Guideline

A guideline is a recommended default approach that helps people make better decisions in common situations, while still leaving room for context and judgment.

Guidelines:

• Reduce variation where it doesn’t add value.
• Encode best practices and lessons learned.
• Are adaptable when you have a clear rationale and constraints.

Guideline vs requirement

• A guideline is “should”.
• A requirement is “must”.

Related: Principle · Requirement