Last week the Eclipse Process Framework project released a new version of their tooling and processes. EPF is basically a tool to build a process web site with, as well as open source versions of popular processes like OpenUP (RUP), Scrum and XP.
With the new release EPF also provides a collection of "practices". The published EPF Practices web site describes them really well. This follows the latest practices developments on how to adopt new process ideas and improvements. Instead of adopting to one big process like RUP there are several isolated building blocks: practices. These practices are much smaller and more specialized, and thus easier to adopt. The practices are tuned to work together, as you pick up more of them you get some extra synergy.
Using practices, you can adopt iteratively, one step at a time. You can select the practices that target actual problems in your current process, making the benefit direct and more visible. The practices approach really isn't that new. Kent Beck used it for XP in 1996, and I am sure someone else did before him. The IBMs and Ivar Jacobsons are picking up this trend recently as well, so in the RUP space, expect a lot more talk and new products involving practices in the nearby future.