Now that we are at the end, let’s look back at the series on the topic of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). Our main ingredient in Part 1 provided the idea that to lessen the fear of the term “SME” we should begin calling SMEs Content Information Providers or CIPs. In Part 2 we elaborate the idea of the CIP and what they are and what they are not. Part 3 provided us guest Chef, Chris Reese, in the ID kitchen and some interesting spice on the series. The perspective and analogies Chris provided about the difference and respective values of both a SME and CIP bring us to one final touch on this recipe – working with your SME or CIP. No matter how you dice it these folks are the gateway to the information that will sculpt the learning an ID develops.
Now that we know who they are and what they should do the DishingDuo would like to share some useful information for prepping your kitchen to begin working with your SMEs or CIPs. Though the information below is written with the ID in mind any person that has contributed their expertise to a training project may benefit from reviewing the general expectations that a SME or CIP should follow and the high-level steps that should be performed to initiate the process of working with the SME or CIP.
Expectations
The following is a list of expectations that will provide a good starting point when discussing SME/CIP responsibilities. The SME/CIP is expected to:
- Meet required deadlines when performing reviews and answering questions.
- Agree to the timeline and length of reviews.
- Prepare materials.
- Influence content.
- Agree to the form of feedback and answer all questions thoroughly.
- Abide by the change order process (adding little content vs. a new topic).
Initial Steps
As mentioned earlier, a SME or CIP may not even know he/she is a SME or CIP. Therefore, it is an excellent practice to distribute an outline defining and detailing the Responsibilities/Roles for discussion during a kick-off meeting. This document should inform the SME or CIP regarding the:
- Role, definition, and responsibility of the SME/CIP.
- Your expectations of the SME/CIP.
- Number of days needed to gather content.
- Number of days needed to review the content.
- Number of review cycles.
- Method of SME/CIP sign off (fax, e-mail, signed and/or mailed document).
In addition, there are key questions you need to ask the SME/CIP to get the project started in the right direction. These questions include:
- Does the SME/CIP have any periods of downtime, such as vacation or hours out of the office?
- Does the SME/CIP agree to the timeline or does the timeline need to be adjusted accordingly?
- What or how much can be covered in the amount of time allotted for the training piece? (This will help you keep the content organized and chunked without including unnecessary topics. This will also help you to create instructional activities that stay within the time restrictions.)
- What form of communication (phone, e-mail, and/or fax) does the SME/CIP prefer?
In summary we wanted to provide useful, grounding information to help individuals, whether they were the Instructional Designer or the SME (or the CIP), become more comfortable with the idea of the role and responsibilities of a SME/CIP and reinforce the positive value that the SME/CIP provides to the development of learning.
As we conclude this series we reach out to you, our readers, to ask if you have other methods for initiating process and a working relationship with your SMEs or CIPs? Does the process and relationship vary based on whether they are a SME or a CIP?
