[James’ Reply: “Best Practice” is not just an innocent expression. It’s direct evidence of incompetence or lying or both. It corrodes our craft, to the point where the only people who aren’t cynical about what almost anyone says about test methodology are people who don’t know anything about it. I’d like to reverse the corrosion.

At least within my community, I’d like to set a strong positive example of how competent and serious technical people should speak about methodology. Most of the world will ignore us, but more and more people will come to respect and trust us over time if we clean up our act.]

Personally I think that the longer a plan gets, the less it reflects the real world. Thoughts?

[James’ Reply: I think your clients probably don’t know what they are doing. In their ignorance they panic. They shield themselves with rhythmic patterns of ink, blessed by a technocratic priesthood. They chant and throw paper in the air, investing their resources in ways they hope will distract and confuse their tormentors. You are involved in a ritual, Michael. Whatever it means, it has little to do with testing.] 

In fact, isn’t using patterns a best practice?

[James’ Reply: I hear you. In my community, the word “pattern” has become slightly radioactive.] 

Jtf

[James’ Reply: If we replace the phrase “best practice” with the word “pattern” and leave all else the same? Think about it… What would that do? I think it would make very little difference. Can you see why? (or if you you disagree, can you frame the argument on that side?)]

I am a little confused about the first post:

You say you searched for:
1 - “suggested best practice” and
2 - “suggested best practices”,
And then you say about differences in the results when omitting the word best (which seems to be in both queries).

“Suggested practices” search returns about 68k results and “suggested practice” about 38k

[James’ reply: I’m not talking about the differences in results. I’m talking about the fact that any results appear at all. In a world that uses words meaningfully, the queries I did should not return anything. The term “suggested practice” is fine. The term “suggested best practice” is, in most contexts, direct evidence that the term “best practice” has become marketing idiom instead of a meaningful phrase.]

If I thought simple mockery would avail anything, I’d blow off some steam by creating a “Best best practices” web page. Or write a “Practice Practical Best Best Practices Bestly” article for Stickynotes.

“Omit needless words. Vigorous writing is concise.” — W. Strunk, Jr., Chapter 13 of _Elements of Style_
link: http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk5.html

The people who talk the “best practices” talk are often just Pointy-Haired Bosses (a la dilbert) or others trying to do verbal “primate grooming” and soothe one another, and the stockholders (or stakeholders). We’ve always had such bosses and such gullible stakeholders, and I expect we always will. Compare and contrast this with, say, “Management By Objective”. _That_ too often turns into just another “I dictate, you perform” framework. “Management By Walking Around”, likewise, turns into micromanagement with a figleaf.

“Best” anything is intended as a confidence builder. Just like the Emperor’s wardrobe, it is rarely a sign of humility. The business culture doesn’t especially reward humility; and it _sometimes_ punishes hubris. But businesspeople still egg each other on in these ways. And they rationalize that *this* instance of hubris is the *real* deal, not hubris at all. Sometimes I weep for the species.