>>How much is TOO much?
>>
>>I got requested to make some changes on one of our systems - about 40-50 hours worth of work. I was handed a document with screen mockups and all that - I was pretty happy I didn't have to come up with that myself. First, I have to spend 3 days creating an actual proposal to make the changes. Then I have to spend several days going over the documentation given to me. To top it off, I was just told I need to create another document with all the changes I am going to make to the application. When I asked how that different from the document that was originally given to me, I was told to use the screenshots from that document, but add more details and pretty much specify where I am making the coding changes, and what I was changing it to. So after about 40-50 hours which was the original estimate, I am still drowning in documentation and haven't even got to touch the code yet. The changes are something that could have been covered by 30 minutes of conversation.
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>>Is this normal? At what point does a project manager need to back off and trust the developer?
>>
>>On a related note, would it be a good idea to shred every single piece of this documentation, throw it in my boss's cubicle, and walk out?
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>If you have alternative employment, I'd go with your last idea.
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>I've been contracted be several companies that told me up front that they required documentation nearly as much as what you are describing. None of them actually did that in reality. Not even close.
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>At my current contract here with the State of Kansas working on the worst system in history, they have some people who bury whatever they are supposed to do with documentation. They don't actually do anything past that - just add layers of BS.
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>They tried to get me to do that as well, and so the first time I started to do it, I immediately documented my estimate of 7 weeks at my contract rate for documenting changes that would take an estimated 3 days to do. The program changes needed to be done in a week.
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>I wasn't asked to do that kind of documentation again.

I am not against documentation and I think it's a good thing, but you have to be smart about it. Why document a system and just throw the file in a folder somewhere? If you document something, you should have a system in place to review the documentation to make sure it's up to date - otherwise all you have is documentation you don't quite feel confident with.

I am so sick of this crap. Too bad it's a full time job - not a contract.