Adding Policies

Create and manage organisational policies

Overview

Policies in the LMS are a special type of course used for:

Company policies requiring acknowledgment
Regulatory documents that need to be read and accepted
Annual policy refreshers
Document sign-off tracking

Understanding Policies vs Courses

Feature	Regular Course	Policy
Content	Interactive learning, quizzes, videos	Documents for reading
Completion	Pass score, assessments	Acknowledgment/agreement
Purpose	Skill building	Compliance evidence
Typical duration	Variable	Short (read time only)

How It Works

Policies are a specialized course type designed for document acknowledgment and compliance tracking. Unlike interactive SCORM courses, policies require users to read and acknowledge documents, providing evidence of understanding and acceptance.

Policy Completion Flow

When a user is assigned a policy:

Policy Appears - Shows on user's dashboard as required training
Document Access - User clicks to open and view the policy document (typically PDF)
Reading Time - User reads through the policy content
Acknowledgment Required - User must check a box confirming they've read and understood
Completion Recorded - System records acknowledgment with timestamp
Compliance Tracking - Completion is tracked for compliance reporting
Evidence Stored - Record maintained for audit purposes

How Policies Differ from Courses

Regular Courses

Interactive SCORM content
Progress tracking (pages viewed, time spent)
Quizzes and assessments
Score-based completion
Resumable from last position

Policies

Document-based content (PDF/web)
Simple acknowledgment tracking
No quizzes required
Completion = acknowledgment
Instant completion once acknowledged

Acknowledgment Tracking

The system tracks important details:

Timestamp - Exact date and time when acknowledged
User Identity - Who acknowledged the policy
Policy Version - Which version was acknowledged (important for updates)
IP Address - May be recorded for audit trails
Evidence Storage - Records maintained for compliance audits

Policy Updates and Re-Acknowledgment

When policies are updated:

Version Control - System tracks policy versions
Re-Assignment - Updated policies may be re-assigned to users
Re-Acknowledgment Required - Users must acknowledge the new version
Historical Records - Previous acknowledgments are preserved
Compliance Continuity - Ensures users always acknowledge current versions

Compliance and Reporting

Policies support compliance requirements:

Completion Tracking - Reports show who has/hasn't acknowledged
Evidence Generation - Reports include acknowledgment timestamps
Audit Trails - Complete history of acknowledgments maintained
Overdue Alerts - Notifications for unacknowledged policies
Regulatory Reporting - Export data for compliance audits

Tip

Policies are ideal for compliance documentation where you need proof that users have read and acknowledged important documents. Use policies for company policies, terms of service, privacy notices, and regulatory requirements.

Creating a Policy

Policies are created as courses with specific settings.

Access Course Management

Log in as an Admin
Go to Admin → Course Management
Click Add Course

Configure as a Policy

Basic Information

Field	Value
Title	Clear policy name (e.g., "Data Protection Policy 2024")
Description	Brief summary of what the policy covers
Category	Create or select a "Policies" category
Type	Select "Policy" if available, or use standard course

Policy-Specific Settings

Is Policy: Enable if there's a toggle
Content Type: Document/PDF rather than SCORM
Duration: Estimated read time
Requires Acknowledgment: Enable

Upload the Policy Document

Prepare your policy as a PDF
Upload the file
Users will view and acknowledge this document

Configure Acknowledgment

If your LMS has acknowledgment features:

Enable Requires Acknowledgment
Set acknowledgment text (e.g., "I have read and understood this policy")
Configure as mandatory checkbox

Set Assignment

Policies typically apply to everyone:

Make Mandatory: Assign to all users
Or assign to specific groups
Set due date if there's a compliance deadline

Configure Expiry (If Needed)

For annual policy refreshers:

Enable Expiry
Set expiry period (e.g., 12 months)
Users must re-acknowledge when expired

Save the Policy

Click Save Course to create the policy.

Policy Content Options

Option 1: PDF Upload

The simplest approach:

Create policy as a PDF
Upload to the LMS
Users view and acknowledge

Option 2: SCORM Package

For more tracking:

Create a simple SCORM package
Include the policy document
Add acknowledgment at the end
Completion tracked through SCORM

Option 3: Course Builder

Using the built-in course builder:

Create content pages with policy text
No quiz required
Completion on final page

See Course Builder for details.

Tracking Policy Acknowledgment

Viewing Completion Status

To see who has acknowledged a policy:

Go to Admin → Course Management
Find the policy
View completion/progress reports

What You'll See

Status	Meaning
Completed	User has acknowledged
Not Started	User hasn't opened the policy
In Progress	User opened but hasn't acknowledged
Expired	Previous acknowledgment has expired

Exporting Acknowledgment Records

For audits:

Go to Admin → Reports
Filter by the policy
Export completion data
Shows who acknowledged and when

Policy Expiry and Renewal

Annual Policies

For policies that need yearly acknowledgment:

Enable expiry on the policy
Set to 12 months
Users automatically need to re-acknowledge after expiry

What Users Experience

Policy shows as "Expired" on their dashboard
Appears in overdue training
Must open and acknowledge again

Tracking Renewals

Reports show:

Original acknowledgment date
Expiry date
Renewal acknowledgment date
Complete history

Common Policy Types

Policy	Typical Expiry	Scope
Information Security	12 months	All users
Health and Safety	12 months	All users
Data Protection/GDPR	12 months	All users
Code of Conduct	12 months	All users
Acceptable Use	12 months	All users
Anti-Bribery	12 months	All users
Safeguarding	12 months	Relevant roles
Financial Controls	12 months	Finance team

Best Practices

Clear Naming

Use descriptive titles:

✅ "Information Security Policy - January 2024"
✅ "Health and Safety Policy v3.2"
❌ "Policy 1" or "Document"

Version Control

When policies update:

Create a new policy version
Archive or deactivate old version
Assign new version to everyone
Set completion deadline

Category Organisation

Create a "Policies" category:

All policies in one place
Easy to find in reports
Clear for users

Reasonable Deadlines

Give users time to complete:

2 weeks for new policies
1 month for annual refreshers
Account for holidays/busy periods

Troubleshooting

Users can't complete the policy

Check the acknowledgment is working
Verify the document loads
Test the policy yourself

Completion not being recorded

Check SCORM package if used
Verify acknowledgment settings
Have user try again after clearing cache

Need to reset someone's acknowledgment

Find user in User Management
View their progress
Look for option to reset course progress

Policy not appearing for users

Check it's set to Active
Verify assignment (mandatory or group)
Check visibility rules

Related Guides

Adding Courses - General course creation
Mandatory Courses - Making training required
Course Builder - Creating content
Exporting Reports - Compliance reporting