In-Depth

What is a best practice?

One dictionary definition of practice is: “A habitual or customary action or act.” A best practice, therefore, is merely a habitual act that has proven itself to be the most effective. There’s a buzz now about these industry best practices. It’s obviously valuable to look across an entire industry and discover what common practices have been proven effective, because those practices may work for you. However, a best practice can also be specific to an organization; for example, an effective practice in one workgroup that gets adopted by other workgroups.

Please see the following related stories: “Process fortifies software projects against failure” by Buff Colchagoff

“Does my process need a face-lift?” by Buff Colchagoff

About the Author

Buff Colchagoff is research director in the office of technology at consulting firm Number Six Software.

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