What Are IEEE Policy and Procedures?

IEEE Policy and Procedures are the governing documents that define the rules, roles, responsibilities, and operational guidelines under which the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and its organizational units function. They constitute the formal framework for the organization's governance, covering everything from the conduct of its boards and committees to the standards of professional behavior expected of members, the management of technical societies and councils, and the administration of awards and publications. The IEEE governing documents include the IEEE Constitution, IEEE Bylaws, IEEE Policies, and various operational manuals, each occupying a distinct level of the governance hierarchy.

IEEE is incorporated in the state of New York and subject to both its internal governance documents and applicable law. The Constitution and Bylaws take precedence over other governing documents and can be amended only by specified voting procedures. The Policies, which are adopted and revised by the IEEE Board of Directors, provide operational guidance within the framework the Constitution establishes and address the specific activities of IEEE's major boards, committees, technical societies, and geographic regions.

Governance Structure and Document Hierarchy

The IEEE Policies document is organized into sections corresponding to the major organizational units and functional areas of IEEE's operations. The first eight sections address the responsibilities and authorities of the major boards and committees, including the Board of Directors, the Technical Activities Board, the Member and Geographic Activities Board, the Educational Activities Board, the Publication Services and Products Board, the Standards Association, the IEEE-USA Board, and the IEEE Foundation. The remaining sections address activities common to multiple organizational units, such as financial management, awards, and the formation and dissolution of technical committees and societies.

Operational manuals for individual units, such as the IEEE Standards Association Operations Manual and the Technical Activities Board Operations Manual, elaborate the policies into detailed procedures for specific contexts. These manuals are subordinate to the Policies document and must conform to it, but they provide the granular procedural guidance that day-to-day operations require.

Standards of Conduct and Ethics

IEEE maintains specific policies governing the professional conduct of its members. The IEEE Code of Ethics, which all members agree to uphold upon joining, establishes principles for honest and responsible practice in engineering and technology. Separate from the Code of Ethics, the Policies document includes procedures for handling allegations of member misconduct, administered by the Ethics and Member Conduct Committee. Disciplinary actions available under these procedures range from censure through suspension to expulsion, with specified processes for complaint filing, investigation, and hearing by a board of IEEE voting members not currently serving on the Board of Directors.

The IEEE Standards Association maintains its own supplementary policies governing conduct within standards development activities, addressing conflicts of interest, patent disclosures, and due process requirements specific to the standards-setting context.

Scope of Application

The Policy and Procedures framework applies to the full range of IEEE's activities worldwide. Member-elected officers, appointed staff, volunteers serving on committees and working groups, and individual members in their professional conduct are all addressed within the framework. Because IEEE operates across more than 160 countries, its policies must accommodate substantial variation in local legal requirements, which is reflected in provisions that reference applicable law alongside organizational rules.

Applications

IEEE Policy and Procedures have direct relevance to a range of governance and professional activities, including:

• Election procedures for IEEE officers at regional, society, and organizational levels
• Standards development due-process requirements and intellectual property disclosures
• Formation and dissolution of technical committees, councils, and societies
• Member discipline and ethics complaint adjudication
• Financial controls and audit requirements for IEEE organizational units