[MartinCron]

I think the throughput you get of pumping out more code (without really testing it) may be a micro-optimization.

I only bring this up because I once worked at a place with a really strong, borderline omniscient, QA Department and I felt myself getting sloppy and checking in things that I knew were probably wrong, but I knew that QA would find it and tell me how it was wrong. It appeared to be optimal for me as a developer, I got lots of code pumped out, but as far as the whole organization or product, it was a net loss.

Subsequently, I've worked on a few projects with no dedicated QA people, and my overall "getting good software shipped to users in the real world" effectiveness hasn't decreased.