TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Tony -- Here are the definitions that my company uses. Hope it helps.
A policy:
- Establishes direction and management support
- States goals and objectives
- Iterates beliefs and ethics
- Identifies management responsibilities and control requirements
(safeguards)
- Is intended to last for many years
- Is supported by and implemented through standards, guidelines, and
procedures
Example: "Our company is dedicated to distributing information relevant to
the successful completion of its business in a professional, timely,
efficient, and effective manner. Therefore, it will create, maintain,
update, and secure a company-wide Intranet site accessible only to
authorized individuals."
Standards:
- Define the minimum controls, capabilities, requirements, and guidelines
necessary to support policies
- May make specific mention of technologies and methodologies
- Are intended to last for a few years
Example: "Pages are reviewed, corrected, and tested on a development
server, and when tested successfully, moved to a production server."
Guidelines:
- Are recommendations for ways to comply with policies and standards
Example: "Our Intranet style aims to deliver consistent, clear, and useful
content. For help with style, grammar, word usage, and writing topics not
covered in this style guide, here are links to further writing resources on
the Internet. "
Procedures:
- Are specific steps taken to implement a policy or standard
Example: "Use this procedure to find expired HTML files."
> Rebecca Abernathy
> Communications Specialist, Technology Communications Core Support
> Phone: 215-444-7378
> Email: rabernathy -at- fleetcc -dot- com
"The information contained in this message may be privileged, confidential,
and protected from disclosure. If you are not the intended recipient, or an
employee, or agent responsible for delivering this message to the intended
recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or
copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received
this communication in error, please notify us immediately by replying to the
message and deleting it from your computer. Opinions, conclusions, and
other information in this message that do not relate to official Fleet
Credit Card Services (FCCS) business are those of the sender and are neither
given nor endorsed by FCCS."
