How To…

• For a complete overview of the policy development and approval process please refer to the University Policy Management policy and the University Policy Development Process. A brief summary of the steps is listed below
• To begin, please fill out the New Policy Intent Form. This allows us to support your development process by identifying key stakeholders early on and ensure alignment with other areas and policies.
• All policies must be drafted using the Policy Template. 
• The Responsible Official should draft and develop policies in consultation with key stakeholders.
• Once the draft is finalized, the Responsible Official must submit a request to the Policy Office at policy@wfu.edu.  This request should include the policy draft and policy memo.
• The Policy Office will facilitate the approval process and provide status updates to the responsible office.
• Upon approval, the Policy Office will publish the document, and the responsible office will manage its implementation, including all related communications and training.

To make a substantive revision

A Substantive Change is any modification that alters the fundamental meaning, intent, scope, or application of the policy. These changes impact the rights, responsibilities, or expectations involved and require a formal approval process.

• Substantive revisions follow the same approval process as a new policy. For a complete overview of the policy development and approval process, please see the University Policy Management Policy and the Policy Development Process.
• Policy revisions must be formatted using the Policy Template and developed with consultation with key stakeholders
• Once the draft is finalized, the Responsible Official must submit a request to the Policy Office at policy@wfu.edu.  This request should include the policy draft and policy memo.
• The Policy Office will facilitate the approval process and provide status updates to the responsible office.
• Upon approval, the Policy Office will publish the document, and the responsible office will manage its implementation, including all related communications and training..

To make an administrative revision

An Administrative Revision (or “Simple Revision”) is a modification that clarifies or updates the document without changing its underlying meaning or mandate.

• Administrative revisions are typically managed by the Responsible Official and the Policy Office and do not need to go through the formal policy approval process.
• To request an administrative revision, the responsible office should fill out the Form for Administrative Revisions. The Policy Office will update the revised policy in the Policy Library.

• If a policy becomes obsolete, redundant, or has been replaced by another policy, the policy will be retired and removed from the policy library. Retirement or removal of a policy follows the same approval process as a new policy. 
• The retirement of a policy should be discussed with key stakeholders.
• Once it is determined that the policy should be retired, the Responsible Official must submit a request to the Policy Office at policy@wfu.edu.  This request should include the policy memo discussing why the policy should be retired.
• The Policy Office will facilitate the approval process and provide status updates to the Responsible Office.
• Upon approval, the Policy Office will remove the policy from the Policy Library. The Responsible Office is responsible for any necessary communication about the retirement of the policy and any affects it may have to the University.

• University Procedures are drafted and maintained by the Responsible Office and require approval by the Executive Leadership Team member overseeing that area. Procedures should be reviewed regularly, at least every three years.
• Procedures should link to the related policy’s landing page, not to the policy document directly.

Policies should be reviewed every 3 years, or more frequently as needed.

• Policy reviews should include a review of the following information:
  • Any new or revised laws, regulations, or other factors that may affect the policy.
  • Policy contact information.
  • Confirm all linked procedures and other related documents within the policy are functional and up to date. Any revisions to related documents should happen simultaneously with the policy review and must be finalized prior to the policy’s submission for review.
  • Reviewed policies should be submitted to the Policy Office in Word format using the Policy Template and should be reformatted if necessary.
• If it is determined that substantive changes need to be made please refer to the Revise an existing policy section above and follow those steps. 
• Any administrative changes, including updating names, offices, links, citations, formatting, and obvious errors only require approval from the Responsible Official. To request an administrative revision, the Responsible Office should fill out the Form for Administrative Revisions. The Policy Office will update the revised policy in the Policy Library.
• Please also review all websites and other materials to ensure links to the policy and related documents are linked to the appropriate documents.  All links to the policy should be linked to the policy landing page, not the policy document itself. 

• All links to a policy should link to the University Policy Library landing page. This provides the users with a summary of the policy to help them understand if they have found the policy they are looking for. This also provides a static link in the event that the direct link to the policy changes.
• Responsible Offices should keep only one version of any procedures, forms, and other related documents.  These documents should be kept in a departmental Shared Google Drive with limited access.
  • Those with access should understand the importance of and understand how to preserve the link for each document.
    • If a document is a Google Document changes must be made to the existing document. 
    • If a document is a PDF or Word document stored in the Google Drive, use “Manage Document” to replace the existing document with the revised PDF or Word Document.
    • If a document is copied the link will change. Please use the original document when linking to other documents or websites.
• Be thoughtful about adding links within a policy.  To avoid broken or dead links it is important these links do not change and must link to the most current document.  Review the website you are linking to. Does it have current information and active links? Will it be maintained and stay current? If you are unsure about this consider whether linking to the website is necessary.
• All linked documents should be revised prior to a policy being submitted for approval.