Any IT worker has experienced this situation: “Let’s deploy Widgets ABC as a temporary solution. When we have time, we will fix/develop/procure/correct it and do it right, it will be OK“.
And we all know it will never happen. Or, actually, it will. Next time it breaks, or next time we need to make an update (which will happen precisely at the same time of another crisis, so we won’t have time to do it right that time either). There is a reason why duct tape is so popular, right?
What have you noticed about temporary solutions?
Here are a few points I can think of:
- They are applied with agreement from management –either implicit or explicit
- Everybody knows we won’t fix it until it breaks again –an we all agree to that
- They last three years (This is what I call the Andres Vivas rule of Temporary solutions)
- They get deployed at the last minute, just when the deadline is here, so we use that as justification of why we had to do it
- We won’t document it, do next time it breaks we will have to sit down and think, trying to remember why and how we deployed it –and that is IF the same staff is still there three years after it was deployed, otherwise the newer staff will have to guess and then think that the people that were there before them were not competent at all
What else have you noticed about Temporary Solutions?
I am sure that better planning should minimize these situations, but how can we avoid these situations completely? Any ideas?
Meanwhile, as a temporary solution, I will leave the discussion open, I’ll come back to revisit this topic when I have more time.
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Hi Andres,
Sometimes temporary solutions are the best way to go. Patching up wounds on the battlefield as in Band of Brothers comes to mind as an example of this. In IT, there are times when a new login page just needs to go up on the website today. However, more times than not, “emergency need” is used as justification.
More often than not, proactive management/leadership at the program and CIO levels will greatly reduce the need for duct tape.
Alec
Temporary solutions are generally the result of seat of the pants management with little no long strategic term planning, or should I say, Now Managment.
But, think of temp workers? They are a temporary solution to meeting business needs due to unprecedented growth, meeting immediate needs to ramp up a job say for a new contract win or if there is a decline in human resources within an organization, so that business can go on. Hence, the temporary solution fills a gap, sometimes not previously foreseen or anticipated.
Alice
@Alec
You are absolutely right, sometimes patching-and-go is the way to go. I think I am concerned with it being a Standard Operative Procedure, instead of being used as what it is, a once-in-a-blue-moon event.
@Alice
Thanks. You raised valid points. Again, my point goes towards making sure they are not the usual way of doing things.
About temp workers, are they the answer to an unexpected situation, or just a cyclical event that management have failed in recognize? If we notice that every March there is an emergency then it is time to start analyzing the events that occur around that date. But that is probably part of Problem Management, and that is a whole new topic.
Its right..,sometimes temporary solutions are the best way to fixed some problems..,but the best way that we are going to do is have plan for it so we can avoid the problem..,
Temporary solutions can help but its only for short term basis only and may have a little risks in the future. In order to eliminate those problems completely all we need is a well planned, long term and permanent solutions.