Policies & Procedures for SMEs, Start-ups and Sole Traders
Are unclear processes slowing your business down?
Do staff keep asking how tasks should be done? Is essential knowledge held by one person? Or have your policies become documents that nobody uses?
AA Compliance Compass Ltd helps SMEs, start-ups and sole traders create practical policies and procedures that bring clarity to everyday work.
Whether you are starting from scratch, updating existing documents or preparing for ISO certification or accreditation, I help you document how your business needs to operate.
Book your FREE 30-minute consultation
Give Your Business a Clear Way of Working
Good policies explain your expectations. Good procedures show people how to put them into practice.
Together, they help your team understand:
- What needs to happen and when.
- Who is responsible.
- Which checks and approvals are required.
- What information needs to be recorded.
- What to do when something goes wrong.
Create a consistent approach that supports your business as it grows.
Policies & Procedures Tailored to Your Business
Generic templates can be a starting point, but they need to reflect your activities, responsibilities and working arrangements.
I work with you to understand your business and develop documents your team can use.
Support can include:
- Quality, environmental and health and safety policies.
- HR policies and employee procedures.
- Purchasing and supplier approval processes.
- Customer enquiries, order handling and complaints.
- Financial controls, expenses and payment approvals.
- Document control and record management.
- Training, competence and induction procedures.
- Nonconformity, corrective action and improvement processes.
The scope is agreed around your needs, with specialist input identified where appropriate.
Review and Improve Your Existing Documents
Already have policies and procedures, but unsure whether they still work?
I can review your documentation to identify gaps, duplication, unclear responsibilities and differences between the written process and what happens in practice.
I help you simplify wording, organise documents and establish a manageable approach to reviewing and updating them.
Keep your documentation relevant as your business changes.
Support Your ISO System and Accreditation Applications
Policies and procedures should support your operations as well as your certification or accreditation requirements.
As a qualified Lead Auditor with practical management experience, I can help develop documentation relevant to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001, alongside requirements identified for Constructionline, Achilles and FORS applications.
This can include policies, process descriptions, forms and records that help demonstrate how your arrangements are implemented.
Build a system your business uses every day, with evidence of what you do.
Keep Your Business Running When Someone Is Absent
Could another team member pick up an essential task if the person who normally handles it was unexpectedly away?
Clear procedures can help preserve business knowledge and reduce dependence on individuals.
I can help document key tasks, handovers, responsibilities and authorisation levels, bringing them together in an organised procedure library or Integrated Management System (IMS) Manual.
Your team gains a practical reference for keeping work moving.
Help Your Team Put Procedures into Practice
Producing the document is only part of the work.
I can also help you introduce new or revised procedures through staff briefings, walkthroughs, training records and acknowledgement forms.
We can identify who owns each process, where documents will be stored and how updates will be communicated.
Give your team clear instructions they can find, understand and follow.
Practical Support from Someone Who Understands Business
I’m Anne Ashman, founder of AA Compliance Compass Ltd.
I combine qualified Lead Auditor expertise with hands-on experience as a commercial and operations director, including implementing and working with ISO management systems.
I understand that documentation needs to fit the way your business works. My approach focuses on clear responsibilities, useful controls and processes that help you manage daily activities.
Let’s Make Your Processes Clearer
During your FREE 30-minute consultation, we will discuss:
- Your business and current ways of working.
- The documents you already have.
- Any operational, ISO or accreditation requirements.
- The areas where clearer policies and procedures would help.
Book your FREE 30-minute consultation
No obligation, just a practical conversation about the support your business needs.
Policies & Procedures: Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this service for?
I support SMEs, start-ups and sole traders who need clearer ways of working, organised documentation or support with ISO and accreditation requirements. Documents are tailored to your business size, activities and priorities.
What is the difference between a policy and a procedure?
A policy sets out your business’s position, commitments or expectations. A procedure explains how an activity is carried out, including responsibilities, steps, checks and records. For example, a purchasing policy might set expectations for approving suppliers, while a purchasing procedure explains how suppliers are assessed and orders authorised.
Can you create policies and procedures from scratch?
Yes. I can work with you to understand your activities, identify what needs documenting and create practical policies, procedures, forms and checklists.
Can you review documents we already have?
Yes. I can review existing documents for clarity, relevance, duplication and gaps. I can also help check whether they reflect your current working practices and responsibilities.
Do sole traders need policies and procedures?
They can be useful even when you work alone. Clear processes help you handle customers, suppliers, records and recurring tasks consistently. Clients, tenders or accreditation schemes may also ask for particular documents. The aim is to keep documentation proportionate to your business.
Can we use templates downloaded from the internet?
Templates can provide a starting point, but they need to be checked and adapted to your business. I can help tailor them so responsibilities, instructions and commitments reflect what you actually do.
Can you help with ISO policies and procedures?
Yes. I support documentation for ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 management systems. I can help identify the documented information your system needs and develop processes and records that support its operation.
Can you help with Constructionline, Achilles or FORS documentation?
Yes. I can review the requirements relevant to your application or assessment and help prepare the supporting policies, procedures and records. Documents need to reflect arrangements that are implemented in your business.
Will producing the documents guarantee certification or accreditation?
No. Documents are one part of the process. Your business also needs to implement its arrangements and provide evidence that they work. Certification or accreditation decisions remain with the relevant assessment body.
Can you help create an IMS Manual?
Yes. I can help bring your management system together in an organised manual that explains key processes, responsibilities and where supporting documents are held. It can also provide a useful reference for induction, handovers and unexpected staff absence.
How do we make sure staff use the procedures?
Make them accessible, explain what has changed and give staff the training they need. I can help with process walkthroughs, briefings, acknowledgement records and clear ownership of documents.
How often should policies and procedures be reviewed?
Set a review schedule appropriate to your business and any applicable requirements. Also review documents when activities, responsibilities, equipment or requirements change, or when an incident, complaint or audit identifies a problem.
Can you help with just one policy or procedure?
Yes. Support can range from one document to a complete review of your policy and procedure library. We will agree the scope before work begins.
How much does the service cost?
The cost depends on the number and complexity of documents, what you already have and the level of support required. I will provide a clear quote outlining the agreed work.
How do I get started?
Book a FREE 30-minute consultation with Anne to discuss your current documents, business needs and priorities.