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I am in agreement with this good advice in general. I want to add, though, that in my particular situation, my SMEs are not in fact coming up with the new software to save the world :). They are workers who know a system very well, as they've been using it for their jobs for years. They are actually on a lower 'level' than I am (speaking in org chart terms only), so may be earning less. So it's actually very efficient, from a cost perspective, for me to keep asking them questions instead of trying to find it myself by, for instance, searching our Intranet, a site which is huge and a mess, with no working search. I should of course also keep learning the system on my own.
Of course, I don't want to be annoying to anyone (as I believe I was when I first started out, some years ago - growing pains :|). Trying to gather all questions together and setting up a meeting instead of several interruptions is always good.
Maybe I'll have SMEs that are more exalted some day. I look forward to the 'sweaty brains'. But for now, there's no huge problem in my asking questions of the folks in the know. I bet there are a few others on the list in similar situations.
Eileen Neumann
-----Original Message-----
From: Geoff Hart [mailto:ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca]
Sent: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 9:14 AM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: Asking SMEs?
Eileen Neumann reports: <<I know it's often said on this list that you
should become an expert yourself under your own steam. I say, it
depends...>>
Indeed it does. Our goal should always be to become sufficiently
independent that we aren't constantly nagging the SMEs for information.
This shows that we have a brain and are prepared to work up a sweat
using it--which puts us on the same footing as the SMEs, who also have
sweaty brains. <g>
<<As shy persons, we may be reluctant to ask people for things. While
solitary research and learning is also good, sometimes it's not cost
effective for the company for a writer to try and figure everything out
themselves. It can be a whole lot faster to find the expert that can
help you out than to spend days trying to run a program you're
unfamiliar with or find the bit of information that must be 'somewhere'
on the Intranet. What's your time worth?>>
Time is money, as they say, but there's an even more important reason
not to be shy: it's all too easy to let yourself become isolated and
withdrawn. That's part of the nature of the job (writing is, after all,
a solitary profession), but we humans are social animals. If you become
too isolated, you greatly diminish the pleasure that comes from working
as part of a team and getting to know your team-mates as humans. You
won't like all of them enough to become friends outside of work, but
there are many pleasures to be had in belonging to a group.
There are also two significant risks that arise from isolation. First,
you drop off the radar, and become just another anonymous name on an
org chart when it comes time for the next downsizing. Nobody knows what
you do, thus your work can't be important, thus _you_ can't be
important... Second, when you really do need to get information from a
SME, they'll treat you as the demanding, importunate stranger that you
are rather than as "one of the gang".
Make yourself part of the team, but not in an annoying manner: make
sure people know that you exist, know your value as a person, and
(hopefully) learn your value as a communicator. This makes life at work
much more pleasant for everyone, adds a small measure of job security,
and makes your research that much more efficient. You lose a certain
amount of time each day keeping these relationships in good order, but
you'll be amply repaid in the long term.
--Geoff Hart ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca
(try geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com if you don't get a reply)
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