Policy Development & Review Process

This page gives an overview of the policy development and review process at CNC. Different types of policies have slightly different processes, so if you have any questions after reviewing this page, please reach out to Policy, Planning & Strategy.

Policy Work Request

Once a need has been identified for policy development or review, the planned policy work must be approved by the appropriate approving body.

Executive Committee Approved Policies 

The Administrator responsible for the policy will discuss the need for policy work with the policy’s Executive Sponsor. If they are supportive, the Administrator will submit an official request using the appropriate online form linked below.

Policy Development Request (sign in to view form, top right corner)

Policy Revision Request (sign in to view form, top right corner)

 

Education Council (EdCo) Approved Policies

Any member of the college community can propose the need for policy work by connecting with the EdCo Chair. The Education Council will decide if policy work will proceed. If they are supportive, the Policy Subcommittee will complete the EdCo Policy Development and Revision form and may identify a lead policy developer. Please refer to the Education Council Members page for current contact information.

 

Board of Governors Approved Policies

The Board Chair is responsible for Board policies. Contact the Executive Office Manager for more information about this process.

After the policy work is approved, the Policy, Planning & Strategy (PPS) team will reach out to offer support based on the type of policy and the policy developer’s needs.

 

Executive Committee Approved Policies

The PPS team will invite those involved in the policy work to a Teams channel to allow for collaboration on policy documents. All policy research, editable documents, and templates will be uploaded to this channel. Additionally, the PPS team will organize a 30-minute policy overview meeting to get an understanding of the policy requirements and required levels of support. After the meeting, the PPS team will provide a policy scan with an overview of similar policies at other post-secondary institutions.

 

EdCo Approved Policies

The PPS team will provide the EdCo Policy Subcommittee with the appropriate templates for the policy work, as well as editable versions of existing policy documents where applicable.

Scoping & Drafting

After the policy work has been approved, the policy developer(s) can begin to research, scope and draft the new or revised policy. Before beginning to write the policy documents, it is helpful to review similar policies and develop a policy outline. It is also helpful to reach out to key members of the CNC community to better understand the issue the policy is trying to solve or clarify.

Using the policy scan provided by the PPS team, begin reviewing similar policies at other post-secondary institutions. Comparing similar policies can help with determining the policy scope as well highlight gaps and provide inspiration.

Once the research is complete, the next step is to develop an outline to organize ideas and ensure all important topic areas are included. It may also be helpful to map out any processes to be described in the procedures. The outline can be shared with the Executive Sponsor or EdCo Policy Subcommittee, as well as the PPS team for feedback.


After the outline is complete, it’s time to start drafting the documents using the appropriate CNC policy and procedures templates. Policies may be written as part of a team or by an individual, either way it is helpful to get feedback to ensure multiple perspectives and lenses are considered. This process can be time consuming, however planning ahead and staying in close communication with the policy’s Executive Sponsor or EdCo Policy Subcommittee can help keep things on the right track.

Please review the Policy Toolkit & Resources page for more in-depth guidance and resources including a policy writing guide, guidelines for plain language, and accessibility principles.

Once the drafts are ready, the PPS team will review the documents providing feedback on content as well as reviewing the documents for plain language, accessibility, and formatting.

After the PPS team review, the Executive Sponsor(s) or EdCo Policy Subcommittee will review the drafts and decide if the policy documents are ready to circulate to the CNC community.

Review & Consultation

Once the draft documents are approved for circulation to CNC community members, it is time to gather feedback.

There are many ways to connect with the CNC community to gather feedback on a draft policy. These include sending the policy documents out for review by email, a survey or by holding information sessions, focus groups, or one-on-one meetings. When deciding on the type of engagement, it is important to consider how many people and departments the policy will affect, the complexity of the policy, potential risks should the policy not be followed, if the policy is a departure from previous practices, and whether this is a new or significantly changed policy.

Along with CNC community member feedback, some policies need to be reviewed by specific committees. For example, some Administrative policies must be reviewed by EdCo. Many committees meet on a regular schedule, so it is best to identify review requirements early in the process to make sure that you meet their submission deadlines. The Executive Sponsor or EdCo Policy Subcommittee should be consulted on which committees will review the draft policy documents.

Once CNC community and committee feedback has been received, it is presented to the Executive Sponsor or EdCo Policy Chair, along with recommendations on whether to incorporate the feedback or not. The PPS team can provide support with this process. The policy documents are then revised, as necessary.

Policy Approvals

After the draft policy documents have been finished, they are ready for review by the Executive Committee or Education Council.


Executive Committee Approved Policies 

The policy is submitted to the Executive Committee along with a cover sheet that gives additional background information, as well as a communications and training plan for the policy changes. The Executive Committee will review the policy submission and either return for further edits, make edits, or approve the policy.

 
EdCo Approved Policies 

The policy is submitted to the Education Council via the EdCo Administrative Assistant. EdCo members will review the policy submission and either return for further edits, make edits, or approve the policy.

Once the policy has been approved by the approving body, the PPS team will assign a policy number (if it is a new policy) and post the documents to the CNC Policies webpage.

Communication & Training

Once the policy is approved, it is important that the new policy, procedures, and any forms are communicated to the College community. Some policies may also require training for staff or students.

Policies

Contact

Policy & Planning

  • All Campuses
  • +1 250-561-5848