Effective Communication with Subject Matter Experts

Interview with Marsha M., Director of OD and Training– Unified Grocers

What type of a relationship do you try to build with SMEs? How do you manage SMEs?

First, it is important to let the SMEs know they are an important part of the project team. I do this at the beginning of the project by helping them to understand what the team’s goals and values are, introducing them to the other members of the team, as well as by sharing with them the goals of the project. SMEs are much more effective when they are connected and feel they belong.   Why is it important to establish effective communications with SMEs, and how do you go about doing that?

The most important aspect of building a productive relationship with a SME is to make sure they understand the project’s objectives and priorities. To this end, it is essential to have a project plan that clearly defines expectations and check-in points.  I like to be very specific about the desired outcomes. It is also a good idea to establish right upfront the best way to communicate with each other.

Why is it important to establish effective communications with SMEs, and how do you go about doing that?

If you do not establish effective communication with SMEs, you run the risk of scope creep, which can add unnecessary costs to your project. By establishing good two-way communication, built-in check points and clear expectations, you create an environment in which the SME is comfortable asking clarifying questions.

I always work using a project plan that includes specific delivery dates and check-in points. I discuss the overall project objective with the SME to make sure they understand the importance of the project and how we plan to use the end-product.

I like to communicate as much about the project as possible before we even begin. I try to anticipate and clarify as many things upfront with the SME as I can to make sure we meet the internal customer’s business needs.  Also, I make arrangements for the SME to go directly to the internal customer they are working with for any additional questions.

What type of a relationship do you try to build with SMEs? How do you manage SMEs?

I use a project plan to establish clear communication with SMEs.

I also feel it is important to have face-to-face communication with a SME, not just communication through email. Face-to-face communications encourage more two-way communication. It is important that I understand the SMEs time management style and their work behaviors in order to deal with any misunderstandings as they arise.

I also think it is critical to clearly define the SMEs role. If you don’t, one of two things can happen; they will either underperform or over-perform, and either case can be costly.

When interviewing SMEs, how do you manage their time most efficiently?

It is important to understand how the SMEs normally manage their own time, so this is a critical part of our discussion.

When I am interviewing the SME, I ask them how they manage their time on a day-to-day basis. I build into the project plan clearly defined time parameters so, for instance, if the person is working from home, I have some idea of what they should be working on and approximately how long it will take.  

What I don’t want is to pay for them to work on someone else’s projects when they should be working for my organization. Some SMEs will try to take on a number of projects and relegate my project to a secondary role, so I always want to know what they are working on. And that’s where having a project plan in place saves my having to micromanage them, which is not beneficial to anyone. Ultimately, though, there has to be a certain element of trust.

When communicating with SMEs, how important is it to take an active listening role? Is asking open-ended questions important for effective communication?

Active listening is effective communication. I do not think you can communicate effectively if active listening is not part of the process. You have to ask questions to be able to ensure that you get the best outcome and you need to listen to both the verbal and nonverbal comments. 

Open-ended questions are the only way to make sure that you and the SEMs are on the same page. If you just ask close-ended questions, you may think you have an understanding when you really do not. Open-ended questions and active listening are the only way to ensure that you have the same understanding. It is very costly if I tell you something, you say OK, then go off and do it without clearly understanding.

How do you prepare for meetings with SMEs, in terms of creating a list of questions and gathering content?

I always use the Deming PDCA model plan for project planning. 

The Plan defines the overall objective.

The Do identifies what activities need to be done to reach that objective.

The Check verifies that these are the right activities to reach the objective.

Lastly, the Act describes what actions need to be taken to meet the objective and how to measure the desired outcome. The ACT part of the model helps me design the interview questions and identify the kind of SME I need.

I think most people say that this is the project; trying to find out what I need to accomplish determines what kind of skills I need. I also use that model to confirm with whoever the customer is that this is what they want and how they want it to be used, so that before the SMEs are in the picture,  the customer and I share a clear understanding about what the outcome should be.

How do you work with remote SMEs? Is there a particular process or template that is helpful?

When I work with someone virtually, I make it a point to have a face to face or telephone communication, and not just limit our communication to e-mail. I do build into the project plan some uninterrupted phone time because I think the SME and I need to have a personal connection, not just an electronic one. And you can even practice active listening on the phone, which you cannot do through email. In my opinion, if we only have electronic communication, it increases the chances for errors or misunderstandings.

Is providing feedback to a SME a successful way to build open communication? How do you prevent breakdowns in communication?

You have to provide feedback to SMEs. It gives you the opportunity to let the SME know what is working and what is not. Open communication allows you to check for understanding throughout the project. If you do not provide feedback, SMEs will not know if they are on the right track or doing what you want. If you provide positive feedback or redirected feedback, which is not constructive feedback, most SMEs appreciate it. They want to do a good job, and if you let them know what they did well, and how it is going to benefit the organization or customer, it allows them to be proud of the work they do.

Again, operating on a project plan is really critical. And building check-in points into the plan is critical. The check-in points are for viewing the work, talking about what has been done up to that point, what works, what did not work and what needs to happen going forward. This is not only important for me, but also for the internal departments who will be working with the end-product.

If you do not have open communication, you may find yourself wondering what the person is doing and if they are really working. You may get this nagging feeling that you are paying someone who is not working, because you have not heard from them.

So it is really important to have a project plan and modify it if needed, as well as have face-to-face or phone contact in addition to electronic communication.

Tell me about your past experiences communicating effectively with SMEs:

What has worked well?

What works well is to treat the SMEs as a partner and respect the skills that they bring to the table, rather than treat them as just a worker. It pays to listen to their ideas.

What could be improved?

Don’t let “out of sight” become “out of your mind.” You need to check-in with SMEs to track what they are doing.  It is important to keep up on-going communication. However, there is a fine line between communicating and micromanaging, so having a project plan keeps you from micromanaging.  

How do you handle a situation where the SME is not reciprocating communication effectively?

It is important to treat the SME like a partner and identify communication expectations at the start. Find out upfront what works for the SMEs and what does not so you can establish ground rules for effective communication. When there is ineffective communication with a SME, the first thing I will do is check in with them to see what is wrong or if there is a problem. If communication continues to be a problem, I let them go.

My approach is to build a partnership by establishing clearly defined objectives, work processes and communication standards. I establish communication expectations upfront and during the check-ins we revisit the ground rules.

I use the Deming Model to hire skills based on the desired outcome rather than just a body, so I usually get the right person for the assignment.

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