The use of turbo codes enhances the data transmission efficiency and optimizes the performance of a communication system over wireless fading channels. In this paper, we present a brief overview of the various components of the turbo coding scheme, analyze the complexities of the most popular turbo decoding algorithms, and discuss the various implementation methods of the maximum a posteriori (MAP) algorithm. The paper considers the well-known log-MAP decoding algorithm by a linear approximation of the correction function used by the max* operator. We propose a generalized decoding scheme that optimizes the existing MAP algorithm for faster convergence and better throughput on the basis of varying channel conditions. The proposed scheme of decoding reduces complexity and enhances the throughput with only a negligible loss in BER performance.