Re: Tips on how to talk to SMEs

[Chantel Brathwaite <brathwaitec -at- castupgrade -dot- com>]

"The SME assumes that the project was programmed in a way that everyone
should be able to understand it without documentation, since no one
looks at it anyway."


I've definitely run into SMEs that feel like this and that will express 
it openly.  In my career of about 15 years or so, I've run into this 
feeling about documentation about 50% of the time.  Management tends to 
be the bellweather for how documentation is viewed and how technical 
writers are treated initially; at least that is how it has been for me.  
Sometimes it is easy to overcome this and change the views of the 
usefulness of documentation and sometimes it isn't.  Sometimes you have 
to know when to cut your losses.

I've personally never done the cookie/brownie thing.  I'm not against 
it, it has just never crossed my mind to do it when I'm in the midst of 
a problem with getting information from SMEs.  For the most part, I 
spend time getting to know SMEs, just like any other co-worker.  I try 
to figure out what works for each person.  A few like to talk, some love 
little emails with precise questions, some like a very brief 
interruption, others like you to write something that they can tear to 
pieces.  So, I just adapt.  It takes longer than the brownie method I 
suppose, but I've found it to yield good results over time.

Regardless, most people in general respond if you ask good questions, do 
your homework, and are concise, consistent, proactive, pleasant, and 
professional.  If you are confident in yourself and carry yourself with 
respect, that is incredibly helpful.  Most technical people value 
competency also.  If you can demonstrate this, it goes a long way.  If 
not, you've got a tough hill to climb.


Chantel


On 7/13/2011 9:04 AM, Dan Goldstein wrote: