SharePoint policy management software for better compliance
- Dan Hawtrey
A clear, well-managed set of policies and procedures is essential for compliance and risk reduction, especially in regulated industries. Employees depend on controlled documents like SOPs, work instructions, and regulatory manuals to make informed decisions, but challenges often arise around keeping them current, accessible, and properly understood.
Using SharePoint for policy and procedure management addresses these issues with built-in version control, permissions, and automated workflows. It streamlines updates, improves visibility, and supports audit readiness, making it a powerful tool for organisations under regulatory pressure.
What are the common policy and procedure management challenges?
Effective policy and procedure management has multiple challenges:
The continuously and rapidly evolving regulatory landscape across multiple jurisdictions makes it hard to keep up with changes.
Highly diverse workforces need to access different policies and multiple versions of articles at different times.
It can be difficult to ensure busy policy owners distributed across the business actually keep their documents up to date.
It’s even harder to make sure employees are actually reading and understanding policies and related updates at the right time.
Related compliance reporting and being “audit-ready” relating to policy management is often a headache for compliance teams.
There may be multiple versions of documents in circulation with many of them superseded, eroding trust in policies that are accessed.
Poor findability and search make it very difficult for people to find and access the policy they need at the right time.
And many more.
Why policy management software is essential
Often these challenges are exacerbated by outdated policy management methods that rely on tools that are not fit for purpose or are used in the wrong way such as:
- Sending policies via email that get lost in the inbox, leading to multiple versions that are impossible to track.
- Intranets that do not allow for the effective distribution of controlled documents and have poor governance.
- Using shared drives to distribute policies that lack version management, accountability and audit trails.
- Using Excel and email to manage attestation leading to multiple errors and inefficiencies.
- Even using outdated paper or manual methods, for example with frontline staff with limited access to the digital ecosystem.
What is SharePoint policy management software?
To overcome these typical challenges, enterprises require an effective policy and procedure management solution that will enable policy managers and administrators to quickly distribute policies to employees, deliver compliance reporting through employee attestation, and collaborate on policy updates.
SharePoint policy management solutions like Xoralia offer automation, centralisation, and enhanced reporting, addressing these pain points and transforming policy management into a more streamlined and accountable process.
Why is SharePoint ideal for policy and procedure management?
SharePoint is an ideal base technology to use for policy and procedure management. SharePoint policy management solutions have several advantages over other software because they leverage all of SharePoint’s strengths in areas such as document management and collaboration.
Let’s explore some of the key advantages of SharePoint policy management software.
You probably already have SharePoint
Many organisations already have SharePoint through their Office 365 or Microsoft 365 licensing and are already using it for document management, making it an obvious choice for policy management too. Documents can be easily shared, collaborated on, and version control is effective, ensuring a single source of truth—critical for managing policies. SharePoint is fully secured and backed up by Microsoft and will usually align with your existing security and compliance requirements.
You can introduce automation and track the policy lifecycle
Lifecycle management is key to successful policy management. SharePoint integrates seamlessly with Power Automate, meaning it is possible to automate workflows and processes around the policy content lifecycle. This helps to define clear ownership, send notifications, and route workflows to ensure policies are kept up to date and provide views that show admins the status of policies.
Audit trails and version control ensure compliance
SharePoint provides a complete audit trail of changes made to policies and procedures, offering transparency and accountability. For example, you can track updates across versions, showing when and who made changes, which is critical for compliance and external auditing purposes. SharePoint is also fully compliant with industry standards like GDPR, HIPAA, and ISO 27001. This built-in compliance can help ensure your organisation adheres to necessary regulations without needing to implement additional tools.
It provides easy access for all employees
Centralised access to policies is a must-have. With most organisations using SharePoint for their intranet, project sites, or communication sites, integrating or provide access to a central policy document library into existing channels is quick and easy. This ensures employees can easily access policies at their point of need and in the flow of work, whether through the intranet or Microsoft Teams.
You can leverage Microsoft search
Using Microsoft search ensures policies are more easily discoverable, helping employees find necessary documents through intranet search functionality. With Copilot, Microsoft’s AI offering, it’s possible to include policy knowledge and content in AI outputs, further enhancing findability.
You can track usage
SharePoint allows tracking of policy usage, including views and updates. Integration with Active Directory and Power BI enables real-time reporting, supporting effective policy management.
