A guideline is a statement by which to determine a course of action. A guideline aims to streamline particular processes according to a set routine or sound practice. By definition, following a guideline is never mandatory. Guidelines are not binding and are not enforced. ( U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, http://www.va.gov/trm/TRMGlossaryPage.asp )
Guidelines may be issued by and used by any organization (governmental or private) to make the actions of its employees or divisions more predictable, and presumably of higher quality.
Examples or guidelines are:
- EASE Guidelines for Authors and Translators of Scientific Articles
- Federal Sentencing Guidelines
- Guidelines for Examination in the European Patent Office
- Medical guidelines
- Human interface guidelines
- Programming style guidelines
- UNGEGN Toponymic Guidelines