Comprehensive policies and procedures are foundational to the success of any business. They set standards and expectations for executives and employees to follow, turning your big operations into cohesive units.
When clearly and properly established, policies and procedures reduce liability risks to an organization. However, as regulations shift over time and processes fall out of date, compliance gets more difficult. The policies you’ve laid out could end up doing more harm than good.
That’s where robust and effective policy management software comes into play. In this post, we’re going to cover the following topics:
Why you need a policy management software
Policy management software allows businesses to author, edit and publish policy documentation across their entire organization from one central platform.
This centralized approach makes updating both internal and external policy documents easier and more uniform. Using a single system leads to fewer mistakes, allows for greater accessibility and ultimately reduces the risk of costly compliance errors.
Top 6 policy management software options
1. Author-it
Author-it is an authoring, publishing and policy management software platform that empowers users to create, manage, and publish their critical policy documents in a highly secure environment.
As a component content management system (CCMS), Author-it treats every document as modular pieces of content, like building blocks, which can be reorganized and edited independently of the whole. These reusable pieces are kept in one central location where they’re easily searchable.
This system eliminates the need to track down each individual file every time you need to update your content. Using a CCMS, there are no more confusing (or worse, contradictory) duplicates of your documents floating around and no overly complex manual version tracking that needs to occur.
2. PowerDMS
PowerDMS is a cloud-based platform that acts as a repository for all of your policy documentation, from creation and approval to distribution. Organizations can set up periodic reminders for policy reviews and automate the approval process with PowerDMS’s many built-in tools.
PowerDMS is used by over 5,500 public and private sector customers globally, including organizations with high compliance requirements, such as corrections, law enforcement, 9-1-1 and EMS providers.
3. Risk Cloud
Risk Cloud is a governance, risk and compliance (GRC) platform that comes with a suite of apps and third-party integrations right out of the box, so an organization can tailor its experience according to its specific habits and requirements.
For businesses that follow the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations (COSO)’s compliance framework, Risk Cloud’s platform also offers a risk calculator that can assess the likelihood, vulnerability and impact of potential compliance errors across your organization.
4. Strike Graph
Strike Graph is a policy management software platform that specializes in SOC 2, ISO 27001, ISO 27701 and HIPAA certifications.
Strike Graph uses a built-in risk assessment engine that automates your organization’s cybersecurity controls according to the appropriate regulations. This service ensures compliance even if your policy team falls behind schedule. It also automatically collects evidence of compliance for auditor review, streamlining the entire process.
5. SAI360
SAI360 is a cloud-based platform that provides a combination of risk assessment software and learning content to facilitate compliance management.
SAI360 functions on both desktop and mobile, allowing policy managers to monitor the effectiveness of their compliance programs with real-time dashboards, graphics and advanced analytics. This user-friendly platform makes it easy to onboard new users and share results, making decision-making around compliance more transparent.
6. DocTract
DocTract is a cloud-based policy management software system that prioritizes simplicity, collaboration and automation.
DocTract allows users to import documents by dragging and dropping files into the platform, where they’re automatically organized for further updates, review or approvals. When it’s time for your team to collaborate on and review your documents, DocTract has a dedicated interface for organizing feedback. Employees can view and approve policy documents from anywhere, even their cell phones.
How to choose the right policy management software platform
Now that you have a better idea of the options available, it’s time to choose the best policy management software for your organization.
First, let’s lay out some basic, non-negotiable requirements:
- A reasonable price-point that delivers a fast ROI
- Easy onboarding that allows for trained and untrained users to jump in quickly
- 24/7 customer support that’s reliable, friendly and efficient
- Enterprise-grade security with robust access controls
- Integrations with your favorite third-party apps
- Version controls and tracking that keep all of your edits organized in one place
- Single-sourced content and documents from one central location
- Automated reuse and prompts to reuse existing written and approved content
- No-code writing options for non-technical writers
- High reusability of content across your organization
Using these non-negotiable criteria, it’s possible to narrow down the list of software options considerably. Still, it’s important to do a thorough check of your best options before committing: try out demos wherever possible, test out the software provider’s customer service offerings and ask your employees to review the product.
Between the baseline cost of the software, the time it takes to onboard new systems and the increased risk of fines, businesses that invest in the incorrect choice are flushing money down the drain. Even the cheapest software options are expensive in the long run!
Streamline your policy management with Author-it
Author-it has over 20 years’ experience catering to the ever-evolving needs of policy managers all over the world. The product has adapted to the various challenges ranging from increased globalization demanding more increased international compliance considerations (due to globalization) to the shifts in workplace culture the ever-changing how we collaborate landscape (due to workplace culture shifts).
Author-it’s policy management software comfortably meets all of the top non-negotiable criteria and then some, with ease of use, scalability and security always top of mind.
To learn more about how Author-it can help you meet your unique policy management requirements, contact Author-it’s team of experts or request a demo.
