We've Got a Workaround for That

Mike Barksdale -

Whenever I hear the term workaround, the cynic inside of me raises an eyebrow and sternly asks Come again?

(And when I say workaround, I mean a one or more steps that are used to achieve a result because the original intended usage of a system or application is either not adequate or does not function properly.)

It's a subject of particular interest to me because I love solving problems, especially problems with interesting constraints, such as a limited budget or a reliance on an obscure piece of technology. However, when someone says We have a workaround for this, I immediately feel a strange sense of loss. I can't really explain it. I immediately want to respond: Let me hear more about it to make sure we haven't unintentionally created more problems.

After sitting down with many users over many years, I've come to find that workarounds all have one thing in common:

Someone was faced with a problem they needed to solve in order to do their job and, guess what, it worked.

Now, the definition of worked can be debated; however, can you really blame someone for simply wanting to do their job?

Now, different pressures may arise that impact exactly why a workaround was born. There could be technical constraints, business pressures, resource contention, or simply good old fashioned human creativity.

Regardless of the reason, there's an opportunity to be had: an analysis as to why the workaround exists and what improvements can be made in order to reduce the complexity, the cost, and/or the frustration the workaround presents.

Analyzing Why the Workaround Exists

Breaking down a problem into smaller pieces is human nature: it's simply easier to look at many small parts and put the pieces back together to have a better understanding of the big picture. I won't walk through a full DMAIC process -- a bit overkill for a brief discussion as this one -- but the concepts here are very similar. This activity will include individuals from both the business and technical disciplines to achieve the desired outcome.

When doing any analysis, the key point to identify up front is the objective: what is the output of the workaround and why is it needed? You may find that the workaround is an urban legend, I was told that if I don't move the widgets from file A to file B at 9:15am each morning that another cat will never make it as a YouTube star. In other cases, the workaround may have evolved from a simple, undocumented process that has grown to become the vital linchpin within the company.

Once the urban legend is dispelled (or the linchpin discovered) and you have a solid basis for what the output must be, it's time to dig into the details. This will vary from company to company, application to application, but the goal is to really identify what's being used and why it's being used that way. It's not uncommon to find steps or procedures that are superfluous, especially if the workaround has been around for many years.

Ok, So What Now?

We know that the result of the workaround is important and have walked through the steps that are taken to achieve the result. Now it's time to take the information that's been gathered and address the frustration.

If it makes sense for your organization, a cost benefit analysis to see if eliminating -- or just simply improving -- the workaround may be a good option. All other metrics aside, it really boils down to the following:

  • What is the cost of implementing a solution to the workaround? The solution can be an elimination of the workaround or an improvement. If there are more than one, weigh them all.
  • What is it workaround costing you now in time, widgets, and/or quality of life?
  • What reduction in time, widgets, and/or quality of life will any of the solutions provide?

Hopefully, a solution stands out above the rest. If so, that's great! The theory is done, but now the work has to actually get done (allocate some resources, implement your solution, etc.). If one doesn't stand out (or the math simply doesn't make sense), it's fine to go through that analysis phase again or simply choose another workaround.

Let's look at a quick, very simplified example. Let's say you have a workaround that costs you 20 widgets in time, resources, and frustration a month. You engage with your technology team and determine there are a couple of options that are available to you:

  • Option A costs 10 widgets and will save you 10
  • Option B costs 30 widgets and will save you 15
  • Option C costs 100 widgets and will save you 0

Option C is thrown out, because you'll simply spend 100 widgets for no improvement. Option A sees your collective cost go down to 10 widgets and only costs 10 widgets to implement, so in a couple of months, you'll already see a benefit. Finally, Option B costs a little more up front, but reduces your monthly widget cost to 5.

Option A or Option B both seem like viable options in a simplified example and they both provide a measure of ROI. You'll have to talk through additional constraints and realities to come to a real conclusion as to whether or not a solution for the workaround is right for you.

Parting Thoughts

Workarounds exist for a variety of reasons and come in all shapes and sizes. It's a problem with the same characteristics that all problems have: they're waiting to be solved. In some cases, a workaround may be a necessity -- there are only so many hours in the day and so many widgets available to expend. But in my experience, technology professionals love solving problems and some are wired to find workarounds for any problem they face in the course of their job.

Reach out, engage, and collaborate in order to address the frustrations that you encounter. An open discourse on the issue may lead to positive results. Whether on the business or technology side, the more information you have about the workaround to bring to the discussion, the more productive that initial conversation will be.

Technology teams are getting better, faster, and leaner. In an organization with high trust and confident teams, there will be less friction in getting the workarounds resolved.

And remember: no matter how many widgets may be needed to resolve an issue, eliminating someone's day-to-day frustration is priceless.