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Best Practice is a management idea which asserts that there is a technique,
method, process, activity, incentive or reward that is more effective at
delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method, process, etc.
The idea is that with proper processes, checks, and testing, a desired outcome
can be delivered with fewer problems and unforeseen complications. Best
practices can also be defined as the most efficient (least amount of effort) and
effective (best results) way of accomplishing a task, based on repeatable
procedures that have proven themselves over time for large numbers of people.
Overview
The notion of a best practice is not new. Frederick Taylor (1919)[1] said as
much nearly 100 years ago: “among the various methods and implements used in
each element of each trade there is always one method and one implement which is
quicker and better than any of the rest”. This viewpoint came to be known as the
"one best way" (Kanigel, 1997)[2].
History, however, is filled with examples of people who were unwilling to accept
the industry standard as the best way to do anything. The enormous technological
changes since the Industrial Revolutions in England and the United States bear
witness to this fact. For example, at one time horses were considered the 'best'
form of transportation, even after 'horse-less carriages' were invented. Today,
most people drive a gasoline, diesel, or bio-fuel vehicle—itself an improvement
on the horse-less carriage.
A more recent example can be found in the 1968 Summer Olympics where a young man
named Dick Fosbury revolutionized high-jumping technique. Using an approach that
became known as the Fosbury Flop, he won the gold medal (in a new Olympic record
height of 2.24m or 7 ft 4 1/4 in), by going over the bar back-first instead of
head-first. Had he relied on 'best practice,' as did all of his fellow
competitors, he probably would not have won the event. Instead, by ignoring
'Best Practice', he raised the performance bar—literally—for everyone. At the
same time, however, he inadvertently created the new 'Best Practice', which has
become the only high jump technique ever since. The purpose of any standard is
to provide a kind of plumb line, and therefore that standard must be, "What is
possible?" and not, "what is somebody else doing?" (Hoag & Cooper, 2006[3]).
Real-world use
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In real-world application, Best Practice is a very useful concept. Despite the
need to improve on processes as times change and things evolve, Best Practice is
considered by some as a business buzzword used to describe the process of
developing and following a standard way of doing things that multiple
organizations can use for management, policy, and especially software systems.
Best Practices are commonly used in many Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and
Marketing Operations Management (MOM) systems. A Best Practice can be selected
(generally from several competing options) and defined within a computer system.
Then, any organization performing similar tasks can draw from the same
procedure, and theoretically improve their operations.
Human Resources is one example of Best Practices as implemented in MOM systems.
There are numerous standard procedures defined when managing an organisation's
employees, volunteers, and contractors. By choosing a "Best Practice" or
standard way of organizing and performing processes, the makers of MOM systems
or Human Resource Management (HRM) system software are able to produce systems
that can be used by multiple organisations.
Because such systems are restrictive by nature, implementing Best Practices by
using such software may force organizations who have less formally defined
procedures to conform to a single standard. Deviation from this standard may
require a change to the software. Avoiding these related costs may be a
motivating factor in choosing to conform.
Newly discovered Best Practices and changing industry standards often heavily
influence ERP/MOM/HRM system design. Recent pressures on companies to change
quickly in emerging global marketplaces have forced many vendors to be more
flexible in how Best Practices are defined and implemented
Best practices continually evolve
The notion of 'best practices' does not commit people or companies to one
inflexible, unchanging practice. Instead, Best Practices is a philosophical
approach based around continuous learning and continual improvement.
For example, the American Productivity and Quality Centre (APQC) [1] suggests
that three themes resonate through successful benchmarking and best-practice
transfer efforts:
Transfer is a people-to-people process; meaningful relationships precede sharing
and transfer.
Learning and transfer is an interactive, ongoing, and dynamic process that
cannot rest on a static body of knowledge. Employees are inventing, improvising,
and learning something new every day.
Benchmarking stems from a personal and organizational willingness to learn. A
vibrant sense of curiosity and a deep respect and desire for learning are the
keys to success.
Best practices do not have one template or form for everyone to follow. In the
context of business management, Best Practice is the concept that a good
process, and planning, is being followed in the execution management of a
project plan, and that changes to the initial plan, dependencies, and goals are
being tracked and documented.
Exchange
Best practices in a particular industry or other professional field can be
exchanged, just like any instructional capital, by any means, though
Internet-related information is most commonly exchanged this way:
source code
e-democracy
e-government
There are numerous such efforts now in government especially in the English
speaking world:
Federation of Canadian Municipalities FCM InfraGuide
U.S. government Government Open Code Collaborative
UK local democracy project which calls this a knowledge pool [2]
Best practices and kaizen
The Japanese word kaizen has been imported into Western organizational language
and stresses the importance of efforts to improve constantly. This ethos is
antithetical to the commonly accepted notions of best practice. Some
organizations consider their Best Practices to be a badge of honor, believing
that having adopted this technique, method or process that further at the core
of the concept, the defining of methods used to get things done. Benefits often
include the assurance of quality results and consistency when the process is
followed.
Best practices domains
Domains where Best Practices have been applied include:
Incremental and iterative development
Quality Assurance
Performance engineering
Risk management
Change Process
Release execution
Milestones
Release Control
Defect tracking
Use Case
Requirements management
Automated testing process
Evidence-based medicine
Physical planning and land use management
Local governance
Best Practices are used in technology development, such as new software, but
also in construction, transportation, business management,sustainable
development, and various aspects of Project Management.
Best Practices are used within any business type including, but not limited to:
sales, manufacturing, teaching, programming software, road construction, health
care, insurance, and accounting.
Documenting and charting these procedures and practices is a complicated and
time-consuming process often skipped by companies, even though they may practice
the proper processes consistently.
Some consulting firms specialize in the area of Best Practice. Often "Best
Practice" consulting firms offer pre-made 'templates' to standardize business
process documentation. A key strategic talent is required to provide good "Best
Practice" consulting to organisations: the ability to balance the uniqueness of
an organisation with practices it has in common with other organisations.
In many cases the cost of making modifications to a system or process which
comes standard in a template or with a delivered computer application forces an
organisation into using "Best Practice". Often it is to the benefit of the
organisation. Sometimes a "Best Practice" will hurt an organisation. Good "Best
Practice" consulting firms can assist organisations in making decisions
appropriate for the organisation.
Good Operating Practice
Good Operating Practice is a strategic management term, usually capitalized.
More specific uses of the term include Good Agricultural Practices, Good
Manufacturing Practice, Good Laboratory Practice, Good Clinical Practice and
Good Distribution Practice.
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