[dasmoth]

How do you define software quality? Just off the top of my head, I can think of:

* Defect rate (does it do what it's meant to do?)

* Does it do what the user wants? (not always the same as the above...)

* Is it pleasant and efficient to use (definitely not the same as either of the above).

* Is it developed in a way the management are comfortable with? (which often seems to lean towards sufficiently "under control", replaceable developers).

How do you balance these? The answer will be quite different depending on whether you're landing on Mars or writing a free-to-play game.

[mannykannot]

I think there is room for some balance. If not doing what the user wants is not part of the defect rate, then maybe you are not defining defects properly. According to the principle of the separation of concerns, management's other issues are best considered as non-quality constraints on the overall process. That leaves the user experience - but what user does not want a product that is pleasant and efficient to use, all else being equal? (But beginning, casual and experienced users have different ideas of what his means, so it is probably better to treat it as a separate concern.)