While archaeological sites remain the primary focus of many CHM professionals, others research historical records or conduct ethnohistorical projects. Public disclosure also falls within its remit. A recent concept is Traditional Cultural Property (TCP). These are places of cultural importance to a group that may be neither particularly historic nor an archaeological site. An example would be a location used for contemporary Native American religious events that has no archaeological remains.

An assessment phase is considered important to assess the importance of a potential cultural heritage site. This may include a desk study, interviews with community informants, a wide area survey, or a test excavation. In North America, the survey typically involves scouring plowed fields on 5- to 10-meter transects or digging test pits with shovels at the same intervals. The soil from the test pits is sieved through 6 mm mesh to look for artifacts. If artifacts are found, the next stage of the investigation is usually to dig and sift a spaced grid of "test pits" (1 m by 1 m trenches) to determine how large or significant the site is.

In the United Kingdom and Canada, all forms of development, public and private, are subject to archaeological requirements, while in the United States this work can only be carried out on federally funded projects or on government-owned land, except in a few states that have laws that also apply to private land.

When archaeological requirements are applied to a proposed development site, if no significant archaeological or cultural property sites are found in the affected area, construction can continue as planned, often with the requirement that archaeologists be on site providing observation instructions. If potentially significant remains are found, construction could be delayed to allow evaluation of the site or sites found within the impacted area. This is done to determine the true meaning of the archaeological site. If archaeologists determine that the site contains important/significant cultural remains, adverse effects on the site must be mitigated. Site mitigation may involve avoiding the site by redesigning the development or excavating only a percentage of the site. In the United States, these restrictions affect any federal project that involves the potential disturbance of cultural resources and can also extend to state and private developments if they involve public waterways or federal funds.

If archaeologists determine that the site contains cultural remains of great importance, the adverse effects of development on the site must be mitigated through a structured program that is often lengthy and expensive. Mitigation can include preservation by registration, that is, the site is destroyed through archaeological excavation rather than development, and meticulous registration transfers physical traces in the land to information in archives. Mitigation also includes construction techniques that ensure that archaeological remains are protected in undisturbed parts "Disturbance (archaeology)") of the site or even beneath the development. An example of this type of mitigation is the Viking remains in York.

Important sites are designated as protected by the state so that no development can take place, and governments also recommend that the most important sites be recognized as World Heritage Sites.

The CHM has been a mixed blessing for archaeology. Conservation legislation has ensured that no valuable site is destroyed by unstudy construction, but the work of rescue archaeologists is sometimes controversial. Some academic archaeologists do not take archaeological salvage or rescue work seriously due to their emphasis on site identification and preservation rather than intensive study and analysis. When archeology is motivated by the proposed development, archaeological contracts are placed through a tender process. The choice of archaeological contractor generally falls to the developer and there is little incentive to prevent the company responsible for construction from selecting the bid with the lowest estimated price or shortest investigation time, regardless of the archaeological merits of the bids submitted.

The impact of archaeological rescue and salvage work has been considerable, given the large amount of construction and that most archaeological work in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom is led by developers. The large number of reports written about the thousands of sites excavated each year are not necessarily published in public forums. Sometimes it is difficult to access the so-called gray literature even for archaeologists outside the promoter or the CRM organization that carried out the work. Some initiatives, notably the UK Archaeological Data Service's OASIS Archived project, are beginning to make the reports available to everyone.

Curation refers to the long-term preservation and retention of heritage assets and providing access to them in a variety of ways. Fragile heritage assets may need to be preserved in a special environment, and protected from light (especially ultraviolet rays), humidity, temperature fluctuations and, in some cases, oxygen in the air. Large museums generally employ specialized curators, as well as educational officers, archivists and researchers.

Museums vary in their approach to interpretation, from traditional museums that display collections of artifacts behind glass, with labels identifying each item and giving its provenance, to living museums that attempt to recreate a historical place or period so that people can experience it.

Within a single museum, different approaches can be used, including interpretive panels, presenting artifacts in a realistic setting as they would have been experienced, and creating interactive and virtual exhibits. Museums also have processes for loaning artifacts to other institutions or exhibitions. Interpretive panels and other signs, such as blue plaques in the UK, are important in ensuring that cultural heritage is understood in the context of the local community.

Preservation and restoration generally refer to architectural or engineering heritage assets, such as heritage buildings or other structures and heritage railways. The United Kingdom has several different forms of protection for buildings and structures, including listed buildings "Classified Monument (UK)"), conservation areas and scheduled monuments. In France, a building or other structure can be protected as a historical monument. For the heritage management of a building to be successful, it is generally necessary for it to continue to be used, as disused buildings often deteriorate quickly. If the purpose for which the building was originally constructed is no longer viable, then other uses must be sought, often requiring appropriate modifications.

Heritage machinery, such as antique or vintage cars and heritage railways, can be better understood and better accessed and experienced by the public when it is in working condition. Furthermore, the heritage skills associated with such heritage assets, such as driving a steam locomotive, can only be maintained if the machinery is used. Therefore, restoration to a functional, although not original, state and the creation of exact functional replicas are part of the practice of heritage management.

Intangible cultural heritage is made up of traditional knowledge, beliefs, traditions, oral traditions, music, songs, dances, theater, etc. These cannot be stored in a museum, but are constantly reinterpreted by the people of a particular cultural region. Managing intangible cultural heritage is difficult because it requires taking into account the lives and living conditions of local communities. Some countries, such as India and members of the African Union, have recognized the importance of cultural resources and have established government departments to manage them.

