no-workarounds

Root cause analysis identifies whether a bug fix resolves the underlying defect or merely patches the symptom. Look for type assertions, lint suppressions, swallowed errors, timing hacks, and monkey patches, which are common indicators of workaround-driven fixes that mask deeper software issues.

A workaround in software engineering is a temporary patch, such as defensive duplication or broad catch blocks, that hides a defect instead of fixing why it exists. Workarounds create technical debt when they silence real error signals and lead to fragile code and repeated incidents.

Code review for workarounds involves flagging symptom patches like copy-paste adaptations, broad catch blocks, and defensive duplication that silence real signals. Enforce root-cause analysis to reject these patches and ensure durable architectural solutions instead of fragile hacks.

Documented escape valves for monkey patches, timing hacks, and error swallowing are acceptable only when an isolated, explicitly justified exception is required. Without strict documentation, these workarounds hide root causes and compound technical debt instead of providing durable software fixes.

Test failures recur after debugging when workarounds like type assertions or error swallowing hide the root cause instead of resolving it. Without eliminating the underlying defect through root-cause analysis, the symptom patches fail under new conditions and trigger repeated incidents.