Best Practices – Philosophy vs. Practicality

I have spent the last week in Israel teaching our new SDET course in Herzillya and our Senior SDET course in Haifa. I also did a lot of listening and discussing various issues relating to software testing and the maturation of our discipline; not just here in Israel, but around the world both inside and outside of Microsoft. Now I am sitting at LaLa Land after a relaxing day of sailing in the Med, and reflecting on the past week’s discussions.

One of the topics we discussed was best practices, and that  seems appropriate to write about since the concept of “best practices” was recently discussed (again) in an article in the Software Test and Performance magazine by Eddie Correia. Eddie argues “…the notion of “best practices” is not useful. Best for whom? And for what kind of testing?” Actually, this is just a repetition of the same old fustian melodramatic hyperbole of the “context-driven” posse.

Perhaps the philosophical “questioning” of best practices may be interesting for folks who like to run around quoting Aristotle and Plato. However, from a pragmatic point of view this is a rather benign debate for anyone capable of thinking for themselves.

In reality, many different professions recognize the concept of best practices. For example, a best practice in preventative medicine is to rinse a minor abrasion and apply a topical antiseptic ointment. A best practice in plumbing is to wrap Teflon tape in the direction of the threads when fitting pipes. “Eliminating distractions in the operational area” is listed as one of the best practices by the FAA for airfield safety. Do these “best practices” apply in all situations? No, they don’t.

So, why do so many professionals recognize the concept of “best practices.” Because they understand that best practices provide guidelines that are generally more effective in the appropriate context as compared to other approaches. They understand that “best practices” are not a rules or rigid standards that must be followed in all circumstances, but “best practices” are general solutions to common problems that can be shared among professionals who might face similar situations. The professionals who understand “best practice” concepts are usually well-trained on other comparable practices for the type of problem they are facing, and know when to apply the best practice within the appropriate situation. They understand that “best practices” don’t simply apply to 1 or 2 limited situations, but have been proven to be generally effective for that particular type of problem.

But, most importantly these professionals (who recognize “best practices”) are extremely  knowledgeable about their field and can “act with appropriate judgment” (that’s sapience for the CD crowd), and conversely know when to approach a problem using a different solution.

Fortunately, the argument against “best practices” only stems from a few people who are seemingly more interested in stirring up portentous philosophical debate rather than earnestly discussing the practical advancement of the profession of software testing beyond mysticism and emotionally charged rhetoric. And, that argument really seems to boil down to a rather condescending and incorrect viewpoint that best practices are merely steadfast rules and requirements that must be followed in all situations. I say condescending because this point of view seems to suggest that testers are incapable of analyzing a problem and logically rationalizing the benefits and limitations of various approaches to problems in different situations to reach appropriate decisions on their own.

Personally, I think professionals in the discipline of software testing are highly intelligent, and are quite capable of making smart decisions, and can “act with appropriate judgment” in a wide variety of contextual situations. I also think discussions of best practices are enriched with case studies outlining situations where they may not apply and the alternative approaches that were more effective in those situations. And, I think “best practices” provide a common reference for professionals in that field that can be shared and further developed, and perhaps even give rise to new “best practices” for varying situations.

So, for those of you who believe there is a “one-size fits all” solution that can be applied in every situation I recommend that you don’t subscribe to the concept of best practices. (I would also recommend these people are well supervised and constantly monitored.) But, for the vast majority of professionals in the practice of software testing I suspect you understand the notion of “best practices” is quite useful for pragmatic discussions for advancing the intellectual knowledge pool of our profession and maturing our discipline.