Workaround

A workaround is a concept that describes a short-term or temporary solution to a problem. Often the software development lifecycle for a product is very short and the development team may face many critical issues if the project of a similar nature has not been undertaken in the past by the organization. Under such circumstances, the project manager is expected to generate or formulate a workaround as a solution unless the team can concentrate on the exact solution.

A workaround offers a temporary solutions so that developers can focus on other (more important) tasks. The developers must ensure that appropriate effort is undertaken to identify the problem and determine the effectiveness of the workaround at a later stage.

The problem associated with workarounds is when they are not flexible enough to meet future demands and pressures. There is a fine line between a workaround to meet a deadline, and taking shortcuts on code quality. Many developers would argue that workarounds are really just an excuse for improper business goals and fast-tracked development schedules and could be avoided if there were proper planning.