Is it possible that it was those tests and code in the TDD cycle that helped you realise you’d gone down the wrong path?
And if not, perhaps there was a preconceived idea of the code block and what it was going to do, rather than specifying the behaviour wanted via the RGR cycle. With a preconceived idea, with or without the tests, if that idea is wrong, you’ll hit the dead end and have to back track. Fortunately I find that even though I do sometimes find myself in this situation, quite often those tests can be repurposed fairly quickly rather than being chucked away, after all the tests are still software, and not hardware.
And if not, perhaps there was a preconceived idea of the code block and what it was going to do, rather than specifying the behaviour wanted via the RGR cycle. With a preconceived idea, with or without the tests, if that idea is wrong, you’ll hit the dead end and have to back track. Fortunately I find that even though I do sometimes find myself in this situation, quite often those tests can be repurposed fairly quickly rather than being chucked away, after all the tests are still software, and not hardware.