Some people advocate always writing the best quality code you can, at all times: this is a nice goal, but sometimes management won't let you do it.
Well, the 'best code you can' isn't an absolute -- it depends opn the resources available, like time, ability to talk with other developers and availability of test systems (one of my co-workers had to do Automated Teller Systems testing on a Production machine, taking real money out of a real account, then hand it all in at the end of the day). Oh, and there's another thing -- interruptibility -- if you're trying to keep your head down on a development job, but you *also* have to do support, double or triple your schedule. Or even tell your manager you can't do it unless someone else covers your support duties.
Anyway, those are just a fwe things to think about.
Alex / talexb / Toronto
"Groklaw is the open-source mentality applied to legal research" ~ Linus Torvalds