Coders often enjoy the creative aspects of building software but find extensive post-project documentation tedious and prefer to move rapidly to new work. Spending prolonged time documenting every aspect and rationale is perceived as an annoying chore, so given the chance developers typically avoid it. Developers also view documentation as a threat to income and leverage: absent actionable documentation, managers hesitate to lay off knowledgeable staff, and departed coders can secure profitable consulting gigs to resolve undocumented problems. The practice of avoiding documentation parallels generative AI testing problems, fueled by senior managers' lack of self-awareness about how they frame these demands.
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.
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