We all start in the software field at the bottom of the barrel and have to work our way up. Being new doesn’t mean that you can’t make meaningful contributions to a project, or that your ideas are of less value than other more senior developers’ ideas. What it does mean is that you have less experience in the field. That lack of experience is both a benefit and a hindrance. Junior developers are often in the position of looking at a problem “from the outside” — not stuck in the “that’s just how it’s always been done” trap — and it’s eye-opening to hear fresh ideas. That being said, being new doesn’t necessarily make a fresh idea a good one, and the way we’ve always done something isn’t wrong simply because it’s old.

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If you run a keyword search for ‘software development best practices’, you’ll find thousands of sites trying to sell you their brand of ‘best practices’, as if getting the desired results on any project is as simple as checking off a standardized list of tips and tricks. The reality is that the definition of ‘best practices’ really depends on many factors, and what works best for one project may not be feasible for another. So if there’s no winning formula, is there any such thing as ‘best practices’? Actually, yes.

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In the most general sense, ‘best practices’ are guidelines that are developed over time, proving their usefulness by providing consistently high quality results. That’s it. There’s no magic bullet here. From a developer’s standpoint, ‘best practices’ are those that lend themselves to the production and delivery of quality software. When you listen to what experienced developers say about the right way to do things, you’ll hear the value of lessons learned over the course of lengthy development processes and multiple iterations of the projects they’ve worked on.

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The vast differences between the products we build are the bread and butter of software development. If they weren’t, we’d all be out of work.

While each project we work on yields experience and knowledge that can be brought to bear on future challenges, there’s no such thing as one right way to approach every project. Developers with limited experience may struggle to understand why an approach that works well in some contexts won’t translate directly to others. With thousands of sites and books out there hailing the mystical power of “XYZ best practices to be to be successful,” it’s no wonder the promise of universally applicable ‘best practices’ become something of a holy grail to junior developers.

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So why are about best practices? Care about them because the right ones — those informed by a depth and breadth of relevant experience — can make the difference between a successful project that stands the test of time, versus a hot mess that’s neither maintainable nor extensible. But also realize that the wrong ones can complicate your code base, slip the schedule and make troubleshooting issues difficult.

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To determine which practices are the best ones for the task at hand, look for those that capitalize on your team’s strengths and work well within the development environment. By questioning, discussing and being respectful to other points of view, you can establish your own demonstrably effective ‘best practices’ that can be relied on to deliver successful results.

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For more wisdom from the mythical cybersecurity realm, check out our other articles on Medium. You can also find us at AdaptForward.com.