For all those claiming to focus on the generation of business value in the absence of knowing the cost to produce that value, please make sure you read any financial management book you have near by,
In the absence of a cost, the return on any work cannot be determined. If you're choosing not to estimate the cost of your work before starting, you're just spending the customers money until they tell you to stop.
As suggested by colleague this (idea) is so patently obvious that if people refuse to understand this foundational managerial finance principle, no further conversation can take place.