> I get frustrated when it seems like no one is maintaining requirements (or aware of them) and I'm just expected to make something work, as though I can read minds about what's expected.
Yes, another (often frustrating) part of the engineer's job is to try to get the client (or a manager or someone else who is supposed to be communicating the client's requirements to you) to understand what "requirements" actually means and what does and doesn't count as actually specifying a requirement so it can be met, or at least so that a reasonable estimate of the time and resources required can be given.
As others in this thread have said, sometimes the only real cure for this problem is to find a new job where you have different, and more reasonable, clients and/or managers.
Yes, another (often frustrating) part of the engineer's job is to try to get the client (or a manager or someone else who is supposed to be communicating the client's requirements to you) to understand what "requirements" actually means and what does and doesn't count as actually specifying a requirement so it can be met, or at least so that a reasonable estimate of the time and resources required can be given.
As others in this thread have said, sometimes the only real cure for this problem is to find a new job where you have different, and more reasonable, clients and/or managers.