You can target policies
You can integrate with Azure Active Directory and the 365 groups that have been set up to help target policies to the right groups, such as new hires or a function like engineering or sales staff. You can also ensure people access the right policy based on their profile so people in Brazil see a different HR policy to those in France, for example.
There are granular permissions
One of SharePoint’s key strengths is its ability to provide granular control over document permissions. You can customise who can view, edit, or manage each policy document, ensuring that sensitive information is only accessible to the right individuals. This is particularly important in highly regulated industries, where safeguarding data and controlling access is a top priority.
You can harness the power of generative AI
Generative AI is changing the way we work and is a potential game-changer in how we create, find, manage and engage with content including policies. Using SharePoint means that you have access to Microsoft Copilot and can start to use the power of generative AI both today and further down the line.
SharePoint is highly scalable
SharePoint is a very scalable solution that can suit the needs of both small business and large enterprises. SharePoint’s robust infrastructure means that your policy management processes can remain efficient and reliable as your organisation grows, handing increasing complexity and documents if necessary.
Can I use SharePoint out of the box for policy management?
Although SharePoint is a highly flexible platform that offers many great features that support policy management for compliance, there are some important areas that it doesn’t cover out of the box. Regulated industries or those looking for more compliance support will need to consider custom development, advanced configuration or a SharePoint-based compliance product to fully support policy and procedure management.
Does Microsoft have a policy management software?
Microsoft does not offer a dedicated policy management software. While SharePoint provides document management features like version control and workflows, it lacks specialised policy management functionalities such as automated attestations, audit trails, and advanced reporting. For a more complete solution, the Xoralia SharePoint policy management solution integrates with SharePoint to provide the additional features necessary for a robust policy management system.
What gaps does Xoralia policy and procedure management software fill?
Xoralia software is a full policy management solution that provides a comprehensive set of features. Built on top of SharePoint and Microsoft 365, Xoralia enhances SharePoint’s capabilities by adding specialised features designed specifically for managing policies. It provides the sophistication that a robust policy management regime demands.
The table below highlights the differences between using pure SharePoint out-of-the-box for policy management and using Xoralia alongside SharePoint:
| Features |  SharePoint only |  SharePoint + Xoralia |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Setup | Requires manual configuration and workflows for policy management. | Quick setup with built-in workflows and features specifically for policy management. |
| User Interface | Standard SharePoint interface, not optimised for policies. | User-friendly, accessible interface tailored for delivering policy management across all devices. |
| Policy Lifecycle Management | Requires custom workflows for policy updates, reviews, and reminders. | Automated policy lifecycle with reminders for reviews, expirations, and mandatory reads. |
| Employee Attestation | Custom workflows needed for tracking employee acknowledgment of policies. | Track and manage employee attestations for mandatory policy reads via Microsoft Groups, with automated email and MS Teams reminders. |
| Reporting and Analytics | Basic reporting; more advanced features require Power BI or additional tools. | Advanced, built-in reporting on policy adherence, reading status, and compliance tracking. |
| Search and targeting | Requires manual tagging for effective search and targeting. | Intelligent search using AI, supporting tagging, filtering, and audience targeting based on roles or locations. |
| Ongoing Support | Support mainly through Microsoft’s general channels or internal IT resources. | Dedicated support with customer success teams and priority assistance tailored to policy management needs. |
| Evergreen Software | Updates depend on SharePoint’s release cycle, with no specific focus on policy management improvements. | Continuous updates and new policy management features ensure the software evolves with changing business and regulatory requirements. |
Why teams choose Xoralia?
Exceptionally user-friendly – clean, intuitive interface built for all employees, not just compliance teams
Seamlessly Microsoft 365 – deeply integrated with SharePoint, Teams, Power BI and more
Tailored and flexible – 20+ SharePoint widgets for dynamic, role-based experiences
What are some of the key features of SharePoint policy management software like Xoralia?
Xoralia has a number of key features that are essential for compliance.
A central policy library
Xoralia acts as a central policy and procedure library that can be reached via a SharePoint-based intranet or via a SharePoint site. When accessing Xoralia, users are presented with an attractive and intuitive interface that has been designed to help employees find the policy documents they are looking for.
Each policy is listed with details including the title, the owner, the document format, the date it was last updated and any related instructions, such as whether it must be read. These instructions are personalised to the user. A handy summary at the top of the page also lets a user see the number of policies that they have to read.
