A policy is a course of action for tackling a political problem. Policymaking is itself a process; it is conceived by public or private groups who formulate strategy with regard to a political issue, and carried out by government officials who implement policies as concrete programs and actions. Policymaking thus refers not only to the end result of policies, but more generally to the analysis of government decisions and the way in which different groups attempt to get government policymakers to act in a particular way.