Guidelines, etc.

I found this thought provoking, and wish we could agree on such conventions here.
A guideline is simply a suggested practice established to assist people in performing some function, as in "Guidelines for Preparing a Teaching Portfolio."
A procedure is a standard practice that a department adopts in order to ensure consistency and efficiency, as in the steps for filing a complaint.
A policy is a formally adopted procedure, or set of procedures, that binds people to certain actions, as in a university's alcohol policy.
And a rule is an even stronger restriction or prescribed action set by the institution's trustees or some other legal entity, and thus has legal status. Violation of a university rule or policy usually exposes you to serious consequences.

From Chronicle of Higher Education, Chronicle Careers, 3/6/2009, by Gary A. Olson.