Finger Positioning

Are there any general principles, best practices, or guidelines for moving around the fretboard?

An example of what I am talking about: over the holidays, I made an attempt at Infant Holy (the Steve Smith tab available here: www.dulcimertab.com ), and there is a DAD chord progression in the middle that goes 3-1-0, 1-2-1, 2-1-0 2-1-3, 2-1-2, 1-0-1. As I practiced that I kept thinking, there must be an easier way to do this so that the finger position for each chord sets you up for and allows you to easily move into the next chord. But I haven't figured it out yet.

My question isn't specific to this one song. Rather, as I consider a tab that is new to me, how to I plan out where I will be placing my fingers for the smoothest sound?