Audit trail
Organisations may need to demonstrate to regulators or other external bodies that they have robust processes in place to manage their policies and that all employees have read policies that are considered to be mandatory. Xoralia leverages the power of SharePoint to provide a complete audit trail of document changes and also shows clear review policies in place with the ability to track these.
Employee attestations
Xoralia can help ensure employees are carrying out mandatory reads. If a policy is mandatory to read, an employee can access the document within the app and confirm attestation once it has been read. It’s built-in report then shows policy owners and admins the percentage of those who have read the policy. Additional custom questions and quizzes can also be built to ensure policies have been understood.
Reports for mandatory reads and more
Xoralia comes with powerful tracking and reporting tools. It shows policy owners the percentage of users that have read a policy, whilst administrators can access a more detailed report showing the status of all mandatory reads as well as other information relating to document status. These reports can help teams to prepare for audits and allow policy managers to see when interventions may be necessary.
Strong search facility
It is important for employees to be able to find the right policy quickly and effortlessly. Xoralia includes a strong search facility whereby an employee can enter keywords to find the policy they are looking for. Additionally, employees can filter by different categories including mandatory and non-mandatory reads, the department that owns the policy (IT, HR, Legal etc.) as well as tags custom to your organisation.
Intranet-ready integration
Xoralia has been built for companies that use Microsoft 365. A key feature is the ability to integrate Xoralia into your intranet pages. Xoralia comes with multiple ready-to-go SharePoint webparts that you can drop onto your intranet pages, where you want them. Each webpart is configurable and displays dynamic information personalised to the individual intranet user.
Automated policy lifecycle management
Xoralia comes with policy lifecycle management features that help policy owners keep their documents up to date. This includes automated review reminders as well as a sophisticated policy creation workflow that ensures a new policy or any changes is reviewed by all the necessary stakeholders and experts, again supporting compliance.
Automated notifications
Notifications ensure that policy owners are reminded to review the policies they own. Xoralia also has a simple dashboard that displays when a policy is due for review or has expired.
The story behind Xoralia
Xoralia was built by the team at Content Formula, an intranet and digital workplace consultancy that has built SharePoint intranets for some of the world’s most famous companies. Now, most companies want their policies and procedures on the intranet but they don’t just want to store them there, they also want tools to help better manage them. Over the years we came across just about every single requirement for a policy management system. As this article above explains, there are gaps in SharePoint and so we never built what in our mind was the perfect policy management system.
However, one of our clients challenged us to build something for them that filled all the gaps but still used SharePoint at the back end. We had a great relationship with them and agreed to share the budget to do this, provided we could then market the solution to others. That was in 2019. We’re now on version 3 of Xoralia and the product has grown and evolved a lot.
3 benefits you can expect from Xoralia
Make it easy to find policies
Centralised policy library with powerful search and filtering.
Reduce administrative burden
Automations and notifications so that all policy tasks are carried out on time
Demonstrate compliance and best practice
Sophisticated tracking and dashboards to drive and measure compliance.
And lots more!
What our clients say
AppSource review
A great time saver and tool for document management
Tim Galer
IT Coordinator
Hughes
Ideal partner for our regulated environment
Adam Lythgoe
IT Manager
LifeArc
How to get started with Xoralia
Step 1: request a demo
Fill out our form and we will be in touch to arrange a time. You can even book a time yourself.
Step 2: get a price proposal
If you think Xoralia is for you ask us for a quote. This will set out any options you may have.
Step 3: install and launch
We’ll install Xoralia in your environment (or you can do it yourself). We’ll provide training and support to get you up and running quickly.
Here's what you'll get
-
Central policy library
-
Search and filter tools
-
Mandatory read policies with attestations
-
Quizzes
-
Notifications and alerts
-
Employee dashboard
-
Line manager dashboard
-
Works on mobile, in Teams and SharePoint
-
New policy creation workflows
-
Policy update workflows
-
Review and approval gates
-
Policy version history
-
Compliance dashboard
-
Audit trail
-
Full reporting
And last but not least:
-
Professional implementation service and support
-
Evergreen software – frequent updates and improvements
-
Comes with our "it just works" support warranty – we’ll fix any bugs, often before you even notice
Ready to get started?
Connect with us to streamline your policy management and ensure effortless compliance.
AppSource review
Uniting excellence in integration and features for seamless policy management
Rian Stuart
IT Manager
TwinStream
