For qualifying statements of strategic purpose, AAMVA provides the following definitions on policies, standards, and best practices. These definitions shall guide AAMVA Committee members and outside interests in making determinations on how products of the AAMVA membership can be delineated in its member-driven advocacy approach. Public statements issued by AAMVA should fit into only one of these definitions and should serve to bolster AAMVA’s overall strategic positioning.
For the purposes of public statements issued by AAMVA:
- A policy is a statement that defines the overall principles, goals and objectives of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA). Policy positions may reference recommendations made in standards or best practices by name, but should be limited to statements that clearly define the position of AAMVA with regards to a specific issue.
- A standard is a statement that clearly defines a set of technical specifications on what optimally constitutes an object or concept. Standards shall be used to convey statements for the sake of perpetuating uniformity across programmatic lines.
- A best practice is a statement or series of statements conveying a method or technique that has consistently shown results superior to those achieved by other means. While these practices may evolve over time, they should describe the process of developing and following a standard method of practice that has been generally agreed to as providing the best operational practice available.