CHAPTER 1
The Rationale: Journalism as an ID Training Ground
Subject matter experts are some of my favorite people. That is why this book is a labor of love. A geek at heart, I am fascinated by someone who hasn't looked up from a petri dish in 40 years, or someone who has been tinkering in the guts of the financial system, awash in banking acronyms. Admittedly, my eyes are glazed over for the first few weeks of our relationship while the expert waxes eloquently about their passion, but I am fascinated nonetheless.
I started my career as a journalist; in retrospect, it is an excellent training ground for instructional designers (IDs). Journalism prepares you to go into new situations, learn new things and ask basic questions to understand how something works – all so you can explain it to others. Like journalists, instructional designers may eventually acquire a level of expertise themselves.
And, like journalism, corporate and organizational training is about telling people things that other people know and do. Instructional design is how you tell it. Working with SMEs is learning what to tell. A great training program masters both of these pieces. The training field has a few standard models about how to structure training; there is precious little on how to gather content in a systematic way.
The science of technical documentation is a field in itself. When you are Working with SMEs, the tools for capturing and organizing information are essential. Many training departments and consulting firms have processes and templates to standardize technical documentation. Chapter 7 of this book is based on some of those tools and techniques. However, the whole technique of working with subject matter experts is more intricate than simple technical documentation, and therefore needs its own methodology.
Models for designing training are just that – models that reflect a perfect structure and methodology for imparting knowledge, skills and attitudes. Most instructional designers create training programs using the ADDIE model – Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement and Evaluate, or some variation of it. Therefore, the model for Working with SMEs is built on the ADDIE structure to determine what good information gathering looks like.
Working with SMEs and the ADDIE Methodology
A training program has two parts:
1. Instructional design is how to structure and relate knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSAs) in a systematic way.
2. Working with SMEs is about how to collect information from the right people, select what is relevant and organize it in a systematic way.
As part of the information collection process, training departments usually develop templates for review cycles and signoffs with subject matter experts, but there is not an established methodology in ID literature about how to select the SME, then collect and organize information.
Instructional designers have their favorite models for designing training, and they are usually some variation of the ADDIE model. The Working with SMEs methodology covers the entire ADDIE spectrum. The intense information-gathering phase begins at Analysis, in which you collect most information from subject matter experts. Content gathering carries through the process as you organize content and refine your program through development to evaluation, including review and signoff milestones.
Specifically, in the Analysis phase, you list resources, including the people who will serve as your subject matter experts. During this preliminary phase, the information you gather influences the project scope based on what you are learning. At this point, subject matter experts provide you with data, notes and information that you may be supplementing with focus groups, surveys and other data collection tools.
By the time you reach the Design phase, the specifications are driven by your audience, learning objectives and the activities that are best suited to achieve your overall performance goals. During this phase, clients approve graphics, software and any other criteria for presentation of the program, and SMEs are in the review cycle.
After Development, both the SMEs and the project stakeholders should sign off on all phases of the project before implementation. Ideally, the formal Evaluation phase occurs at least 30 to 60 days after Implementation to find out if learning "stuck." Based on the results of the Evaluation, the program may require content adjustments which frequently involve a second iteration of the ADDIE process.
What Should a Working with SMEs Methodology Include?
To develop the model for Working with SMEs, first I needed to establish what good information gathering looks like. A best-practices model should contain these four elements that are common to all content-gathering efforts for a training program.
A Working with SMEs methodology:
• Provides instructional designers and subject matter experts with a framework for collecting and reviewing content
• Describes the qualities of a good SME and how to work with them
• Works within the existing ID system (we are using ADDIE) and takes into account the already-existing body of knowledge and commonly accepted best practices
Includes a framework for managing the content collection and review cycle
Taking those requirements into consideration, this book is structured around meeting these goals. Let's begin our journey in developing a methodology for Working with SMEs by first defining The Perfect SME.
CHAPTER 2
The Perfect SME
The Perfect SME has three essential qualities. The Perfect SME is:
• The most knowledgeable and articulate person about that topic in the organization
• One who has, or will be given, the time to work with you
• Willing and possibly looking forward to being part of the training design process
If your SME is missing any of these three ingredients, you may have trouble. If that happens and you don't have an alternate SME, we offer tips and tools throughout this book to help you negotiate those issues effectively.
