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Practice

Repeatable techniques that enhance collaboration, performance, and agility in team environments.

A practice is a commonly used technique, habit, or routine that helps teams consistently achieve goals, improve performance, and enhance collaboration within Agile, DevOps, and Lean environments.

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Overview

Practice refers to consistent, repeatable techniques or habits that teams use to enhance their effectiveness, collaboration, and delivery of value. Unlike methods, which are structured approaches with defined steps, practices focus on habits that can be incorporated into a team’s regular workflow.

In Agile, Lean, and DevOps environments, practices like Pair Programming, Continuous Deployment, and Retrospectives are foundational. They are not one-time actions but ongoing, systematic routines that enable teams to work together efficiently and continually improve.

For example, Pair Programming is a practice where two developers collaborate closely to write code. This not only improves code quality but also facilitates knowledge sharing and team collaboration. Similarly, Retrospectives are a practice where teams reflect on their work processes to identify opportunities for improvement, making them a key tool for continuous improvement.

While tools may facilitate practices, they are not the practice itself. For example, a Kanban board is a tool used to support the practice of visualising work and managing flow, but the practice itself is in how the team manages their workflow using the board. Similarly, a method like Test-Driven Development (TDD) provides a structured process, while TDD practices are the consistent habits or routines (e.g., writing tests before code) that support its execution.

The long-term value of practices lies in their ability to embed behaviours that lead to predictable, sustainable outcomes. For instance, the practice of Continuous Deployment enables teams to release software frequently and reliably, thus enhancing responsiveness to customer needs and increasing feedback cycles.

What sets practices apart is that they are adaptable and evolve with the team. As teams grow and their environment changes, their practices adapt to new challenges and improve over time. This adaptability is essential in the fast-paced, ever-changing environments where Agile, Lean, and DevOps thrive.

In summary, practices are the backbone of effective teamwork. They are the daily actions, routines, and habits that shape how teams collaborate, improve, and deliver value. By cultivating strong practices, organisations can enhance team performance, drive continuous improvement, and remain responsive to both internal and external demands.

Learn More about Practice

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Visualising workflows to identify inefficiencies and optimise value delivery.

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    Continuous Delivery is the practice of frequently delivering small increments of valuable product directly to real users, enabling rapid feedback, validation, and continuous improvement from the very first iteration.

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    Drive high-quality software development with Acceptance Test Driven Development (ATDD). Define clear, testable acceptance criteria before implementation to ensure alignment with business needs.

    Liberating Structures

    Liberating Structures is a set of simple, adaptable facilitation methods designed to make meetings more interactive, inclusive, and productive. Each structure replaces conventional habits like open discussion or status reporting with clear participation formats. Used across Agile, Lean, and organisational change initiatives, they provide structure without control, helping teams uncover insights and co-create better outcomes.

    Behaviour Driven Development

    Align development with business goals using Behaviour Driven Development (BDD). Improve collaboration and create clear, testable requirements.

      Shift-Left Strategy

      A Shift-Left Strategy brings testing, security, and compliance earlier in development, reducing defects, accelerating feedback, and improving quality for faster, more reliable delivery.

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