PolicyHub: Free local Tool for Policy & Procedure Management

Direct download or GitHub folder with all the releases

If you work in compliance, risk management, or operations at a regulated financial institution, you know the challenge: keeping track of all your policies and procedures. When was that AML Policy last reviewed? Who owns the Business Continuity Manual? Which procedures implement our IT Security Policy?

Spreadsheets become unwieldy. Manual tracking leads to missed reviews. And when audit time comes, demonstrating a complete picture of your policy landscape takes hours of preparation.

I built PolicyHub to solve exactly this problem. It's a free, open-source desktop application that helps you manage the entire lifecycle of your policies and procedures. It runs offline on your computer or company server and your IT team can verify the code before deployment.

What Does This Tool Do?

Think of it as a specialized database designed specifically for policy governance. Instead of juggling Excel files and trying to remember review dates, you get:

• A complete register of all your policies, procedures, manuals, and HR documents
• Built-in review tracking with visual status indicators (overdue, due soon, on track)
• Dashboard analytics showing your policy landscape at a glance
• Document linking to map procedures to their parent policies
• File attachments to store actual documents alongside metadata
• Complete audit trail of every change with timestamps and user attribution
• Professional reports you can export for regulators or management
• Team collaboration with role-based access control

Everything runs on your own computer. No cloud services, no subscriptions, no data leaving your organization.

Who Built This and Why Share It for Free?

I am a Risk Manager working in Luxembourg's financial sector with no coding background. IddiLabs is not a software company, not a VAT registered individual, not a team of developers—it is my AI Learning Project.

I believe we're at the beginning of a shift where domain expertise becomes the differentiator as technical implementation becomes increasingly automated. A compliance professional who effectively uses AI will be more valuable than one who does not.

I'm sharing projects, AI workflows and guides publicly for my upskilling and career development.

Important: Understanding This Tool

Before you download and start using this application, let's be clear about what it is and what it isn't.

What This Tool Is:

• A desktop application that helps you organize policy and procedure data more effectively than spreadsheets
• A visual and reporting layer that makes lifecycle management easier
• A free, open-source project built by someone who works in risk/compliance and understands the pain points

What This Tool Isn't:

• An enterprise software solution with SOC 1 or SOC 2 certification
• A product from a registered software company with formal support contracts
• A replacement for your official compliance processes

Practical Usage Recommendations:

Use this tool internally as your working environment—the place where you:

• Track all your policies and procedures
• Monitor review schedules and deadlines
• Prepare for audits
• Generate internal reports for management

When dealing with external parties (regulators, auditors, external consultants):

• Export the data to Excel or PDF
• Share these professional-looking reports
• Treat the application as your internal preparation tool, not as your system of record

Think of it this way: you wouldn't show auditors your messy Excel workbook with all your notes and draft calculations. You'd clean up the data and present it professionally. This tool helps you do exactly that—organize everything internally, then export polished reports for external use.

About Compliance and Certification:

This application is not certified for any compliance framework. It's an offline tool that never sends your data anywhere, never connects to the cloud, and stores everything locally. While it follows security best practices (password hashing, access controls, database integrity), it hasn't undergone formal certification processes (SOC1/SOC2).

If auditors or regulators ask about your compliance tools, focus the conversation on the outputs (the Excel and PDF reports) rather than the application itself. The tool is simply how you organize the data before creating those compliant reports.

Installing the Application

For Windows Users

1. Download the installer

• Get the file named PolicyHub Setup 1.0.0.exe
• It's about 150MB in size
• Direct download or GitHub folder with all the releases

2. Run the installation

• Double-click the downloaded file
• Windows might show a security warning saying "Windows protected your PC"
• This is normal for free software that hasn't been code-signed and I'm not a company
• Click "More info" then "Run anyway"

3. Follow the setup wizard

• Choose where to install (default location is fine)
• The installer will create shortcuts on your desktop and Start Menu
• Installation takes about a minute

4. Launch the application

• Double-click the desktop shortcut "PolicyHub"
• The first time you open it, you'll choose to create a new database or connect to an existing one
• Set up your admin account and start managing your documents

Getting Started: Your First Document

When you first open the application after setting up your database, you'll see a clean interface with several sections in the sidebar.

