Guidelines

Recommendations or principles for decision-making.

directives recommendations

From guide + lines.

Guidelines are like rules that help people make good choices, such as following traffic signs to stay safe or using a recipe to bake a cake.

What are guidelines? They offer advice and recommendations, not strict rules
Who uses them? Governments, organizations, and individuals use guidelines to inform decisions
Are they legally binding? Generally no, but they can influence behavior and expectations

recommendations principles standards

rules standards

protocols policies

framework system

advisory planned structured