A kludge or kluge is a workaround or quick-and-dirty solution that is clumsy, inelegant, inefficient, difficult to extend, and hard to maintain. This term is used in diverse fields such as computer science, aerospace engineering, Internet slang, evolutionary neuroscience, animation and government. It is similar in meaning to the naval term jury rig.
Part of the Miles Glacier Bridge, with a "kludge" (temporary fix) to make the bridge usable after earthquake damage.
A workaround is a bypass of a recognized problem or limitation in a system or policy. A workaround is typically a temporary fix that implies that a genuine solution to the problem is needed. But workarounds are frequently as creative as true solutions, involving outside the box thinking in their creation.
Part of the Miles Glacier Bridge, with a temporary repair after a 1964 March earthquake which was finally repaired in 2004 July.