The Dashboard

This is your overview screen showing:

• Total documents in your register
• Documents requiring attention (overdue reviews, upcoming reviews)
• Distribution by document type and category
• Quick actions to jump to specific views

The Document Register

This is your main workspace—a table showing all your policies and procedures. Features include:

• Filtering by type, category, status, and review status
• Search across all fields
• Sorting by clicking column headers
• Quick view by double-clicking any row

Adding a New Document

Click "Add Document" to open the document form. The application guides you through:

• Basic Information – Reference number, title, type, category
• Ownership – Owner, approver, applicable entity
• Review Schedule – Last review, next review, review frequency
• Status – Draft, Active, Under Review, Superseded, Archived

You can attach the actual document file and link related documents (like procedures that implement a policy).

Understanding the Dashboard

The Dashboard gives you a compliance overview:

• Attention Items for overdue reviews or documents needing action
• Key metrics like total documents, active policies, review status breakdown
• Distribution charts showing documents by type, category, and status
• Quick filters to jump directly to specific document subsets

All these numbers update automatically as you add and edit documents. No manual calculations needed.

Key Features Explained

Review Status Tracking

The tool automatically calculates review status based on the next review date:

• Overdue – Past the review date (red indicator)
• Due Soon – Within 30 days (amber indicator)
• Upcoming – Within 90 days (yellow indicator)
• On Track – More than 90 days away (green indicator)

Thresholds are configurable in settings.

Document Linking

Map relationships between documents:

• Link procedures to the policies they implement
• View bidirectional relationships (policy shows its procedures, procedure shows its parent policy)
• Track implementation gaps

File Attachments

Store the actual document files alongside metadata:

• Supported formats: PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, text files
• Version tracking with upload history
• Current attachment clearly marked

Complete Audit Trail

Every change is logged:

• Document creation, updates, status changes
• Who made the change and when
• Old value vs. new value for each field
• Attachment additions and removals
• Link changes

Filtering and Search

Need to find all overdue policies? All IT-related procedures? Documents owned by a specific person?

Use the filter bar at the top of the register. You can combine multiple filters and search across all fields simultaneously.

Reporting Capabilities

Generate professional reports in seconds:

• Document Register Report – Complete list with key fields
• Review Schedule Report – Upcoming and overdue reviews
• Compliance Status Report – Policy compliance overview

Available formats:

• PDF exports – Formatted summaries for presentations
• Excel exports – Full data for further analysis

All exports respect your current filters, so you can create targeted reports for specific categories or time periods.

Setting Up for Team Use

One of the most powerful features is multi-user access. Here's how to set it up so your entire team can work together.

The Concept

The application stores all data in a shared folder location. By configuring everyone to point to the same shared folder, multiple people can access the same data.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Prepare a shared network folder

• Your IT department should create a folder on your network (like \\CompanyServer\PolicyHub\)
• Make sure all team members have read/write access to this folder

2. Configure the first user (Admin setup)

• Install the application on your computer
• When prompted, choose "Create New Database"
• Select the shared network folder as the location
• Create your admin account
• Start adding documents

3. Configure additional users

• Each team member installs the application on their computer
• When prompted, choose "Connect to Existing Database"
• Enter the same shared folder path
• Log in with credentials created by the administrator

Now everyone is working with the same register. Changes made by one person appear for everyone else.

