The model
Workarounds move through four recognizable states: improvised, documented, depended upon and defended. Each step adds users and switching costs. The ladder prompts a decision while the arrangement can still be changed without becoming a major transformation program.
- 01Improvised
- 02Documented
- 03Depended upon
- 04Defended
In practice
A spreadsheet bridges two systems for a fortnight. Six months later it produces the only complete operational view, and the author has become its unofficial support desk. Calling it interim no longer describes the dependency.
