Perpetual Problem with Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda

When we look at back at something, let's be honest we all do this, and say I coulda have done this, or I woulda done this instead, or I shoulda done that, there's a problem if we let these thoughts go unchecked. The problem is we'll be stuck in a perpetual loop of regret.

Let's suppose we could go back in time and do X instead of Y. If we did X, then we'll say the same thing that I shoulda, coulda, or woulda done Z instead. Let's say you do Z, then we'll say same about A and B and so on.  But it's not just an neverending chain of things of we could have done. What about the neverending chain of events that would have been affected from the things we didn't do because we choose the alternative path?

Let's say we were able to do Y instead of X. How would it affect the world surrounding X if we didn't do X or maybe it would have affect W? 

It's maddening to think about it. So it's maddening to be stuck in a perpetual loop of woulda, coulda, shoulda.

Don't get me wrong. Reflecting on the past is good because it can help us learn from our past mistakes, grow from it, and help us move forward successfully. But if we're not careful, we end up dwelling on the past and fall into trap of endless rumination and perseveration. 

This is true with life, careers, and even documentation.

When we create documentation, though there should be fundamental questions to ask before you start, there are different ways to approach it. Different circumstances require different approaches. In those moments, sometimes, we just don't come at it the best way. I know I haven't many times throughout my career as a technical writer. There are times where I overlook something or didn't document the features as clear as I should have, especially when my knowledge was limited on a subject, or I didn't ask the SME the right questions, or both.

But rather than beating myself up in a loop of woulda, coulda, shoulda, I try to reflect on it and move on. Yes, it's hard to not go back and think I could have done something better. But if I did, it wouldn't be the documentation that it is. And if I could go back, I would probably make the content worse in some ways because of whatever unforseen factors. 

The fundamental flaw with wishing to time travel is we assume we're going to make it better. How do know if we will improve the past? What if we make it worse if we didn't let history play out as it did? What lessons would we fail to learn?

I'm not much of a fan of time travelling stuff or even some alternate history because of this flawed thinking. But I do enjoy the JRPG "Chrono Trigger" and liked PKD's novel "The Man in the High Castle" and still have a couple of Harry Turtledove's novels to read. Beyond that, I have no interest. 

Of course, I'm assuming the worst but it's the flip side of assuming the best. In either case, they're unproven assumptions, so it's fruitless to dwell on woulda, coulda, or shoulda.  The movie "It's a Wonderful Life" shows the downside of this kind of thinking when taken to its extreme. Though it's become cliché, the message is still powerful there. Besides, clichés wouldn't exist if they weren't effective with our psyche. 

The past is there to learn from, even with documentation, so we can move forward into the future. To yearn that we wish we could somehow change the past is a waste of one of the most precious gifts that God has given us: life and time. It will eat away at your soul if you do, where you can't see what's in front of you.

Unlike real life, the beauty of documentation is it can be changed. We can improve it by learning from our past mistakes and continue to improve it in the future.

So rather than pining away about the past or fretting about a future we can't control, let's focus on living in the present. Let's take each day and document at a time. I'm not saying this from a high holy horse. I'm telling myself this as well. I struggle with living in the present but I want to. Let's heed what Jesus said about this. For if we do, we'll have peace and know how to move forward, regardless of our circumstances, even if they're crappy right now.

Matthew 6:25-34 KJV

[25] Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? [26] Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? [27] Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? [28] And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: [29] and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. [30] Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? [31] Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? [32] (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. [33] But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. [34] Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

When you don't have all the pieces

When you create documentation, there are three fundamental questions you need to ask.

1. What is the thing you're trying to document?

2. What kind of document are you writing?

3. Who is the audience for this document?

If you get answers to these questions and find the key Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), you're on your way to creating good documentation. But let's be honest with ourselves, even with this information, there's a good chance that you'll still have missing pieces. What do you do then? 

If you're in a circumstance, where you can test the product, say software or API calls, then you can probably fill some of the missing information. But not all technical writing circumstances are the same. Sometimes, we're detached from the subject we're writing about because we're not able to test a product. Going on a limb here, say nuclear technology. It doesn't have to be this extreme. But it could be just simply no way of testing out your subject or product. So what do you then?

One thing you can do is be persistent. As you talk to the SMEs, ask your questions along the lines of the fundamental questions you've asked initially. When SMEs are stumped from your questions, you can ask them who would know. They might direct you to another point of contact or get back to you if they need to dig into this. In any case, finding the missing information for a documentation isn't impossible. It just requires persistent. 

The worst that can happen with documentation, is that you can't write it, because the information doesn't exist and maybe the subject just a concept for now. And that's a planning issue beyond the scope of your responsibilities. Aside from this, if you're persistent you can find the missing information.

It reminds of the game Chrono Trigger with mysterious gray chests scattered throughout in different places and time. When you try open them, it would play a song and a dialog box tells you a mysterious force is keeping it locked. You can still play the game but it seems like something's missing when you can't open these chests. These chests stay locked until you charge up Marle's perdant and that's when you can open these mysterious chests.  

Like the way you need to charge up Marle's pendant to unlock these chests, you just need to find that piece of information or point of contact that help links the missing pieces together. Creating documents can be an interesting quest.