Thoughts on Work-Around’s Posted on This Site

The work-around’s that I develop for software I use (like Smartsheet) fall into several categories. These are subjective, my opinion, and can change over time or further development in the existing software or the third party tools employed.

• At Risk: The solution could be replaced by a modification to the software that seems to line up with the design of the software.

There is a definite cost vs benefit analysis that goes into whether I pursue a work-around. Things like how often the software is being updated, what direction of the development seems to be heading, and any rumors of possible updates that would impact the solution I am looking for.

• Vulnerable: The solution could be replaced by a modification to the software that seems to line up with the design of the software, but likely won’t.

Like all of these classifications, very subjective. This is a sub-group of the At Risk category, but of lesser likelihood. Perhaps the changes necessary appear from the outside to be harder, more of a niche improvement, or does not appear to be along the path the software is headed.

• Barrier: The solution leverages something else that would require a significant change and the work-around likely won’t become obsolete due to changes in the original software.

There is probably room for further classification, but at least getting an idea of what the life-cycle of the work-around may be helps me set priorities.

As always, thoughts and opinions welcome.