I know exactly what that line of code looks like.

It’s usually sitting inside a file named something innocuous, like utils.js or payment_helper.py. It has a comment above it, written by a developer who has probably left the company three years ago. The comment says:

// TODO: Remove this after the Black Friday sale. Temporary hardcode for speed.

That comment is dated November 2019.

I know this hurts because you are currently staring at that line of code. You didn't write it, but now you own it. The business has just asked you to launch a new Spring promotion, or change a tier of service, or expand into a new region. It should be a simple configuration change. A toggle. A database entry.

But it isn't. Because the logic is hardcoded. It is cemented into the foundation of the application.

To change the business logic, you have to rewrite the application logic. You have to explain to a non-technical manager why a "simple change" requires a full deployment cycle, regression testing, and three days of dev time.

You can see the look in their eyes. They think you are padding your estimates. They think you are lazy. They think the engineering team is "slow."

They don't understand that you aren't slow; you are chained.

This is the trap of the Temporary Fix. In the heat of the moment—usually with a deadline looming—we trade flexibility for speed. We say, "I'll just if/else this specifically for this client right now, and we'll build the proper abstraction engine later."

"Later" never comes.

The "Rosetta Stone" lesson here is simple but painful: A temporary fix is not a shortcut; it is a loan taken out against your future agility. And the interest rate is exorbitant.

When you hardcode logic, you aren't just writing bad code. You are creating a business constraint. You are deciding, effectively, that the business cannot change its mind without significant cost.

The mistake we make as engineers is trying to explain this to management using moralistic terms. We talk about "Clean Code," "Best Practices," or the dreaded "Technical Debt."

To a Suit, "Debt" sounds like something you can pay off later when you're rich. It sounds manageable. Financial debt is a tool, after all.

You need to change the vocabulary. You aren't dealing with debt; you are dealing with Rigidity.

When you discuss this with your manager, do not complain about the code being "ugly." They don't care. Instead, frame the conversation around Agility Options.

See the difference? The first one is a complaint about your quality of life. The second one is an offer to make them faster.

Hardcoding creates a dependency chain. The "Temporary Fix" becomes the load-bearing wall of your house. If you try to move it, the roof falls in.

So, this week, when you find that "temporary" hack from four years ago, don't just curse the developer who wrote it (even if it was you). Recognize it for what it is: A hidden tax on your team's velocity. And it’s time to stop paying the interest.

I know the anxiety that kicks in right about now. You are worried about explaining this complex strategy to management without their eyes glazing over. You’re wondering, "How do I frame this so they care?"

I’ve handled that heavy lifting for you.

I created a ready-to-use Executive Briefing Memo. It is explicitly formatted as a formal dispatch to "Leadership" from "Engineering Strategy."

If you are a subscriber, the link to the download will be at the end of this article. If you aren’t a subscriber, subscribing is free - https://www.digizenburg.com/subscribe

Download it, and when you need to explain it to the executives, you already have email done.

MEMORANDUM

TO: Leadership Team

FROM: Engineering Strategy

DATE: December 18, 2025

SUBJECT: Increasing Market Agility by Decoupling Logic from Code

Executive Summary

We have identified a bottleneck in our current release process that directly impacts our Time-to-Market for new business initiatives. Currently, several key business rules (pricing tiers, regional logic, promotional triggers) are "hardcoded" into the core application. This requires a full engineering deployment for minor business adjustments.

The Cost of Status Quo

Every time the business requires a minor adjustment to logic, we incur:

The Proposed Solution

We propose a strategic initiative to move "Temporary Logic" into a "Dynamic Configuration" layer.

Projected ROI

Action Required

We are allocating 15% of sprint capacity in Q1 to this decoupling effort. This will result in a temporary reduction in feature output, but will permanently reduce the "agility tax" we pay on every subsequent release.

Here is your schedule for the upcoming week.

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