I agree. The temptation to roll over existing changes when inheriting a new codebase can be overwhelming at times, and the only sensible way that I've found to

I agree. The temptation to roll over existing changes when inheriting a new codebase can be overwhelming at times, and the only sensible way that I've found to deal with it is to consider the impact to the schedule and how that ties into the overarching business need for whatever it is that you're working on. Without a bit of discipline here, I've found that it's way too easy to start working on things that don't advance the project towards its overall goals.