Quiz Entry - updated: 2026.09.25
How do the "Mea culpa" and "Rush job" dilemmas differ?
Mea culpa: a product with missing features or known bugs is released early because of market or contract pressure. Rush job: code that works but is of poor quality, with little justification or documentation, is delivered because of poor morale or pressure to deliver.
| Mea culpa | Rush job | |
|---|---|---|
| What ships | Product with known bugs or missing functions | Working code of poor quality, barely documented |
| Driver | Beat a competitor, meet a contract date (possibly with a penalty clause) | Poor work morale or felt pressure to deliver |
| Consequences | Unhappy customers, bad reputation, lost sales, bankruptcy, even criminal prosecution of employees | Hidden quality debt |
"Mea culpa" (Latin: my fault) is named after the apology that follows. Both map to the imperative to strive for the highest quality in process and product, which Berenbach and Broy criticise as too broad to recognise when it applies in routine work.