Describe a time when you had to sacrifice quality on a project or deliverable.

The STAR Method works well for this question. Describe the situation, the details of what needed to be done, and the actions you took. Finally, let your interviewer know how the situation was resolved and include any positive outcomes.

"I believe in performing at a high level at all times, so sacrificing quality is something I try to avoid at all costs. However, there are times when difficult choices must be made. For example, I worked on a dashboard project last month that was running behind. We knew we had to release the solution without all of the features that were originally in scope. I worked with my fellow engineers to assess the feature list and separate the must-haves from the features that could be included in a follow-up release. Of course, we included anything that had an effect on human safety as a top priority. After that, we elected to include the items that added the most value to our user base given the time we had left.

Ultimately, our client was happy with the initial release. They appreciated the way our revised plan reflected a deep understanding of their business and values."

"I worked on a landing systems project last year and the budget changed mid-way through the development process. It became clear that we needed to identify a way to save costs on materials. I worked with the engineers on my team to identify opportunities to save that sacrificed quality, while ensuring human safety.

We were able to develop a design that met the original requirements while remaining within our revised budget. Our client knew that the system would ultimately need more frequent maintenance and parts replacement, but they understood the tradeoff and were happy with the result."