How do you balance the need for tool customization with maintaining system integrity and performance?

I constantly look at the ROI and/or impacts of outcomes, and discuss those with the key stakeholders before moving forward with customization.

What I have found is that people often present solutions without fully understanding the solution's impact on the rest of the tech stack/other users. When you discuss next steps in a positive way, you can get to the problem that they're trying to solve and find a better way to solve it.

For example:

"I got your request to do a real-time refresh of XYZ data. Because of the amount of data that we have, a real-time refresh would drastically slow down the system and make it difficult for your team to do their day-to-day work. Can you walk me through the challenges that you're having with the current data? I want to understand because I'm sure there's a way we can address those challenges and get you what you need."

It's also key to make sure that your stakeholders know that you are their partner. You want to help them solve their challenges and make it easier for them to be successful in their jobs, and you demonstrate this on a regular basis.