"Best of Breed" is the strategy of selecting the best product of each type (and integrating them yourself), rather than selecting one large integrated solution from a single vendor. Typically, large integrated suites of products (like MicrosoftOffice and LotusSmartSuite) contain a number of products that have a consistent look and feel, and work well together -- but each tool, taken by itself, is not "top of the field" in the niche it's in. Taking a "Best of Breed" approach assumes that... * You're good at integrating 3rd party products. * You're willing to take the training costs to overcome the inconsistent GUIs and tricky interfaces needed to get the products to work together. * You believe that there are no appropriate integrated sets of tools on the market that meet your needs. ----- Someone's at my org has read too many technology whitepapers and has confused architecture with connect-the-dots. They're creating pretty coloured pyramids of different tools, technologies, and standards and justifying it with that well worn AlarmBellPhrase "We're going for a BestOfBreed approach." ''Sounds like this shop needs some "de-breeding" ;-)'' This can also be used to justify going ahead with developing a product despite the presence of lots of existing and relevant competitors. One can always claim it will be "Best of Breed". See also WashesWhiter. ----- What seems odd about this phrase is that at the shows with which I'm familiar, BestOfBreed is a runner-up position to "Best of Show". ''I think that's right. BestOfBreed as best of its variety, not best of all possible things?'' -- PaulHudson "Best of breed" is the correct term: It implies that for each type of software you need, you use the most capable product in that marketplace. ''Thus, you end up with a mismatched collection of quirky products that don't work together very well. ;->'' -- anon1 ''Is there anything else? -- anon3'' ''Yes, grashopper, you begin to understand.'' ;-> -- anon2 "Best of show," however, would imply that if you find that spreadsheet "X" is a "better product" than word processing program "Y", then you would attempt to do all work with "X". That is, to write a paper, you'd use the spreadsheet ("X") instead of a word processor. Likewise, to edit a source program, manage a database, do a presentation, schedule a project, etc..., you'd try to do everything with that one tool. This doesn't work: Use the right tool for the job. // If the job is your primary responsibility, you probably use the right tool. Otherwise, you may just use a convenient SoftwareSuite "Z" for all purposes: writing papers, crunching spreadsheets, preparing presentations, etc... ''(Perhaps "Best of Show," in this context, would apply to integrated packages: They can compete in each component category.)'' ''''Interesting comments regarding the use of the appropriate tool; I have a WallyUser who insists on writing textual documents (like User Specs) in Excel and tabular documents (like IssueLog) in Word! ---- I'm scared. I thought this phrase was fictional until I read a Watchfire (the company that makes LinkBot amongst other products) booklet aimed to get new hires. First paragraph had the phrase, "best of breed." I shuddered and dropped the booklet. What motivates people to laud their practices but not their accomplishments? [money, obviously; perhaps they have no laudable accomplishments... *sigh*] -- SunirShah ---- ''Best of breed solutions'': A bunch of inferior programs huddling together for warmth around the dying embers of Windows NT. --PhilipGreenspun