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Wednesday 11/19. CST 481/598 x.2. Policies. Broad overview of policy material What is a “process” Tiers (not tears). Many thanks to Jeni Li. Why have policies?. Guide employee behavior Enable accountability measures Manage expectations (to an extent) Ensure self-regulation
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Wednesday 11/19 CST 481/598 x.2
Policies • Broad overview of policy material • What is a “process” • Tiers (not tears) Many thanks to Jeni Li
Why have policies? • Guide employee behavior • Enable accountability measures • Manage expectations (to an extent) • Ensure self-regulation • Protect information • Protect the company
Terminology and structure Policy • High-level, brief • General requirements on a specified subject area • Tier 1, 2, 3 • Standards • Mandatory requirements that support individual policies • Procedures • Mandatory, step-by-step actions to complete a task • Guidelines • Recommendations (not mandatory) to enable policy compliance • May provide a framework to implement procedures
Tier 1: Global policies • Overall vision • Address organizationwide issues • Fairly broad, brief, and general • Usually developed or approved by committee • Require little modification over time • Examples • Records management • Corporate communications • Business continuity planning
Tier 1: Global policies • Components • Topic with “Hook” • Scope • Responsibilities • Compliance and Consequences
Tier 2: Topic-specific policies • Specific topic or department • Address single issues of current relevance • Usually issued by a single senior official • Require more frequent updates • Examples • Electronic mail • Workstation security • Data access control
Tier 2: Topic-specific policies • Components • Thesis statement • What the policy addresses and why it exists • Relevance • Where, how, when, and to whom it applies • Responsibilities • Compliance • May be more specific than Tier 1 • Supplementary information • Metadata; e.g., contact, ownership, revision dates
Tier 3: Application-specific policies • Specific application, function, or system • May be issued by the system owner • Should derive from mission objectives • Business and application mission objectives • Proactive, not reactive • Format is more variable • Examples • Payroll and time submission • Web application server access
Good policies are… • Easy to understand • Visible • Applicable • Do-able • Enforceable • Phased in on introduction • Proactive • Diplomatic (avoid absolutes) • Supportive of the business objectives
When writing policies… • See if you can just change an existing one • Address the business objectives • Use the business language • Use the existing policy format • Write it well • Be succinct • Grammar and spelling matter • Be realistic (balance protection with productivity) • Consider the audience • Sell before and train after
Standards and procedures • Policies state goals in broad terms • Standards define what to do in specific terms • Procedures tell how to meet the standards
Standards • Standards should • Have management support • Be reasonable, flexible, and current • Be practical and applicable • Be reviewed and updated regularly • Ensure adherence to externally imposed standards
Procedures • Procedures should • Fulfill a real need • Does the task have to be completed in a specific manner? • Identify the target audience • Describe the task • Its purpose, scope, and goals • Any prerequisites to beginning the task • Describe the expected outcome
Procedures • Some possible components • Title • Intent • Scope • Responsibilities • Sequence of events • Approvals • Prerequisites • Definitions • Equipment required • Warnings • Precautions • Procedure body (the actual steps)
Procedures, Standards, & Policies • Formats vary • Content, depth and specificity/generality