"Hacker-style," doesn't mean completely abandoning all planning and thoughtfulness. It means rapid prototyping, sure, and (of course) constant refactoring, not

"Hacker-style," doesn't mean completely abandoning all planning and thoughtfulness. It means rapid prototyping, sure, and (of course) constant refactoring, not a constant deluge of slapdash quick fixes. What you inherited was a garden variety mess, possible from any poor practitioner of any school.