[alilleybrinker]

There is no such thing as universally self-documenting code, because self-documentation relies on an assumption of an audience — what that audience knows, what patterns are comfortable for them — that does not exist in general.

Self-documenting code can work in a single team, particularly a small team with strong norms and shared knowledge. Over time as that team drifts, the shared knowledge will weaken, and the "self-documenting" code will no longer be self-documenting to the new team members.