Too often Policy, Process, and Procedure are used interchangeably, but there are key distinctions between each that taken as a whole help to define a complete working system.
Policies – Guidelines or laws that drive the Process and Procedures
Processes – ISO 9001:2015 defines the Business Process as “A set of related or interacting activities, which transform inputs into outputs”.
More simply put, a process is a high level map that outlines activities required for an organization to function. Note that a process may have zero, one or several associated procedures.
Procedure – ISO 9001: 2015 defines a Procedure as a “specific way to carry out an activity or a process”.
Unlike Policies; Processes and Procedures don’t follow a specific format. Depending on the type of instructions, images may be required. The selection of examples here illustrate the flexibility with which Processes and Procedures can be written.