No time to document?

I have been getting comments recently that folks are just too busy to document what they do, and that their supervisors do not condone documentation. For those of you that have had your current supervisor tell you that they did not want you "wasting" time on documentation, my condolences. My advice - toss that resume into the pool and start looking for a better-managed environment.

Typically, though, my experience is that employees tend to say there is no time to document because in fact, they hate to document. They feel it is a waste of time because they feel the pressure of other work on them (real or imagined) or they just plain don't like it.

While I don't want a novelist instead of a programmer or an network engineer or administrator (because I have had employees who endlessly documented to avoid work), I - and I believe most managers would back me on this - would prefer you document your work without having to be told to do so (time and time again).

For every person that refuses to document, I can literally hear the howls of those that have to come behind you when you have been promoted/fired/left the organization and they have to pick up where you left off. Plain and simple, you need to document. It will serve you today and tomorrow and the person that has to come behind you will be grateful for your professionalism.