The English love their words. I was sitting in an introduction to project execution requirement for quality management and just realised that every bit of the process is dotted with documentation.
There's a tracker/database of some form with x amount of detail which needed input. At the same time, there's a document to document this input. I appreciate that leaving a legacy behind is important for the future but I believe there can be an overkill and a danger of counter-productivity setting in. In the world of project managemenet, there's a level of extrovertism and constant interaction and influencing which requires a fair amount of effort and time. Then I wonder how there can be an equal amount of exertion and time for quiet introspection and conscientious concentration to put thought to paper.
My manager is required to have strategic thought and provide direction - she is someone who will get down to the level of detail and have regular contacts with the team to influence this direction. Which leaves her very little time to document every step of the way. However unlike back home, you don't see most managers with personal PA's or data entry clerks to manage the input of that amount of data. Malaysia I believe we have at least 2 admin to every 5 people in the team or I could be wrong.
Nevertheless, I appreciate that documentation is so very important. As a personal example, I find myself marvelling at how much forethought had been put in my collating my personal references which enabled me to document my personal skill inventory for my CV. This was a direct result from advice from teachers and seniors who've had enough experience to do so. When I left those jobs, it was fairly easy to forget to do this but fortunately I was left with something to start from. I guess with this, we have a lot to learn from the English
