Best out of the set of possible practices, not out of the set of practitioners.
State of the art sounds impressive, but it merely means the best we have at the moment. Inventive people constantly improve it.
"Crossing the Chasm" talks about how most people in a given industry prefer to do what everyone else is doing. Progress comes from the technology "enthusiasts" (who simply love cool new stuff) and "visionaries" (who are excited by new application of the technology to give them a x10 advantage).
There's also the distinction between competitive advantage and hygiene factors. For the latter, it's cheaper and more reliable to just follow the crowd than to experiment with risky new ways - save that for improving your competitive advantage.
Comments
Best out of the set of possible practices, not out of the set of practitioners.
State of the art sounds impressive, but it merely means the best we have at the moment. Inventive people constantly improve it.
"Crossing the Chasm" talks about how most people in a given industry prefer to do what everyone else is doing. Progress comes from the technology "enthusiasts" (who simply love cool new stuff) and "visionaries" (who are excited by new application of the technology to give them a x10 advantage).
There's also the distinction between competitive advantage and hygiene factors. For the latter, it's cheaper and more reliable to just follow the crowd than to experiment with risky new ways - save that for improving your competitive advantage.