Lesson 1 of 20

Send a privacy policy for approval

For: Data Protection Officer (the preparer)About 7 min

What you will be able to do

This lesson is for anyone who prepares records. You will look at an empty Approvals inbox, write a privacy policy as a draft, fill in every field, and send it to a second person for approval.

Before you start

  • You are signed in with a role that can create privacy policies, such as Data Protection Officer.
  • A second person in your organisation can approve privacy policies. You cannot approve your own work.

Steps

  1. 1

    Open Approvals in the left menu

    Select Approvals. This inbox is shared by every module. The first tab, To decide, lists requests waiting for your decision. It says Nothing waiting for you, because nobody has sent you anything yet.

    • Select Approvals
  2. 2

    Select the My requests tab

    Select My requests. This tab lists the records you prepared and sent to someone else. It is empty too. By the end of this lesson your first request will be here.

    • Select My requests
  3. 3

    Open the Policy library

    In the left menu select Data Protection, then Privacy policies and training, then Policy library. Each policy here must be approved by someone other than its author before it is published.

    • Select Data Protection
    • Select Privacy policies & training
    • Select Policy library
  4. 4

    Select New policy

    Select New policy. A small form opens. Start from offers ready-made starter templates, such as Privacy notice or Data retention policy, and a blank page.

    • Select New policy
  5. 5

    Choose Blank policy

    Open Start from and choose Blank policy. A template fills in standard wording for you. A blank policy starts empty, which suits a short notice like this one.

    • Select Privacy notice
    • Choose Blank policy
  6. 6

    Type the title and choose the type

    In Title, type a name that says what the policy covers. In Type, choose Privacy notice. The type is shown to the approver and is used to group policies in the library.

    • Type Title (English): In-store CCTV privacy notice
    • Select Other
    • Choose Privacy notice
  7. 7

    Select Create draft

    Select Create draft. The policy opens as Draft version 1.0. A draft is your working copy: nobody is asked to do anything yet.

    • Select Create draft
    The screen at step 7: Select Create draft
  8. 8

    Set the effective date

    In Effective date, enter the day the policy starts to apply. Here it is the first day of next month. The Arabic title beside it is optional.

    • Type Effective date: 2026-11-01
  9. 9

    Write the policy text

    Type the policy in the Text, English box. The approver reads exactly what you write here. The small buttons above the box add a heading, bold text, lists and links. The Arabic text box below is optional.

    • Type Text (English): Meridian Souq uses CCTV cameras in its stores for the safety of custom…
  10. 10

    Check the preview

    Select Preview above the text to see the policy as readers will see it. Select it again to return to editing.

    • Select Preview
  11. 11

    Describe the policy under Ownership and review

    On the right, Ownership and review shows the type, the owner and how often the policy must be reviewed, here every 12 months. Type a short description and select Save.

    • Select Edit
    • Type Description: Tells customers and staff how CCTV is used in our stores.
    • Select Save
  12. 12

    Select Submit for approval

    Select Submit for approval at the top of the draft. Your text is saved, the draft is locked, and a request opens in the approvers' inbox.

    • Select Submit for approval
  13. 13

    Read the Awaiting approval box

    The draft now shows Awaiting approval. The box names the policy that applies, Strict maker and checker, and one step called Approval. The note says you prepared this, so someone else has to approve or reject it. You have no Approve button.

  14. 14

    Find the request under My requests

    Select Approvals in the left menu, then My requests. Your request is listed as Pending, with the policy type, the entity and the time you submitted it.

    • Select Approvals
    • Select My requests

How to check it worked

The draft shows Awaiting approval with one step called Approval, a note says someone else has to approve or reject it, and the request is listed under My requests in the Approvals inbox with the status Pending.

Common mistakes

  • Looking for an Approve button on your own draft. The preparer never gets one: the note under the approval steps explains that someone else has to decide.
  • Selecting Save draft and assuming the approver has been told. Only Submit for approval opens a request in the approver's inbox.
  • Leaving the Effective date empty. The approver cannot tell from which day the policy applies, and the published version shows no start date.

Check your understanding

  1. 1. You wrote a policy and submitted it. Who can approve it?

    1. A.You, after waiting one day
    2. B.Anyone in the organisation
    3. C.Someone else who holds the permission to approve privacy policies
    4. D.Nobody: it publishes by itself
    Show answer

    Answer: C. Someone else who holds the permission to approve privacy policies

    The approval box shows Strict maker and checker: the person who wrote or edited a version cannot approve it, so it needs a second person with the approve permission.

  2. 2. Where do you look to see whether your request is still waiting?

    1. A.Approvals, on the To decide tab
    2. B.Approvals, on the My requests tab
    3. C.The audit log
    4. D.The Evidence Vault
    Show answer

    Answer: B. Approvals, on the My requests tab

    To decide lists what is waiting for your decision. My requests lists what you sent to others, with the status of each.