I have been programming for a couple of years and have often found myself at a dilemma.

There are two solutions -

• one is simple one i.e. simple approach, easier to understand and maintain. It involves some redundancy, some extra work (extra IO, extra processing) and therefore is not the most optimal solution.
• but other uses a complex approach,difficult to implement, often involving interaction between lot of modules and is a performance efficient solution.

Which solution should I strive for when I do not have hard performance SLA to meet and even the simple solution can meet the performance SLA? I have felt disdain among my fellow developers for simple solution.

Is it good practice to come up with most optimal complex solution if your performance SLA can be met by a simple solution?