While archaeological sites remain the primary focus of many CHM professionals, others research historical records or conduct ethnohistorical projects. Public disclosure also falls within its remit. A recent concept is Traditional Cultural Property (TCP). These are places of cultural importance to a group that may be neither particularly historic nor an archaeological site. An example would be a location used for contemporary Native American religious events that has no archaeological remains.

An assessment phase is considered important to assess the importance of a potential cultural heritage site. This may include a desk study, interviews with community informants, a wide area survey, or a test excavation. In North America, the survey typically involves scouring plowed fields on 5- to 10-meter transects or digging test pits with shovels at the same intervals. The soil from the test pits is sieved through 6 mm mesh to look for artifacts. If artifacts are found, the next stage of the investigation is usually to dig and sift a spaced grid of "test pits" (1 m by 1 m trenches) to determine how large or significant the site is.

In the United Kingdom and Canada, all forms of development, public and private, are subject to archaeological requirements, while in the United States this work can only be carried out on federally funded projects or on government-owned land, except in a few states that have laws that also apply to private land.

When archaeological requirements are applied to a proposed development site, if no significant archaeological or cultural property sites are found in the affected area, construction can continue as planned, often with the requirement that archaeologists be on site providing observation instructions. If potentially significant remains are found, construction could be delayed to allow evaluation of the site or sites found within the impacted area. This is done to determine the true meaning of the archaeological site. If archaeologists determine that the site contains important/significant cultural remains, adverse effects on the site must be mitigated. Site mitigation may involve avoiding the site by redesigning the development or excavating only a percentage of the site. In the United States, these restrictions affect any federal project that involves the potential disturbance of cultural resources and can also extend to state and private developments if they involve public waterways or federal funds.

If archaeologists determine that the site contains cultural remains of great importance, the adverse effects of development on the site must be mitigated through a structured program that is often lengthy and expensive. Mitigation can include preservation by registration, that is, the site is destroyed through archaeological excavation rather than development, and meticulous registration transfers physical traces in the land to information in archives. Mitigation also includes construction techniques that ensure that archaeological remains are protected in undisturbed parts "Disturbance (archaeology)") of the site or even beneath the development. An example of this type of mitigation is the Viking remains in York.

Important sites are designated as protected by the state so that no development can take place, and governments also recommend that the most important sites be recognized as World Heritage Sites.

The CHM has been a mixed blessing for archaeology. Conservation legislation has ensured that no valuable site is destroyed by unstudy construction, but the work of rescue archaeologists is sometimes controversial. Some academic archaeologists do not take archaeological salvage or rescue work seriously due to their emphasis on site identification and preservation rather than intensive study and analysis. When archeology is motivated by the proposed development, archaeological contracts are placed through a tender process. The choice of archaeological contractor generally falls to the developer and there is little incentive to prevent the company responsible for construction from selecting the bid with the lowest estimated price or shortest investigation time, regardless of the archaeological merits of the bids submitted.

The impact of archaeological rescue and salvage work has been considerable, given the large amount of construction and that most archaeological work in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom is led by developers. The large number of reports written about the thousands of sites excavated each year are not necessarily published in public forums. Sometimes it is difficult to access the so-called gray literature even for archaeologists outside the promoter or the CRM organization that carried out the work. Some initiatives, notably the UK Archaeological Data Service's OASIS Archived project, are beginning to make the reports available to everyone.

Curation refers to the long-term preservation and retention of heritage assets and providing access to them in a variety of ways. Fragile heritage assets may need to be preserved in a special environment, and protected from light (especially ultraviolet rays), humidity, temperature fluctuations and, in some cases, oxygen in the air. Large museums generally employ specialized curators, as well as educational officers, archivists and researchers.

Museums vary in their approach to interpretation, from traditional museums that display collections of artifacts behind glass, with labels identifying each item and giving its provenance, to living museums that attempt to recreate a historical place or period so that people can experience it.

Within a single museum, different approaches can be used, including interpretive panels, presenting artifacts in a realistic setting as they would have been experienced, and creating interactive and virtual exhibits. Museums also have processes for loaning artifacts to other institutions or exhibitions. Interpretive panels and other signs, such as blue plaques in the UK, are important in ensuring that cultural heritage is understood in the context of the local community.

Preservation and restoration generally refer to architectural or engineering heritage assets, such as heritage buildings or other structures and heritage railways. The United Kingdom has several different forms of protection for buildings and structures, including listed buildings "Classified Monument (UK)"), conservation areas and scheduled monuments. In France, a building or other structure can be protected as a historical monument. For the heritage management of a building to be successful, it is generally necessary for it to continue to be used, as disused buildings often deteriorate quickly. If the purpose for which the building was originally constructed is no longer viable, then other uses must be sought, often requiring appropriate modifications.

Heritage machinery, such as antique or vintage cars and heritage railways, can be better understood and better accessed and experienced by the public when it is in working condition. Furthermore, the heritage skills associated with such heritage assets, such as driving a steam locomotive, can only be maintained if the machinery is used. Therefore, restoration to a functional, although not original, state and the creation of exact functional replicas are part of the practice of heritage management.

Intangible cultural heritage is made up of traditional knowledge, beliefs, traditions, oral traditions, music, songs, dances, theater, etc. These cannot be stored in a museum, but are constantly reinterpreted by the people of a particular cultural region. Managing intangible cultural heritage is difficult because it requires taking into account the lives and living conditions of local communities. Some countries, such as India and members of the African Union, have recognized the importance of cultural resources and have established government departments to manage them.