Testing Is a Priority Decision, Not a Moral One

Automated tests are just another piece of software. They compete for the same time and attention as feature work, design tasks, bug fixes, and meetings. The real question isn’t “should I test?” but “what should I do first?” Answering that requires weighing the cost of inaction against the value of completion—and, crucially, comparing the value of acting now versus acting later.

Consider two concrete situations.

  • A bug stops users from editing their bio unless they already have an avatar.
  • Your checkout flow has zero test coverage.

The bug’s impact is limited: a handful of users with no avatar can’t update their bio. It’s an annoyance, not a catastrophe.

The checkout flow is different. Any future change to that code could silently break purchases, directly costing the seller money and wasting the buyer’s time. That’s a much higher cost of doing nothing.

So the order is clear: write the checkout tests first, then fix the avatar bug.

Context Changes the Answer

Now take another set of circumstances.

  • You’re a startup that hasn’t launched yet because the product isn’t feature-complete. Funds are running out.
  • You just wrote a small scroll-distance calculation for ArrowDown key navigation in a list, and you’re weighing whether to test it.

Skip the test. Ship the product and start selling. Every day without revenue burns money.

That said, if your client demos keep failing because engineers merge broken code, write one or two simple end-to-end tests covering the demo’s main user flows, and run them before every merge. A small test suite for the critical path beats an elaborate one for a utility function.

One More Angle

Suppose you’ve just finished a feature that lets users build playlists of favorite songs. You’re deciding whether to add tests. At the same time, you spotted a great font and editor theme on a live stream and want to ask the dev what they are.

Testing is never the only contender for your attention. It’s one option among many, and its priority depends entirely on the risks and rewards in front of you. Weigh the costs and benefits, and remember: good tests keep paying off long after they’re written.