First, it is the antithesis of fun. Coders often enjoy the creative elements of coding, but once they’re done, they want to move on to the next project. Focusing on the last one for a long time to document every aspect and explain every rationale is an annoying chore. Given a choice to avoid doing it, they will do so with alacrity.
Secondly, there’s the self-preservation aspect. Developers know if there is no actionable documentation, managers will be hesitant to fire or lay off that person because they might need them later. And speaking of needing them later, if a coder has left the company, they’re well lined up for a profitable consulting gig to solve the problem. Doing the detailed documentation work makes that little gig less likely.
In case you haven’t yet noticed, this age-old documentation issue shares a key trait with generative AI (genAI) testing issues — an impressive level of lack of self-awareness among senior managers about how they present these issues to their people.
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