So I Have This Design Question...

I occasionally get questions from people with whom I used to work asking me design questions. They have a particular problem they want to solve, and are wondering what approaches they might take to design a solution to this problem.

Sounds fine, but the conversation usually goes like this:

Former Coworker: I've got this problem where I need to be able to [verb] some [noun]. It has to work in a cluster and (continues list of requirements).

Me: Hmm... Have you considered the [noun][verb]age class I wrote and saw deployed before I left?

I'm always a little scared when I get these questions. I mean, if I thought the company made wise decisions and had any clue what they were doing, I'd probably be working for them still, but how many times have these guys wracked their brains and then invented a solution to a problem without contacting me, ignoring a solution that was already deployed?

Of course, I'm not saying I'm the authoritative source of information for any given system, but I try to document my work well, and I try hard to make sure everyone understands it so that I'm not the expert in any given topic. I'm fairly sure my documentation is fine because when I offer the [noun][verb]age suggestion, it all seems to be obvious to them. At least, that it offers a solution to their problems... I still get technical implementation questions.

The moral of the story is to read more than you write.