I find it interesting that there are few practices in software development that are universal and apply to all cases. In fact, I can’t think of a single one. We have many best practices for just about anything. Those practices usually come from real world experience and have pros and cons for using or not using them.
For example, the SOLID principles (look it up on WikiPedia if it is new to you) provide a lot of benefit if followed. Sometimes you choose not to follow them for pragmatic reasons; not every system benefits from the extra work necessary to implement them.
Software patterns are another topic of best practices. There are times where we write software to get it to work. Later we modify it as the code is better understood to follow a pattern as it is exposed. Still there are times when the refactoring is not of current value and patterns are not applied. The more complex an application is, the more likely you are to follow best practices.
Aren’t there any practices that are absolute? Are there any absolutes that you think should be a best practice instead?
Are there specific “Best Practices” you find yourself violating? Is it due to urgency, expediency or simply doesn’t fit your situation? Share your Best Practice exceptions with a comment here or by email to btaylor@sswug.org.
Cheers,
Ben