[bumby]

Chesterson's fence isn't saying that the fence/test isn't necessary. It's saying you need to take the time to understand the broader context rather than take a knee-jerk assumption. To be more clear, just because developers don't see the need for better testing, doesn't mean more testing isn't needed. But it may indicate the VP didn't doing a good job of relating why, which leads to the gamesmanship shown in the story.

Schedule isn't always the most important thing either. It's possible delivery the software may just mean you've been rolling the dice and getting lucky. The Boeing 737MAX scenario gives a concrete example of where delivery was paramount. It's a cognitive bias to assume that "since nothing bad has happened yet, it must mean it's good practice"