"Quick 'n Dirty" vs. "Correct and Proper"?

A not-so Anonymous Coward enters this query: "I keep finding myself on projects where a quick and dirty solution will bring in money for the company, and a correct (ie, properly documented, well engineered, process followed, etc) solution will get us left in the dust. When the Q&D solution succeeds, I'm left trying to explain why it can't be the FINAL solution (to PHBs and Marketroids that were fully informed of the situation prior to any work getting done). Most recently, work I did in record time was used to help bring in several large contracts, and then I found myself in hot water for not having followed process et al. So, to Slashdot: is it better to do the quick thing and greatly increase the chance of $uccess now, or to do the correct thing and avoid pain later (assuming there is money to pay for the pain later)?"

Comments

Re:It's like sex...

[jawtheshark]

Correct and proper, like wooing a nice and attractive young lady, takes time, hard work, and if it works out, leads to something wonderful and long-lasting.

Considering the fact that that all your efforts are usually vain. Even if you still believe in love and think you found the one. Don't be fooled, the bitch will drop you.... coldhearted...

So give me the fuck with no responsibility, because the girl you want will dump you anyway.... What are you more proud of to tell to your mom: that you have a healthy sex life or that a girl broke your heart. I'll take the first one any day.

Re:Not necessarily a dichotomy

[shoeless_barney]

Bottom line, IT just has to get back to delivering solutions in a timely manner. You don't need 20,000,000 worth of tools to do it, or a team of 50. Just determination, backed by a little pride. Most of the time, business users ask IT for a "Drink of Water", we tend to want to build them "Water Treatment Plants". By the time the plant gets close, the business users died of thirst.