[commandlinefan]

> I find it frustrating when ... recognized by management as good.

... but you're not the one writing the checks, remember? Management is. They don't care about quality. They can't even define it, much less recognize it. They care about delivery dates. Delivery dates are easy to measure. So that's what matters.

> put the next person at a disadvantage

The first guy was at the same disadvantage - which was that he was under an unreasonable deadline that didn't leave enough time for quality improvements. So you expect him to sacrifice his reputation so that you don't have to sacrifice yours?

[JohnFen]

You're describing dysfunctional or bad management. Not all companies are like that.