Policies and Guidelines
Policies
In order to ensure consistency and quality in the conduct of an organization’s people and activities, policies are not only established to provide limits for certain activities, but also to explain why those restrictions exist for those particular activities. Because federal, state or institutional regulations and guidance documents are the primary reason for any limitations on an activity, these documents should be strictly adhered to; however, the interpretation of the more general policies can allow some flexibility in the actions of the applicable parties.
Guidelines
Guidelines provide specific advice on how to go about completing an activity, acceptable methods to remain compliant with regulations, or even what to expect during institution’s mandated activities. The overarching purpose of guidelines is to clarify how policies are implemented.