the workaround that was really a liability
the fastest fix on the call is rarely the right one.
a founder i know was on a support call with a frustrated paying customer. upgrade not recognized, a feature broken, a search bug returning nonsense. to unblock the customer on the spot, he granted them admin access. the customer could suddenly see every account in the system.
the customer was gracious and agreed not to touch anything. that is not the point. a workaround that hands one user the keys to your entire user base is not a workaround, it is a liability with good manners.
product debt surfaces at the worst possible moment, on a live call, with money already paid. the right answer was to fix the bug. the fast answer was to escalate permissions. under pressure, fast wins unless you have decided in advance that it cannot.
what is the workaround in your product right now that you would not want read back to you?
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