Knowing when to go "quick and dirty"
We’ve all been in situations where we know the “correct” or “best” way to do something, but not had the time/money/energy to go that route. Instead, we look for something that will still get the job done, but may not be as clean…. The “quick and dirty” method.
While we generally want to avoid going quick and dirty (it is, after all, both quick… and dirty) there is an argument for it being useful. Our standards and best practices certainly exist for a reason; experience (ours or others) tells us the best way to move forward. There are, however, times when we are unable to follow best practice, or when following it would result in negative consequences. These are the times when using a quick and dirty solution can be beneficial.
Making a decision to essentially ignore best practice and go this route shouldn’t be taken lightly. You, and everyone you interact with, needs to understand the tradeoffs. Generally there’s a higher risk of error and the end product may not be as robust as it would be had you followed the proper channels. Getting buy in, or at least ensuring everyone knows what the tradeoffs are, is absolutely critical to this route. You could go it solo, however, eventually others will notice that it wasn’t quite done “right” and will start asking questions.
Generally the quick and dirty approaches also necessitate additional testing or oversight to ensure something critical wasn’t missed. This degree of oversight may not be required with the best practices route, but is here since you’re basically cutting corners (hopefully the right ones!). You’ll need to ensure you’ve got extra bandwidth or support to help minimize the risk of problems showing up.
This approach can definitely help get things done… at least if you keep a close eye on things and know what you’re doing. My best advice when choosing to go this route is to ensure everyone on the team is aware that you’re choosing it. This has a few advantages, including getting more eyes watching out for issues and helping explain any odd side effects.
The biggest takeaway is to ensure you’re making the “quick and dirty” decision for the right reasons and that everyone is aware of your choice. Ideally you’ll never need to use it, but if you do a bit of planning can help save the day.
