We had an interesting discussion in our committee today about the difference between "standards" and "guidelines". Several of us thought "standards" to be more general or flexible, while others thought the opposite.

Interestingly, when I look them both up on dictionary.com, I really don't find the answer. A standard is defined as an awknowledged measure for comparison, while a guideline is a rule or principle--though it can also be guidance for setting standards.

Do you see standards as more specific than guidelines?

Do you see standards as more specific than guidelines?
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I see standards as being the broader and less flexible of the two. I also see standards as referring to quality, but guidelines as referring to style.

Funny, Kalleh. We had a similar discussion at a meeting today. We need to set up guidelines for our volunteers, ie: procedures to follow in different types of emergency situations. Someone asked what the standard procedure was in a certain situation, and our boss replied that we don't have one, that is why we need to set the guidelines. I thought, at the time, that she was using the two terms interchangably, but now I am not so sure about that.

I'm not really sure I see much of a difference in the two terms in this situation, but there may be other situations where they are extremely different.

As I see it a standard sets the target which you attempt to achieve. When I worked for the police there was a response time standard for various types of incident and this was how performance was measured - by how well the standard had been met.
On the other hand a guideline suggests what you ought to achieve or suggests a method for you to follow. If you follow a different method or measure yourself by some other performance factor then if it was just a guideline then you haven't necessarilly failed.

Standards are yardsticks.
Guidelines are route maps.

Vescere bracis meis.

Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.

Bob, I can agree with what you say about "standard", and dictionary.com defined it that way as well. However, dictionary.com defined "guidelines" as rules or principles. Does that agree with your definition as a "route map"? Do you see "standards" or "guidelines" as more general?

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Originally posted by Kalleh:
Bob, I can agree with what you say about "standard", and dictionary.com defined it that way as well. However, dictionary.com defined "guidelines" as rules or principles. Does that agree with your definition as a "route map"? Do you see "standards" or "guidelines" as more general?

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Neither. I see standards as more binding.

Vescere bracis meis.

Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.

Standards are usually meant to be vwhat is achieved, guidlines are usually used to define the method fior their accomplishment.

meant what not vwhat

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Originally posted by ptcat:
meant what not vwhat

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Welcome to wordcraft. Don't worry about typos. We make them all the time and we (almost) never comment on them unless they're funny or embarrassing.

Vescere bracis meis.

Read all about my travels around the world here.
Read even more of my travel writing and poems on my weblog.

Interestingly, I am in Atlanta today and tomorrow at a Think Tank on......standards in nursing! Bob, I proposed your definition, and the ultimate definitions we came up with are very similar. So--there you are in England making a difference in American nursing. It is an amazing world, isn't it?

Welcome, ptcat, and if typos are a sin, I'm pleased to have another fellow-sinner here.

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Originally posted by shufitz:
Welcome, ptcat, and if typos are a sin, I'm pleased to have another fellow-sinner here.

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You can say that again, shufitz!

Welcome ptcat, great to have another voice to our chorus.