Automated _unit_ tests cost two or three times as much time, sure. That doesn't mean don't use automated tests, it means don't use unit tests. Use integration t

Automated _unit_ tests cost two or three times as much time, sure. That doesn't mean don't use automated tests, it means don't use unit tests. Use integration tests instead. Not only do they provide much better coverage (you're testing all the code from top to bottom, each module in the context in which it is actually used), but they are also far cheaper.