I have always been an advocate for sharing best practice. That has been the cases since I first started in this industry 25+ years ago.
However, in the last 10 years my perspective has considerably shifted on what best practice really means – mainly as a result of the projects I’ve been involved in with Select Planning.
We talk to clients who have seen or heard something described as “best practice” and they want it. In fact, they want exactly that best practice. They’ve seen it, so it must be possible. Or, they think we must have seen it so we can copy it for them.
Is it really as simple as that? I don’t believe it is.
We live in a nuanced world. Every organisation has its own nuances, its own idiosyncrasies, something(s) that gives it its identity, makes it unique and, crucially, makes it work. Usually (almost always) those nuances are not things to be given up lightly, if at all.
That’s the thing about best practice – it’s should rarely be exactly the same in any 2 organisations. The secret to success lies in being able to adapt best practice you’ve seen or heard to a particular problem, situation, or aim in your own business to make it work for you.
I used to judge some industry awards – an inspirational experience – and the entries I particularly loved were those who had done just that. They had a reference point – perhaps from a previous winner or entry – and used that to develop their ideas, adapting what they’d seen to create their own new, best practice. They didn’t simply take a copycat approach – in fact, those that did would rarely deliver sustainable change.
Of course, there are some generic skills and frameworks that are appropriate everywhere – these are the foundations of your capabilities. The true improvement comes from then understanding your nuances and adapting to fit around them.
This is where the battle of theory versus practice rages. In my eyes, theory will get you only so far. True practice is real world stuff, it’s where you have to adapt to the real things that happen every day in your organisation, in your team, and in your role. It’s where you have the chance to put your own unique stamp on what you do.
At Select Planning we pride ourselves on this adaptive approach. Never was that more needed than when we supported the planning for the fantastic COVID vaccine roll-out through the 119 service.
We have experienced more in the last 10 years than we ever dreamt possible. and we use those experiences to make all our approaches and solutions bespoke for our customers. Because we know they are all unique and they are all worth that individual attention.
Love this perspective. I would have also once considered a deliberate departure from best practice to be heretical. But you're right - real world circumstances and organisational differences really demand that you flavour that best practice accordingly.