Work fragmented my brain so much as I am into so many things at one time and I am sure a lot of us feel like this. This comment makes me think on how to actually do that and how much time and efficiency this would cost. Nevertheless there is truth in it. How do you manage this?
Not OP, but that's how I do it (non-software stuff, but tech documentation is complex for any product, and if it is not there is no real problem):
- get someone on the team to give an introduction to get some basic knowledge of the system in question, where to find things and what portion of the system affects you
- read the documents relevant as per the previous point
- read cited documents
- start working, and look up stuff everytime you have to, dig as deep as possible
- unless you are 100% sure about something, look it up
- rinse and repeat, that grows your knowledge from immediately relevant stuff, to related stuff to general knowledge of the system
- ask question, always, be curious, listen, read and ask questions
It is a team sport, you don't have to know everything, master your stuff, and your interfaces with others (functions, sub-systems, teams and people, get a solid understabning of the overall system and relly on other like you for there parts.
Going alone, based on gut feeling and assumptions is not something I'd advice.
Maybe hyperbole, because reading the docs front to end is what I do. Starting with the ones identified as immediately important and taking it from there. Nobody said this is to be done in one session so, it takes time (I am currently in month 6 of such an excersice and can't even tell what I didn't read yet, unkown unknowns and such).
