The problem isn't that you have to use/extend existing code, the problem is that it isn't documented. I'm guessing there is a lack of knowledge sharing between

The problem isn't that you have to use/extend existing code, the problem is that it isn't documented. I'm guessing there is a lack of knowledge sharing between the developers. Like others have said; instead of writing the functionality from scratch, try to understand the existing code and document it. > The process slowly repeats until my feature eventually converges onto a configuration of existing components, with as little new code as possible. In other words: "The process slowly repeats until you know the codebase". Also, less code brings less bugs. > I must spend X^(size of our codebase) hours grappling with other people's ideas, solutions, and mistakes. Learning to understanding how other people think is crucial, and its better to learn from the mistakes of others than your own. > Should I be deriving pleasure from this? Hopefully, with time. But you are more supposed to derive a salary from it.