Policy Reviews

Conducting Policy Reviews on a regular cycle is critical to maintain legal compliance, adapt to operational changes, and mitigate risks. A Policy Review assesses the need for a new campus policy or whether an existing policy is current, effective, and/or still necessary.

Responsible Officials are responsible for identifying the need for and conducting Policy Reviews for areas under their purview. Policy Reviews are typically conducted by subject matter offices with functional purview over the policy topic. A Responsible Official should ensure that a Policy Review is conducted when any of the following occur:

  • When UCOP changes, updates, or issues a new Presidential Policy
  • When laws, government regulations, or court rulings dictate a change
  • When audits identify problems or lack of clarity regarding a business process
  • When local procedures need to be updated based on operational changes, organizational structure changes, or implementation of new systems
  • When changes are required to improve the effectiveness of policies or business processes

Policy Reviews may be prompted by the Policy Office when any of the above factors point to the need for a new or revised policy.

For new policies, after a Responsible Official identifies the need for a new policy, the Responsible Official appoints a Policy Owner who will be responsible for developing the policy in accordance with the policy development process. 

For Existing Policies

A Policy Review is required every three (3) years at a minimum. If an existing policy has not been reviewed in the previous three (3) years, the Policy Office will initiate a Policy Review by contacting the Policy Owner.  

The purpose of the Policy Review is to:

  • Determine whether a policy is still needed
  • Determine whether the purpose and goal of the policy is still being met
  • Determine whether changes are required to improve the effectiveness or clarity of the policy
  • Maintain current terminology, references, definitions, and other non-substantive components
  • Ensure that appropriate oversight and ongoing review of the policy is occurring
  • Ensure that the policy/procedure is in the current Policy Template

For an existing policy or procedure, the Policy Owner reviews the document, determines the Revision Type and timeframe, and shares this information with the Policy Office.

Revision Types include: 

  • No Revision – No changes are needed because it is current, effective, and/or still necessary.
  • Substantive Revision – Changes to content, mandates, or principles that materially change the intent, directive, scope, impacts, or substance.
  • Technical Revision – Changes that do not materially change the intent or directive, such as updating to the Policy Template, updating contact information, correcting links, clarifying language, or changing a Responsible Official.
  • Compliance with Law/Policy Revision – Changes to content, mandates, or principles that are for the purpose of compliance with laws, rules, regulations, or systemwide or local policies.
  • Rescission – The decommissioning of a campus policy or procedure that is no longer needed or where the content has been incorporated into another policy or document.

Additional Resources

Questions or comments may be sent to the Policy Office.