Methods, techniques, or approaches that have been proven to produce superior results and are considered the most effective way to accomplish a particular task or achieve specific outcomes. They represent the current standard of excellence in a field or industry.
Emerged in the 1980s in business consulting and management literature, combining 'best' (Old English 'betst') with 'practices' (from Greek 'praktikos'). The concept grew from the quality movement's emphasis on identifying and replicating successful methods.
Best practices can be both a blessing and a curse—they help you avoid reinventing the wheel, but they can also prevent innovation by making people think there's only one 'right' way. The smartest companies treat best practices as starting points, not ending points, and regularly challenge whether yesterday's best practice is still relevant today.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.