Implementing quality first and creating an environment that allows teams to build quality into their codebase from the start is crucial. Finding bugs early on can save significant costs, with the cost of a bug increasing exponentially as it's found later in the development cycle. One team's experience with automation and test-driven development helped them shift from manual testing to automated tests, including pre-commit tests that run before code is committed. By stabilizing these tests and showing their value to the team, they were able to reduce the risk of finding bugs in later cycles, resulting in significant cost savings and improved quality.