Procedure vs. Practice — What's the Difference?
By Maham Liaqat & Fiza Rafique — Updated on April 24, 2024
Procedure refers to a formal method of doing something based on a systematic plan, while practice involves a habitual action or exercise in a particular field.
Difference Between Procedure and Practice
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A procedure typically involves a specific sequence of actions or steps to accomplish a particular end, ensuring consistency and compliance in professional or institutional settings. Whereas, practice is more about regular engagement in an activity to improve skill and efficiency, often seen in contexts like medicine, law, or sports.
Procedures are often documented and require strict adherence to predefined protocols, making them essential in areas like healthcare, aviation, or manufacturing. On the other hand, practice can be more flexible, adapting to the individual's needs or changes in the environment, which is crucial for areas requiring personal judgment or creativity.
While procedures are designed to achieve uniformity and reduce the likelihood of error in critical tasks, practices are about personal or professional development, aiming to build competence and expertise over time.
In many professions, specific procedures must be followed to ensure safety and legality, such as in surgical operations or legal proceedings. Conversely, practices might vary significantly between professionals, reflecting personal styles or differing schools of thought within the same field.
Procedures are often mandatory and can have legal implications if not properly followed. In contrast, practices, while also subject to certain standards, generally offer more room for individual discretion and adaptation based on circumstances.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A set of established steps followed to achieve a task.
Regular exercise of an activity or profession.
Flexibility
Low, as adherence to steps is crucial.
High, adaptable to personal or situational needs.
Contexts
Often used in technical, medical, or legal fields.
Common in educational, professional development.
Objective
To ensure consistency and safety.
To improve skills and efficiency.
Documentation
Typically well-documented and standardized.
Less formal, often based on tradition or habit.
Compare with Definitions
Procedure
A formal series of steps conducted for a specific purpose.
The procedure for evacuating the building was initiated promptly.
Practice
Professional routine or the conduct of professionals like doctors or lawyers.
His dental practice is known for excellent patient care.
Procedure
An established method of performing a task, usually requiring accuracy.
The laboratory procedure requires careful handling of chemicals.
Practice
The repeated exercise of an activity to gain proficiency.
Regular practice is essential for mastering a language.
Procedure
A systematic plan followed in medical treatment.
The surgical procedure was completed without complications.
Practice
The customary performance of something in a habitual way.
It is her practice to meditate every morning.
Procedure
A set of administrative instructions to achieve consistency.
The company's hiring procedure involves several rounds of interviews.
Practice
Application or use of an idea or method.
The practice of mindfulness can reduce stress.
Procedure
Legal or governmental protocols.
The procedure for filing tax returns must be followed precisely.
Practice
The continuous operation of a method or custom.
The practice of recycling has become more prevalent in recent years.
Procedure
An established or official way of doing something
The police are now reviewing procedures
Parliamentary procedure
Practice
The actual application or use of an idea, belief, or method, as opposed to theories relating to it
The principles and practice of teaching
The recommendations proved too expensive to put into practice
Procedure
A manner of proceeding; a way of performing or effecting something
Standard procedure.
Practice
The customary, habitual, or expected procedure or way of doing of something
Modern child-rearing practices
Product placement is common practice in American movies
Procedure
A series of steps taken to accomplish an end
A medical procedure.
Evacuation procedures.
Practice
Repeated exercise in or performance of an activity or skill so as to acquire or maintain proficiency in it
It must have taken a lot of practice to become so fluent
Procedure
(Computers) A set of instructions that performs a specific task; a subroutine or function.
Practice
US spelling of practise
Procedure
A set of established forms or methods for conducting the affairs of an organized body such as a business, club, or government.
Practice
To do or perform habitually or customarily; make a habit of
Practices courtesy in social situations.
Procedure
(Law) The set of rules under which litigation is conducted, especially in contrast to the set of substantive legal principles that determine the merits of legal controversies and disputes.
Practice
To do or perform (something) repeatedly in order to acquire or polish a skill
Practice a dance step.
Procedure
A particular method for performing a task.
Practice
To give lessons or repeated instructions to; drill
Practiced the students in handwriting.
Procedure
A series of small tasks or steps taken to accomplish an end.
Practice
To work at, especially as a profession
Practice law.
Procedure
(uncountable) The set of established forms or methods of an organized body for accomplishing a certain task or tasks.
Ensure that you follow procedure when accessing customers' personal information.
Practice
To carry out in action; observe
Practices a religion piously.
Procedure
The steps taken in an action or other legal proceeding.
Practice
(Obsolete) To plot (something evil).
