To manage retry counts on task failure, particularly in the context of software development and process automation, there are several strategies and best practices you can adopt. Here are some key points to consider:

1. Retry Logic: Implementing retry logic in your code or workflow is crucial. This involves specifying how many times a task should be retried upon failure and the interval between each retry.

2. Exponential Backoff: This strategy involves increasing the waiting time between each retry exponentially. It helps in reducing the load on the system and can prevent further failures caused by overwhelming the system or an external service.

3. Circuit Breaker Pattern: This pattern prevents an application from performing an operation that’s likely to fail. If failures reach a certain threshold, the circuit breaker “trips”, and further attempts are blocked for a predetermined time.

4. Error Handling: Proper error handling is important. Log the failures and the reasons for them. This can help in understanding whether the issue is transient or persistent, guiding the decision on whether to retry.

5. Maximum Retries: Set a maximum number of retries to avoid infinite loops. This number can be determined based on the nature of the task and its criticality.

6. Alerts and Monitoring: Implement monitoring and alerting mechanisms to notify relevant personnel when a task fails repeatedly. This enables quick intervention to resolve the underlying issue.

7. Graceful Degradation: In some cases, if a task continues to fail, consider implementing a graceful degradation strategy where the system continues to operate in a reduced capacity instead of complete failure.

8. Dependency Checks: Before retrying, check if all the necessary conditions and dependencies are met. This can prevent retries in scenarios where they are destined to fail.

9. Context-Aware Retries: The retry strategy should be context-aware. For example, network-related errors might be transient and suited for retries, whereas a configuration error might require a different approach.

10. Rate Limiting and Throttling: Be mindful of rate limits of external services. Implementing throttling can prevent hitting these limits, which might be the cause of initial failures.

Remember, the specifics of implementing these strategies will depend on the technology stack you are using and the nature of the tasks you are dealing with.