How to Perform a Cyclical Review of Policy or Procedure

Policy Owners review their policies and procedures at least every 3 years to ensure the information remains current, effective, and still necessary. Coordination with the Policy Office is necessary to ensure proposed revised policies and procedures undergo appropriate consultation and approval processes.  

Consider whether the policy is still applicable and useful to the campus

  • If it is required by law or UC policy, the answer is yes.
  • If a local policy is more restrictive than the systemwide policy, the answer is yes.
  • If there are frequent issues, confusion, or non-compliance related to the policy's subject matter, the answer is likely yes, and these issues may drive extensive revisions.
  • If it is a process or guidelines that are not required to be followed, require frequent revisions, or otherwise might be better on a webpage, the answer may be no.

Ensure the policy is in an accessible format

  • Check with the Policy Office to ensure you have the latest Word version of the policy.
  • Unless it was created recently with an accessible template, it probably is not accessible. The first step is to adapt it into the latest Policy/Procedure Template (.docx).

Review the Responsible Official, Responsible Office, and Policy Contact

If this information is no longer accurate, update it.

Review the Policy Text

Ensure the information is current, effective, and still necessary. Make changes to language for clarification, grammar, formatting, or adjustments to the process. Update any titles, department names, or other references that have changed. Ensure the policy aligns with best practices outlined in the Guide to Writing Policy.

Review the References and Resources section

Ensure that only relevant information is listed and that all links function properly.

Review the Appendix

Are the appendix items up to date and relevant? Is it still necessary to include a copy within this document, or could the information be linked to from the Resources section?

Update the Revision History

If you made changes to the document, update the Revision History to reflect them. Indicate whether the changes were substantive or technical and provide a high-level summary of changes.

If a review was performed and no changes were made, indicate that in the Revision History as well.

Will the revised policy need to undergo a consultation process?

Technical changes typically do not require formal consultation; however, they still require coordination with the Policy Office and approval by the Responsible Official. Technical changes are typically minor adjustments, corrections, or improvements that don't alter the core meaning or substance. This may include updates to names, titles, and contact information, as well as corrections for typos, grammatical mistakes, updates to a newer template, and other adjustments that enhance clarity without altering the core meaning or intent of the policy. Updating rule or statutory references due to external changes or changing agency names in a document to reflect a new name established by law may also be considered technical changes.

Substantive changes typically require a full consultation process and approval and issuance by the Responsible Official. Substantive changes are significant modifications that alter the core meaning, intent, application, or results of the policy.

Additional Resources

Questions or comments may be sent to the Policy Office.