Procedure
(obsolete) That which results; issue; product.
Practice
To do something repeatedly in order to acquire or polish a skill
With any musical instrument, you need to practice to get better.
Procedure
(computing) A subroutine or function coded to perform a specific task, but does not return a value.
Practice
To work at a profession
How long has that lawyer been practicing?.
Procedure
(medicine) A surgical operation.
Practice
To do or perform something habitually or repeatedly
Why not practice in the same manner that you preach?.
Procedure
The act or manner of proceeding or moving forward; progress; process; operation; conduct.
Practice
(Archaic) To intrigue or plot.
Procedure
A step taken; an act performed; a proceeding; the steps taken in an action or other legal proceeding.
Practice
A habitual or customary action or way of doing something
Makes a practice of being punctual.
Procedure
That which results; issue; product.
Practice
Repeated performance of an activity in order to learn or perfect a skill
Practice will make you a good musician.
Procedure
A particular course of action intended to achieve a result;
The procedure of obtaining a driver's license
It was a process of trial and error
Practice
A session of preparation or performance undertaken to acquire or polish a skill
Goes to piano practice weekly.
Scheduled a soccer practice for Saturday.
Procedure
A process or series of acts especially of a practical or mechanical nature involved in a particular form of work;
The operations in building a house
Certain machine tool operations
Practice
(Archaic) The skill so learned or perfected.
Procedure
A set sequence of steps, part of larger computer program
Practice
The condition of being skilled through repeated exercise
Out of practice.
Procedure
A mode of conducting legal and parliamentary proceedings
Practice
The act or process of doing something; performance or action
A theory that is difficult to put into practice.
Practice
Exercise of an occupation or profession
The practice of law.
Practice
The business of a professional person
An obstetrician with her own practice.
Practice
A habitual or customary action or act
That company engages in questionable business practices. Facial tattooing is a standard practice among certain peoples.
Practice
(Law) The procedure for trial of cases in a court of law, usually specified by rules.
Practice
The act of tricking or scheming, especially with malicious intent.
Practice
A trick, scheme, or intrigue.
Practice
Repetition of an activity to improve a skill.
He will need lots of practice with the lines before he performs them.
Practice
An organized event for the purpose of performing such repetition.
Being on a team is hard: you're always having to go to practice while everyone else is taking it easy.
I have choir practice every Sunday after church.
Practice
The ongoing pursuit of a craft or profession, particularly in medicine or the fine arts.
Practice
(countable) A place where a professional service is provided, such as a general practice.
She ran a thriving medical practice.
Practice
The observance of religious duties that a church requires of its members.
Practice
A customary action, habit, or behaviour; a manner or routine.
It is the usual practice of employees there to wear neckties only when meeting with customers.
It is good practice to check each door and window before leaving.
Practice
Actual operation or experiment, in contrast to theory.
That may work in theory, but will it work in practice?
Practice
(legal) The form, manner, and order of conducting and carrying on suits and prosecutions through their various stages, according to the principles of law and the rules laid down by the courts.
This firm of solicitors is involved in family law practice.
Practice
Skilful or artful management; dexterity in contrivance or the use of means; stratagem; artifice.
Practice
(math) A easy and concise method of applying the rules of arithmetic to questions which occur in trade and business.
Practice
(US) practise
Practice
Frequently repeated or customary action; habitual performance; a succession of acts of a similar kind; usage; habit; custom; as, the practice of rising early; the practice of making regular entries of accounts; the practice of daily exercise.
A heart . . . exercised with covetous practices.
Practice
Customary or constant use; state of being used.
Obsolete words may be revived when they are more sounding or more significant than those in practice.
Practice
Skill or dexterity acquired by use; expertness.
Practice
Actual performance; application of knowledge; - opposed to theory.
There are two functions of the soul, - contemplation and practice.
There is a distinction, but no opposition, between theory and practice; each, to a certain extent, supposes the other; theory is dependent on practice; practice must have preceded theory.
Practice
Systematic exercise for instruction or discipline; as, the troops are called out for practice; she neglected practice in music.
Practice
Application of science to the wants of men; the exercise of any profession; professional business; as, the practice of medicine or law; a large or lucrative practice.
Practice is exercise of an art, or the application of a science in life, which application is itself an art.
Practice
Skillful or artful management; dexterity in contrivance or the use of means; art; stratagem; artifice; plot; - usually in a bad sense.
He sought to have that by practice which he could not by prayer.
Practice
A easy and concise method of applying the rules of arithmetic to questions which occur in trade and business.
Practice
The form, manner, and order of conducting and carrying on suits and prosecutions through their various stages, according to the principles of law and the rules laid down by the courts.
