Misconceptions About Usability (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox)
This piece of advice would have saved my previous employer some time for sure...
Finally, usability can save time by helping you quickly settle arguments in the development team. Most projects waste countless staff hours as highly paid people sit in meetings and argue over what users might want or what they might do under various circumstances. Instead of debating, find out. It's faster, particularly because running a study requires only one team member's time.