Maybe this is a natural (good) evolutionary process, but ever noticed how those that spend huge amounts of time upfront overdocumenting their designs, tracking effort, and writing long specifications for interfaces end up in management--and lose their ability to code fairly quickly?

Maybe that's just part of another trade-off? Programming competence requires programming--all the time. Filling out Design change requests and forms for peer review will probably get you somewhere too...

(Of course that's an egocentric view, unrelated to a customer who couldn't care less as long as he gets what he wants...)