First, whether you've been dealt the Perfect SME or not, you'll need to establish deadlines and clear lines of communication for fact-checking and sign-offs at the very beginning of your relationship. It is unlikely the SME will be tracking those things, and you may not have other supports in place to do it for you. Your project scope or Project Charter should include details about deadlines and lines of responsibility that can help define the relationship.
As the instructional designer on the project, you will find yourself managing up, managing laterally and possibly managing outside your department to make things happen. Setting expectations and deadlines up front will make the process smoother and less harrowing for you.
Which brings us back to the trouble with SMEs ... yes, even the perfect ones who meet all three of the essential qualities.
The Trouble with SMEs
The trouble with SMEs starts when experts look up from the petri dish or financial spreadsheet and try to tell you what they are doing. So while they are rattling on about HARP and bundling and translational research, you are looking at them and thinking, "Huh?" They have reached a level of expertise in which they are Unconscious Competents – that is, they are so well-informed on their subjects they don't even realize how much they know. It is likely that the SME you are working with has forgotten more than you will ever know about the content of the program you are writing.
This is a gift and a curse. Here's why.
The Four Stages of Learning Model and Your SME
In case you aren't familiar with the levels of competence, here are the types of SME competence you may encounter:
1. Unconscious Incompetent – doesn't know what she doesn't know
2. Conscious Incompetent – knows what she doesn't know
3. Conscious Competent – knows what she knows
4. Unconscious Competent – doesn't know what she knows
According to The Four Stages of Learning model (Chart 2.1), the Unconscious Competent is the highest level on an ascending trajectory of knowledge. For that reason, these very smart people are usually assigned the job of acting as your SME. However, when you look at these four stages of learning on a chart that tracks both knowledge and awareness (Chart 2.2), you can see where your SME might fall short of your ideal for the purposes of gathering information in a systematic way.
Where is Your SME on the Continuum of Knowledge?
Ideally, your SME is on the third level of the four stages of learning continuum and is a Conscious Competent. That means she is aware of what she knows, and she is able to tell you. Since such a SME is still on the learning curve herself, not having reached the state where her knowledge is unconscious, she is closer to her own training and remembers what it is like to be a naïve learner. By remembering what it is like to not know, the SME will better remember how she acquired the knowledge or skill that is the subject of your training program, and by extension, how to explain it in a linear way to you.
Briefly, here is how a SME at each level of competence will affect your information gathering process:
Unconscious Competent: When you are gifted with a SME who has risen to career heights in a specialized field and can still explain what she knows, you have truly unearthed a gem. You will both find the tools in this book helpful to organize that a lifetime of knowledge into small, digestible, relevant chunks for you and your learners. Simply, she is such a vast repository of information that she really does not know how much she knows and how well she knows it. It is your job to unearth the gems and help her break it down into simple steps.
Conscious Competent: When you have been given the bright, up-and-coming SME who is still ascending the ladder of knowledge, these tools will help you focus on the important pieces of information that you need to assemble for your learners and identify the additional resources to fill in gaps as they arise.
Conscious Incompetent: When you are faced with a SME who lacks the needed knowledge, we have some tips in the next chapter for that situation. Our recommendation, though, is that you search to find a Conscious Competent SME. It will save you time and effort in the short and long run.
Unconscious Incompetent: It happens. You can be given a know-nothing SME. This is the worst of all possible worlds. We'll discuss how to deal with this situation in the next chapter, too.
CHAPTER 3
Working with the Four Stages of Competence
When you begin writing a training program, in almost every case you will be assigned a 3rd or 4th level SME – a Conscious or Unconscious Competent. Most of our discussion in this chapter is dedicated to that assumption.
For just a minute or two, though, let's contemplate the remote possibility that you get a 1st or 2nd level competent as your SME, the Incompetent. This won't take long because your relationship will be short.
