Best reason(s) for having policies?

There have been two key arguments in favour of policies when seeking upper-level support for their implementation:

1. Legal compliance. Some policies are required by the law and the consequences for not having them can be grave.

2. Industry compliance. Other policies can either be required by the industry or can be a pre-condition for having a place at the table. For example, we have suppliers who will not provide us with products unless we can demonstrate the competence of our engineers to fit their products in a way that guarantees that their good name won't be sullied by shoddy fitting. Their requisite evidence includes having certain policies in place with respect to training and management. Similarly, we have customers whose sites won't allow us to access our customer's location without evidence that we conduct business in a certain way: evidential to this are relevant policies.

Of course, *having* a policy and *abiding by* a policy aren't mutually guaranteed.

Hi Robey

I think it’s most important to distinguish between policies and procedures, as Peter outlined above.

And to distinguish between the need for operating * procedures* that constitute a quality assurance system for provision of goods or services and those that aren't necessary in this regard - and indeed may in the hands of exponents of ‘procedures for everything’ become positively unhelpful and grossly inefficient.

Effective quality assurance is essential in most if not all scenarios. At least some operating procedures usually are, but the trick IMHO is to ensure that these are kept proportionate to the quality assurance needs. And it’s far less common that organisations manage to get this right.

The best examples of many things have a Rolls-Royce badge. One of the most complex, multi-faceted international companies in the world and one with  book-fulls of (for instance) Safety policies, to meet the requirements of suppliers, customers, aerospace legislatures, etc. etc. etc. .....Yes?

How intricate, detailed, complex and verbose need policy be for such a massive organisation?

Take a look..... https://www.rolls-royce.com/~/media/Files/R/Rolls-Royce/documents/sustainability/policy-statement-uk-tcm92-56979.pdf

Of course, you will need a truck to then move the volumes of authorised and authorising procedures that follow from that statement :-)

The best examples of many things have a Rolls-Royce badge. One of the most complex, multi-faceted international companies in the world and one with  book-fulls of (for instance) Safety policies, to meet the requirements of suppliers, customers, aerospace legislatures, etc. etc. etc. .....Yes?

How intricate, detailed, complex and verbose need policy be for such a massive organisation?

Take a look..... https://www.rolls-royce.com/~/media/Files/R/Rolls-Royce/documents/sustainability/policy-statement-uk-tcm92-56979.pdf

Of course, you will need a truck to then move the volumes of authorised and authorising procedures that follow from that statement :-)