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Definition of Best Practice
Often based upon common sense, these practices are commonly used where no specific formal methodology is in place or the existing methodology does not sufficiently address the issue. The idea is that with proper processes, checks and testing, a desired outcome can be delivered more effectively with fewer problems and unforeseen complications. In addition, a "best" practice can evolve to become better as improvements are discovered. 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.

Best practices are used to maintain quality as an alternative to mandatory legislated standards and can be based on self-assessment or benchmarking. Best practice is a feature of accredited management standards such as ISO 9000 and ISO 14001.

Documenting and charting procedures and practices is a complicated and time-consuming process often skipped by companies, even though they may practise the proper processes consistently. Some consulting firms specialize in the area of Best Practice and offer pre-made 'templates' to standardize business process documentation. Sometimes a "best practice" is not applicable or is inappropriate for a particular organization's needs. A key strategic talent required when applying best practice to organizations is the ability to balance the unique qualities of an organization with the practices that it has in common with others.

Good operating practice is a strategic management term. More specific uses of the term include good agricultural practices, good manufacturing practice, good laboratory practice, good clinical practice and good distribution practice.

Critique
There are some criticism with the use of "Best" practice. Eugene Bardach, a professor of Public Policy at the Goldman[School of Public Policy] claims the work necessary to deem and practice the best is rarely done, and most of the time, you will find "good" practices or "smart" practices that offer insight into solutions that may or may not work for your situation.[4]

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center)
The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) develops innovative solutions to today's most pressing public policy challenges and is the only research and development firm that directly serves United State's governors.

Redesigning State Government 2011
Since 2008, the NGA Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) has been reviewing state government redesign effort as states recover from the economic downturn. Some of these efforts have been described in other NGA publications, namely, The Big Reset: State Government After the Great Recession (February 2010) and again in State Government Redesign Efforts 2009 and 2010 (October 2010). Their publication released in early 2011 covers the areas of: Health, Corrections, K-12 Education,Higher Education,Transportation and Infrastructure,State Workforce,Pensions and Benefits, Downsizing and Streamlining,and Revenue Management and Collection

Clean Air Financing Programs
Financing Clean Air Programs, and example taken from NGA http://www.nga.org/cms/home/nga-center-for-best-practices/center-issues/page-eet-issues/col2-content/main-content-list/clean-energy-financing.html

This is a quick guide put together by the NGA Center for Best Practices. It explores what clean air programs currently exist and how they are being financed. Rather than stating one best practice to tackling clean air, this reports creates a table of the different programs, how they are being financed, and in what state. Governors and their staffs can then look for characteristics and solutions that are most realistic and applicable to their situation. The key is to tailor current practices that are in the world to the specific situation you are looking to solve. Best practices are meant to give insight into existing strategies.

Environmental best management practice
The concept of best practice has been employed extensively in environmental management. For example, it has been employed in aquaculture such as recommending low-phosphorus feed ingredients, in forestry to manage riparian buffer zones, in livestock and pasture management to regulate stocking rates, and in particular, best management practices have been important to improving water quality relating to nonpoint source pollution of fertilizers in agriculture as well as the identification and adoption of best practice for controlling salinity. However, in the context of complex environmental problems such as dryland salinity, there are significant challenges in defining what is best in any given context. Best management practice for complex problems is context specific and often contested against a background of imperfect knowledge. In these contexts, it is more useful to think of best management practice as an adaptive learning process rather than a fixed set of rules or guidelines. This approach to best practice focuses on fostering improvements in quality and promoting continuous learning.

Higher Education
STEM Program explanation is taken from Angela Baber's report to the NGA at http://www.nga.org/cms/home/nga-center-for-best-practices/center-publications/page-edu-publications/col2-content/main-content-list/using-community-colleges-to-buil.html;jsessionid=D6D0802411F8B4F9F3EADC75687B8AB1

The NGA has identified science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) as important skills that need to be developed in community colleges in order to create a strong work force. Many states are creating or have created STEM Programs to address this issue. In order for these programs to work governors should: "

• Engage business to help ensure that community colleges meet regional STEM-skill needs

• Use community colleges to support new models of STEM education

• Reward community colleges and students for STEM course-completion

• Ensure that community colleges support more effective mathematics remediation

• Require that community college STEM credits and credentials are transferable".

Other best practices domains
Best practices are used in nearly every industry and professional discipline. Areas of note include information technology development, such as new software, but also in construction, transportation, business management, sustainable development and various aspects of project management. Best practices are also used in healthcare to deliver high-quality care that promotes best outcomes. Best practices are used within business areas including sales, manufacturing, teaching, programming software, road construction, health care, insurance and public policy.