The 1st Level SME – The Unconscious Incompetent
Think about this for a moment: you've been assigned a SME for your training program who is unaware of what he doesn't know. This SME isn't really a SME at all, but whoever assigned him thinks he is. He doesn't know much of anything about your topic. While it won't take you long to figure out he doesn't know jack about your subject, it might take you a little longer to disentangle yourself and get someone who knows Jack, or even his sister Jill.
Telltale Signs of the Unconscious Incompetent
• You ask for information and you get nothing.
• You ask for information and the SME talks about something unrelated.
• You can't focus the SME on the topic because he doesn't know anything about the issue at hand.
How to Deal with an Unconscious Incompetent
1. Ask for a replacement SME. Speak privately with your customer and tell him you need a different SME. Working with this person is wasting both your time and the company's money.
2. Provide documented proof. If you're not successful with fix #1, have a backup plan: Show documented evidence demonstrating why the SME is not the right person for the project. Be sure to include specific instances that show his lack of relevant knowledge, lack of responsiveness or inept and irrelevant answers to your requests.
3. Restate the information you need and the qualities of the person who is likely to have it. Something may be awry if this wasn't done up front. So, make the best of this opportunity to reboot and help your customer understand what you need to develop the training they require. If necessary or possible, interview a few potential replacements before moving forward. It is possible the people responsible for assigning a SME may not understand enough about the subject to know if they are choosing the right person.
4. Tread very cautiously if the Unconscious Incompetent is a leader and/or well-liked. This situation could be very sensitive. You may want to state officially that you need another SME. Put on your most politically-astute hat and use a creative, face-saving excuse to allow the SME to be removed or bow out gracefully.
The 2nd Level SME – The Conscious Incompetent
A 2nd level SME is much preferable to a 1st level SME simply because his lack of knowledge is on the table. You may be assigned a SME who is not appropriate for the subject at hand and you both know it. That is very good news, because together you can usually find the right person.
Telltale Signs of the Conscious Incompetent
• The first and most obvious sign is that as soon as you approach him for expertise on your topic, he tells you he is not the right person to be talking to you.
• He tries to fulfill the assignment because he has been asked by a manager, and so he looks for answers and information for what you need. Neither of you are sure the information is correct, and it is time-consuming.
• He knows he lacks the expertise you need, but he tries to hide it from you and the person who selected him. This is the worst possible scenario with a 2nd level Conscious Incompetent, because you will initially be fed bad information and eventually realize it – hopefully sooner rather than later.
How to Deal With a Conscious Incompetent
1. If the SME tells you he isn't the right person, you have an ally to find an appropriate expert.
2. In the second case, when your SME tries to fill the assignment out of a sense of responsibility, encourage him to enlist others to help. Then you will probably be able to migrate your project to working with a genuine expert after a few frustrating review sessions of work prepared with input from the Conscious Incompetent. We call these "aarrrgghhh" sessions. Both of you will be frustrated until you are given someone more knowledgeable. Depending on the organization's structure and the authority of your SME, the two of you may be able to solve this problem on your own. If not, together compile a request for another SME that contains enough detail to enlist a more appropriate person.
3. When the SME is trying to hide his lack of knowledge, you have a problem. He is probably trying to save face and may even be afraid his job is in jeopardy. He may have good reason to hide his incompetence from you. You will need to approach your customer with a list of things you need to know. Show that your SME doesn't have answers that work or make sense, and ask the customers to collaborate with you to find the right person. Since it is likely neither your customer nor the SME's manager has the time to help you find the information you need, you must act efficiently in becoming allies with your customers to search for a new expert. Unfortunately, this process will take time and affect your project timeline.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Working with 1st and 2nd Level Incompetents
The advantages of working with an incompetent SME, no matter the reason, is that if you explain the SME's lack of knowledge and experience clearly to your managers and his, you are likely to find an appropriate expert. When you work with people to find answers, you will be valued as an instructional designer who can directly handle problems and solve them in order to write a substantial, valid program.
The disadvantages of working with an incompetent SME are listed above and briefly can be summed up as frustrating, time-wasting experiences that net no real value to move you toward the objective of writing your training program. Accept that it can happen, know that you usually can identify the problem quickly, and that you can also usually solve it.
