Best Practice
A method or technique that has been generally accepted as superior to alternatives because it produces consistently optimal results and is repeatable across organizations.
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What is a Best Practice?
A best practice is a method or technique that people in a field have come to accept as better than the alternatives because it tends to produce better results. Organizations use best practices to hit quality standards without being locked into mandatory regulations. Think of them as proven shortcuts that help teams work smarter.
Two things make something a best practice: it needs to produce good results, and those results need to be repeatable. You can't just get lucky once. Best practices differ from strict guidelines because they're backed by proven evidence rather than general recommendations. They emerge from comparing different methods over time, with one approach consistently outperforming others.
You'll find best practices across pretty much every industry, from project management and healthcare to software development and construction. They capture what actually works based on years of trial and error.
Key Characteristics of Best Practice
- Proven Effectiveness: Best practices have been tested in real-world settings and shown to work better than alternatives. They're backed by actual results, not just theory.
- Repeatability: Different teams can follow the same approach and get similar positive outcomes. If it only works once, it's probably luck, not a best practice.
- Evidence-Based: These methods come from comparing approaches and tracking what works, not from gut feelings or "we've always done it this way" thinking.
- Adaptable: Best practices offer clear direction while leaving room to customize for your specific situation. They're guides, not scripts.
- Evolving: What counts as a best practice today might change as technology shifts and better methods emerge. They're not set in stone.
Best Practice Examples
Example 1: Accounting Standards
Accounting has one of the clearest examples of best practices: Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Every accountant learns these. They're a fairly strict set of guidelines that keep financial reporting consistent across companies. When you look at a balance sheet, you can trust it follows the same rules as another company's because everyone uses GAAP.
Example 2: Lean Manufacturing
Lean Manufacturing takes a different approach. Instead of telling you exactly what to do, it gives you a framework for cutting waste and working more efficiently. A car plant and a bakery might both use lean principles, but they'll apply them differently based on what they're making. This shows how best practices can be flexible guidelines rather than rigid instructions.
Example 3: Cybersecurity Frameworks
NIST's Cybersecurity Framework is widely used for protecting digital assets. Companies pick and choose which pieces apply to them based on their risk level and what they actually need to protect. A small e-commerce site will implement it differently than a bank, but both can use the same framework as their starting point.
Best Practice vs Guidelines
Best practices and guidelines overlap, but they're not the same thing. Here's how they differ:
| Aspect | Best Practice | Guidelines |
|---|---|---|
| Authority | Backed by research and proven track records | Based on experience or expert opinion |
| Flexibility | Adaptable, but rooted in validated methods | Broader suggestions open to interpretation |
| Validation | Evidence shows it works better than alternatives | Might not have formal testing behind it |
| When to use | When you want proven methods that deliver results | When you need general direction without strict requirements |
How Glitter AI Helps with Best Practice
Glitter AI makes capturing and sharing best practices simple. Your subject matter experts can record their screen while doing their work, and Glitter turns that into clear, visual documentation that anyone can follow. No more institutional knowledge stuck in someone's head.
When you create step-by-step visual guides of how things should be done, your whole team can follow the same approach. It works for accounting procedures, manufacturing workflows, customer service protocols, or any standard operating procedure you need documented. And when your best practices evolve, updating the documentation is straightforward.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does best practice mean?
A best practice is a method that's widely accepted as better than the alternatives because it consistently produces good results. The key is that it works across different teams and situations, not just in one specific case.
What is an example of a best practice?
Lean Manufacturing is a good example. It gives organizations a framework for reducing waste and working more efficiently. GAAP in accounting is another one. It standardizes how companies report their finances so everyone follows the same rules.
Why are best practices important?
They save you from reinventing the wheel. Instead of figuring everything out through trial and error, you can follow methods that have already been tested and refined by others. This reduces mistakes, saves time, and gives you a solid starting point for improvement.
How do you implement best practices?
Start by researching what works in your industry. Document the processes clearly so everyone understands them. Train your team on the approach, then track results to make sure it's actually working. Update your practices as things change.
What is the difference between best practices and standards?
Best practices are recommended but optional. You follow them because they work, not because you have to. Standards are mandatory requirements that must be met. Think of best practices as 'here's how to do it well' versus standards as 'here's the minimum you must do.'
Turn any process into a step-by-step guide