**Abstract**

The number of data science and big data projects is growing, and current software development approaches are challenged to support and contribute to the success and frequency of these projects. Much has been researched on how data science algorithm is used and the benefits of big data, but very little has been written about what best practices can be leveraged to accelerate and effectively deliver data science and big data projects. Big data characteristics such as volume, variety, velocity, and veracity complicate these projects. The proliferation of open-source technologies available to data scientists can also complicate the landscape. With the increase in data science and big data projects, organizations are struggling to deliver successfully. This paper addresses the data science and big data project process, the gaps in the process, best practices, and how these best practices are being applied in Python, one of the common data science open-source programming languages.

**Keywords:** Python, big data, data science process, best practices, open source
