees to indicate the direction of the process logic after the activity.
Dear John,
I was also thinking on the similar lines. To add to what you have already mentioned, I would say that:
Policy: governs the overall working within a department or an organization. An example could be that a Policy which states that all the business processes should be documented. It might be a further elaborated by stating that all the documented processes must follow globally accepted principles.
Process: would define the overall end-to-end steps involved in the execution of the above mentioned policy and the steps required to document a complete business process. It would describe the tools to be used, people to contact and all the other relevant information.
Procedure: would perhaps be at the lowest end. It would describe how to document each step of a business process. What parameters are needed to be associated with it and how much detailing is required.
I hope my example is clear. I would be very glad if you can comment on it. Please feel free to point out any omissions or errors within the quoted example or please add an example of your own.
Regards,
Anosh