Uncooperative SMEs Summary

[Audrey Choden <AChoden -at- AOL -dot- COM>]

Thanks to all who responded to my post about uncooperative Subject Matter
Experts (SMEs). Here is a summary of the excellent responses I received via
e-mail.

Bev Parks replied:

Some of my suggestions have proven effective through experience.
Some are just off the top of my head, so if they seem
unrealistic or off-base...well, they're just ideas.

> --Announces at the beginning of the meeting that you'll have less time than
you had scheduled.

Immediately schedule the next meeting before continuing. This
lets her know that you need the information, even if you are
forced to get it in chunks. The SME won't like this and may
realize it's better in the long run if she just takes the
time now (or in the follow-up meeting).

> --Ignores the material you brought for your discussion.

Prepare an agenda that lists the items you plan to discuss in
the order you want to discuss them. Provide the SME a copy of
this agenda a day or two before the meeting. Bring copies of the
agenda to the meeting (the SME will likely forget to bring his).
During the meeting, follow your agenda. If he strays from the
agenda, gently remind him of the time remaining and the agenda
items yet to be discussed.

> --Answers questions by inundating you with technical terms.

Be patient and ask for explanations for terms you don't
understand. Don't wait until she's thrown out a dozen
terms--interrupt her if necessary. Eventually, she'll get the
idea and start talking like a human being.

> --Informs you that there isn't a single resource where any of this
>   information could be found.

Ask him where -his- knowledge of it came from. If he still insists
there are no resources, tell him that you know of one resource:
"YOU." (Referring to the SME.)

> --Names a long list of resources so quickly that you can't record them.

Say, "Hold on, I can't write that fast. One at a time, please."

> --Can't be reached by phone so you have to leave endless voice mail
messages.

If the SME is within walking distance, go there.

Nancy Hoft responded:

I think all of us have worked with someone like this at least once.  An
approach I've found useful is to keep a detailed log of everything I do
on a project that raises red flags like uncooperative SMEs.  I take
copious notes, record dates, times that meetings start and end and the
names of everyone attending, try and quote everyone in detail, etc. This
is my ammunition for when the project blows up, which it will in cases
like this. It always does. And guess who's ready for it? me and only me.

So, keep a log. Start recording everything that this person in particular
states. Record how much extra time you are spending having to deal with
this person. Keep track of numbers like this!  If you're a consultant,
you'll be able to show the dollar loss to your management. If you're full
time, you can show the loss in terms of schedule slips. It usually wakes
them up. This way, you're not necessarily pointing fingers, which I don't
recommend.  It's just a way of indirectly saying, my contacts are not
cooperating and this is what it's costing you. Can you help, or do you
feel comfortable with the way that this is progressing?

I also record everything that I do. I note when I send memos (keep copies
of these), what's in them, etc. In general your log will contain
information that you can reorganize to defend yourself in a professional
manner when you raise the issues to your management. Again, I don't
recommend pointing fingers. It will create enemies that you can't afford
to lose.

Scot Hanley suggested:

We have had the exact same problem, and still do in some areas. The most
effective way to deal with this is to (I hate to say it) get management
involved. We were losing countless hours of productivity by researching how
to get the information we needed when the SME's could have given it to us in
a few minutes.

The root of the problem lies with "changing behavior", which can be virtually
impossible to do. SME's that play the "I can look really knowledgeable by
confusing the hell out of everyone" game, need to be involved in the complete
process. In other words, get them down in the dirt with you so they can
experience your job. Usually the only way to do this is to get management
involved.

Another good venue of attack is to ensure that any of your fellow writers
that move to an SME's position, inform his or her new peers of the importance
of getting info. down the pipes and in English!!! This has really helped us.

How can you get management involved? Track the quantity of time you are spendi
ng doing needless research (ie research that could have been avoided if your
SME was worth a flip), derive the cost of the labor, then show management
what they are spending vs. what they could be saving.

It worked for us. The SME's are actually trying now. However, we still have
our problems. Many of the SME's resent having to share their knowledge. Once
again, you have to "change their behavior".

Kelly Burhenne wrote:

     Speak to his manager. State, in no uncertain terms, that he is making
     it impossible for you to do _your_ job correctly. I've found that with
     people like this, you never get anywhere unless you go OVER their
     head!

                    --------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for all your responses. This is what I did:

Told him that I would make sure we finished on time and asked if we could
schedule a follow-up meeting for the following week and  include the project
manager. When he ignored the material I brought and began rattling off
technical terms, I listened politely, nodded and wrote a note to myself  in
the margin of the paper. I didn't try to record anything he was saying. Then,
I raised an issue and got him talking about that instead of reciting
aimlessly. When he said that there wasn't a single resource that covered the
topic, I summarized the key points of what he had said earlier and told him
I'd do a database search for recent publications. I also asked him what his
e-mail address was so we could get in touch with each other more readily,
instead of playing telephone tag. I also reminded him of my role and his role
on the project, thanked him for his time, and ended the meeting exactly at
the time he said he had to leave.

I plan to discuss the problem with the project manager prior to the  next
meeting with the SME and make sure that both of them attend the meeting. I'll
let everyone know what happens!

Audrey Choden
Training by Design
achoden -at- aol -dot- com
70471 -at- 3700 -dot- compuserve -dot- com