When programming fails it could be that the no touch code is not complete or the uart is not setup properly. In that case there is no way to reconnect to the processor anymore.
1) NoTouch was never intended for 'development' but for 'update by customer' Once your development is complete, the concerns you bring up should be irrelevant.
2) a 'factory freash' chip arrives in ISP mode, no pulses or other means is needed to program it
3) when using NoTouch for development, also include 'the backdoor'. Of course this requires that the first upload (from 'factory fresh') is succesful. Quite a few use NoTouch/TheBackdoor for development.
4) I would have a few "easy cuts" on the PCB so, in case of several failures, an external jig could be made to switch Vdd and pulse reset.
Erik