In this report, the Guideline Group of General Practitioners (GPs) in Hessen (Leitliniengruppe Hessen--Hausärztliche Pharmakotherapiezirkel) describes the motivation and working procedure for developing an evidence-based GPs' guideline for the management of chronic heart failure. Insufficient use of recommended drug therapy and the frequency of probably avoidable hospitalisation are regarded as important deficiencies in the medical care of patients with chronic heart failure. In this report the guideline group demonstrates the identification and interpretation of evidence for their recommendations and suggests indicators for monitoring adherence to the guideline using prescription data. The topics raised in this report follow the checklist of the German Manual for Clinical Practice Guidelines (Germ-CPG) published by the German Association of the Scientific Medical Societies (AWMF) and the German Guideline Clearinghouse. The guidelines have been developed in the context of the pharmacotherapeutic quality assurance program of the Association of Health Insurance Physicians of Hesse (KV Hessen)--a well established program of the KV Hessen and the sickness funds (VdAK/AEV.) The members of the guideline group have been engaged as moderators of quality circles for about 12 years.