In my previous agency life, this was something that I experienced as well. A short lived product that was due in less time than any sane dev would estimate. We all knew that we "should" write tests, but there just wasn't time. And in 6 weeks the project would be relegated to living in source control because the campaign was over.
It made hiring devs fun. Trying to explain to people why it was that way, and their insistence that software development doesn't work that way.
It made hiring devs fun. Trying to explain to people why it was that way, and their insistence that software development doesn't work that way.