Why is documentation so important? And if it is, why do so few of us do it?

Most of us are concerned with action. We have a task, a mission, a dream to fulfill. The work is urgent and the needs are enormous. Who has time to record how it began and how it developed, the twists and turns along the way, the lessons learned, the mistakes repented? Few of us do it and most of us regret it. Documentation is crucial!

We have so much to learn from our own histories and so much to discover about the histories of others. There are patterns which are only apparent from the long view, critical decisions that can only be understood in context, errors of judgment that can only be avoided if they are discerned. To say nothing of all the wonderful, radiant memories which will fade from our minds unless we write them down.