Although policies and procedures serve different purposes they can be combined in one document particularly when both the policies and accompanying procedures are short some believe however that their different roles are a good reason to separate then into two documents ideally you should update procedures and especially work instructions frequently to reflect innovations in process . Remember policies do not just provide restrictions they can offer freedom does your company use a collection of forms as part of your regular day to day business dealings take the time to review these forms to see if any of them need to be revised updated or even abandoned be sure you understand exactly why a form is used ask what is the intent of the form and does it require a need . The fifth section should detail the owner of the policy an organization should assign a responsible party for each policy the policy owner is the individual who is given the responsibility to review edit and maintain the policy the policy owner will also be the point of contact for any questions regarding said policy. Policies and procedures provide the basis for consistent behavior regardless of the status or length of tenure of the people implementing them they offer the opportunity for quicker responses to questions or concerns about what to do because they provide for relative uniformity they make greater accountability possible policies and procedures also help to ensure actions are legal and timely