User Roles and Permissions

Control who can do what:

• Viewers can see all data but cannot make changes
• Editors can add, edit, and delete documents
• Editors (Restricted) can only edit documents in their assigned categories
• Admins can do everything plus manage users and settings

Important Notes for Teams

• Only administrators can create and modify user accounts
• The database uses WAL mode for concurrent access
• Changes are saved immediately
• Everyone needs access to the shared network folder
• If someone is offline or can't reach the network share, they won't be able to use the application

Protecting Your Data

Backup System

The application includes a comprehensive backup feature:

Creating a Backup:

1. Go to Settings → Backup & Restore
2. Click "Create Backup"
3. Choose where to save it (USB drive, external hard drive, secure network location)
4. The app creates a ZIP file containing:
   • Your complete database
   • All attached document files
   • Backup metadata with timestamp

Restoring from Backup:

If something goes wrong, you can restore your data:

1. Go to Settings → Backup & Restore
2. Click "Restore from Backup"
3. Select your backup ZIP file
4. Confirm the restore
5. The app will restore your data

Backup Best Practices

• Regular schedule: Create backups weekly, or before making major changes
• Multiple locations: Keep backups in different places (one onsite, one offsite)
• Test restores: Occasionally test restoring from a backup to make sure it works
• Before updates: Always create a backup before updating to a new version

Understanding the Interface

The Sidebar

Navigate between main sections:

• Dashboard
• Document Register
• Reports
• Settings (admin only)
• IddiLabs (about page)

Document Detail View

When you click on a document, you see detailed information in tabs:

• Overview – Basic information and status
• Attachments – Uploaded files with version history
• Links – Related documents
• History – Complete audit trail of changes

Tips for Daily Use

Starting Your Day

1. Open the Dashboard to see any items requiring attention
2. Check for overdue reviews
3. Review the "Due Soon" list and plan your week

Adding a New Policy

1. Click "Add Document" from the register
2. Fill in the metadata (reference, title, category, owner)
3. Set the review schedule
4. Attach the actual document file
5. Link to any implementing procedures
6. Save

Regular Maintenance

• Weekly: Review overdue items and update statuses
• Monthly: Export a full backup
• Quarterly: Review the Dashboard for compliance gaps
• Annually: Export complete reports before your annual audit

Before an Audit

1. Go to Dashboard and review all indicators
2. Use filters to find any problematic documents
3. Update any stale information
4. Export a Document Register Report
5. Export a Review Schedule Report
6. Create a backup

Common Questions

Do I need to be online to use this? No. The application works completely offline. Your data stays on your computer (or your company's network if you're using team access).

What if I delete a document by mistake? The audit trail shows all changes, but there's no built-in "undo" for deletions. This is why regular backups are important.

Can I import data from Excel? The current version focuses on manual entry with the form interface. For bulk data entry, you'd need to work with the database directly.

What happens to my data when I uninstall? The database and attachments remain in your configured shared folder. If you want to completely remove them, you'll need to delete that folder manually.

Is my data secure? Your data never leaves your organization. The application doesn't connect to the internet or send data anywhere. For additional security, enable authentication to control who can access or modify your data.

What if I find a bug or need help? The project is open source on GitHub. You can report issues there, check the documentation for troubleshooting steps, or ask support from your IT team.

System Requirements

Windows:

• Windows 10 or Windows 11 (64-bit)
• 4GB RAM minimum (8GB recommended)
• 500MB free disk space
• Local Network access (only for multi-user setup)

Final Thoughts

Policy management doesn't have to be complicated. This tool handles the administrative burden so you can focus on actually governing your policy landscape.

It's designed to grow with your needs:

• Start simple with just yourself
• Add team access when you need it
• Enable authentication for access control
• Export data in multiple formats for different audiences

The best part? It's completely free and open source. No licensing fees, no per-user costs, no surprise charges.

Download it, set up a test database, and see if it makes your policy management a little bit easier.

License: MIT (Free for commercial and personal use)

Built by a compliance professional, for compliance professionals. Questions? Issues? Suggestions? Send me an email to contact@iddi-labs.com or contact me on LinkedIn.