It also helps your teammates and managers identify when you are spinning your wheels and need help. As a tech lead/architect, I find prototypes and documentation about a hard problem extremely helpful for identifying when I’ve made a bad technical decision and selected an approach that simply isn’t efficient or workable. Otherwise, it’s hard to distinguish between that and when the individual dev is simply not up to the job.
It’s also much easier to solicit feedback when you’re stuck if you can offer a record of what you have tried.
However that’s in terms of a finished product which typically has a lot removed or edited over time.
And some things just need weeks of reflection, research, trying things out. Rome wasn't built in a day. When you'll get there you'll have produced something of actual value.
This is so ridiculous as to be offensive. Bring the downvotes, I don't care.
I did learn a curious fact about the productivity of the most prolific writers, musicians, comedians and other creative professions. Count the number of words written, notes composed and new jokes, then divide those by a reasonable number of working hours, let's say 5 days a week with 8 hours of work over the productive period in their life.
Unfortunately, I can't find the exact numbers anymore, but it was staggeringly low, something in the vein of 1 word written per hour, 1 note composed per day, and one new joke per week.
Sure there are things to be learned from data, just not always what fits the agenda of the managerial class.