Practice
To do or perform frequently, customarily, or habitually; to make a practice of; as, to practice gaming.
Practice
To exercise, or follow, as a profession, trade, art, etc., as, to practice law or medicine.
Practice
To exercise one's self in, for instruction or improvement, or to acquire discipline or dexterity; as, to practice gunnery; to practice music.
Practice
To put into practice; to carry out; to act upon; to commit; to execute; to do.
As this advice ye practice or neglect.
Practice
To make use of; to employ.
In malice to this good knight's wife, I practiced Ubaldo and Ricardo to corrupt her.
Practice
To teach or accustom by practice; to train.
In church they are taught to love God; after church they are practiced to love their neighbor.
Practice
To perform certain acts frequently or customarily, either for instruction, profit, or amusement; as, to practice with the broadsword or with the rifle; to practice on the piano.
Practice
To learn by practice; to form a habit.
They shall practice how to live secure.
Practice first over yourself to reign.
Practice
To try artifices or stratagems.
He will practice against thee by poison.
Practice
To apply theoretical science or knowledge, esp. by way of experiment; to exercise or pursue an employment or profession, esp. that of medicine or of law.
[I am] little inclined to practice on others, and as little that others should practice on me.
Practice
A customary way of operation or behavior;
It is their practice to give annual raises
They changed their dietary pattern
Practice
Systematic training by multiple repetitions;
Practice makes perfect
Practice
Translating an idea into action;
A hard theory to put into practice
Differences between theory and praxis of communism
Practice
The exercise of a profession;
The practice of the law
I took over his practice when he retired
Practice
Knowledge of how something is usually done;
It is not the local practice to wear shorts to dinner
Practice
Learn by repetition;
We drilled French verbs every day
Pianists practice scales
Practice
Avail oneself to;
Apply a principle
Practice a religion
Use care when going down the stairs
Use your common sense
Practice non-violent resistance
Practice
Carry out or practice; as of jobs and professions;
Practice law
Practice
Engage in a rehearsal (of)
Common Curiosities
Can a procedure become a practice?
Yes, when a procedure is performed regularly and becomes habitual, it can be considered a practice.
What role does documentation play in procedures and practices?
Documentation is crucial in procedures to ensure all steps are clearly outlined and followed uniformly. In practices, while documentation may be less formal, it often records insights and adaptations.
What legal implications do procedures carry that practices do not?
Procedures often have legal implications, particularly in compliance-driven fields like healthcare and law, where deviation from established protocols can result in legal penalties.
What is the main difference between a procedure and a practice?
A procedure is a set of defined, formal steps for accomplishing a task, whereas a practice involves the regular application or exercise of an activity or profession.
How does practice contribute to professional development?
Practice helps in enhancing skills, efficiency, and proficiency in a profession, contributing to continuous personal and professional development.
Why is adherence to procedures important?
Adherence to procedures is crucial for ensuring consistency, safety, and compliance with legal and professional standards.
Can a practice be standardized like a procedure?
While practices can be guided by standard principles, they inherently allow for more personal discretion and adaptability than procedures, which are strictly standardized.
What is the impact of technology on procedures and practices?
Technology can streamline and enhance procedures for more accuracy and efficiency, and it can also introduce new practices or modify existing ones.
Are procedures only used in technical fields?
While often associated with technical, medical, or legal fields, procedures can be applicable in any area requiring precise, consistent outcomes.
How do educational settings utilize procedures and practices?
In education, procedures are used for administrative tasks and maintaining safety standards, while practices are applied in teaching methods to adapt to different learning styles.
How do practices evolve over time in professional fields?
Practices evolve through ongoing professional development, innovation, and the adaptation of new techniques or technologies.
How does the flexibility of a practice benefit professionals?
Flexibility in practice allows professionals to adapt to new information, situations, or technologies, thereby enhancing their effectiveness and responsiveness.
Can practices be ineffective, and what can be done to improve them?
Practices can become outdated or inefficient; continuous review, learning, and adaptation are essential to ensure they remain effective.
Why might a business prefer defined procedures over flexible practices?
Businesses may prefer procedures to ensure consistency, efficiency, and compliance, especially in quality control and customer service.
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Written by
Maham Liaqat
Co-written by
Fiza RafiqueFiza Rafique is a skilled content writer at AskDifference.com, where she meticulously refines and enhances written pieces. Drawing from her vast editorial expertise, Fiza ensures clarity, accuracy, and precision in every article. Passionate about language, she continually seeks to elevate the quality of content for readers worldwide.
