Summary

Martin Fowler introduces the term 'Sensible Default' as a deliberate alternative to 'best practice', defining it as a known-good starting point that should be applied absent overriding context but can and should be overridden when circumstances change. The concept was popularized within Thoughtworks by Evan Bottcher, who found the phrasing captured the nuance of a recommended practice that remains open to reassessment. Thoughtworks has built a published playbook around sensible defaults, expecting teams to know them well enough to both apply and intelligently deviate from them. The post ties this concept to the twelfth agile principle of regular reflection and adjustment, and to the ongoing curation process behind the Thoughtworks Technology Radar.

Key Insight

Replacing 'best practice' with 'sensible default' reframes good practices as informed starting points that demand contextual judgment rather than blind compliance.

Spicy Quotes (click to share)

• 4

  A 'sensible default', however, is something that should be reassessed in a new context, something that can (and should) be overridden when circumstances change.

• 2

  A sensible default is what we'd expect you to do, the practices to apply, if there are no hard constraints in the environment.

• 5

  Do these practices, or do better, and be prepared to explain why you've chosen some other way.

• 2

  They are our defaults because we've used them in many situations and found them to be effective.

• 2

  Teams should also be familiar with their limitations, and able to judge whether they should be changed depending on the particular circumstances.

Tone

reflective, definitional, measured