Is there a term/pithy law that represents the idea that the time it takes for an automated process to run, changes the way a developer works?

I read about the Observe Orient Decide Act loop ages ago, I'm not sure its "pithy" but it's something people recognise as a real issue in the way people get stuff done.

The idea is that in a dogfight (with planes, like topgun) each pilot is observing what the other is doing and altering their manoeuvre accordingly. The two pilots make up a feedback loop.

If you are completing this loop slower than your opponent then you are losing the fight. You are reacting to what they did, not what they are doing and they are always one step ahead.

eg, I merge with baron von richthofen and see he is about to enter a two circle fight, to counter this I start a high yo-yo. But he sees this and switches! I don't notice and continue my long high yo-yo manoeuvre, but coming out of the turn I find him on my six! He has completed two OODA loops to my one.

Applied to build and test times you can see that if it takes a long time to get feedback on the change you just made, the entire process is slowed down, not just because you are waiting that time, but because knowing you have that lag forces you to commit to larger changes and hence make larger mistakes.

If I can compile and test in half the time I can do the same change, in the same time. But in two parts, allowing corrections after the first change.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OODAloop

The effect that people change they way of working depending on the available tools and their capability is far from being specific to software engineering, hence I am not sure whether your question really belongs to this SE site. The best term I could find describing this is

Technology acceptance model, see Wikipedia.

This is a term from information technology, though I guess the effect is not restricted to this and could be applied to any kind of working processes which utilize different technologies.

If, however, this term will be of any practical value for you is something you have to decide for yourself.