Types of Directives

Policies 

• Establish high level expectations in the conduct of the Department's mission impacting two or more Departmental elements.
• May be issued through memoranda by the Secretary or Deputy Secretary.
• Provide the Secretary's direction for Orders, Guides and Technical Standards.
• Remain in effect until canceled by Secretary or Deputy Secretary.

Orders 

• Requirements documents developed and processed in the Departmental Directives Program, and approved by the Secretary or Deputy Secretary.
• Establish management objectives, requirements, and assignments of responsibilities for DOE Federal employees consistent with the law, policy, and regulations applicable to DOE.
• If requirements for contractors are necessary, they are included in Attachment 1, known as the contractors requirements document (CRD).

Manuals

• Dictate how Federal and Contractor employees are to implement requirements.
• Are being phased out and canceled or are converted to or incorporated into Orders, as appropriate. Manuals will be be revised and no new Manuals will be created.

Guides

• Provide acceptable, but not mandatory, means for complying with requirements included in Orders and Manuals that may have not yet been phased out. Guides must be associated with a directive or a rule.
• Do not impose requirements, but may quote requirements if the sources are adequately cited.