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> At my company, which shall remain nameless, there is almost
> no buy-in from department heads on the issue of SME cooperation.
>
>> I don't think that SME cooperation should be a matter of
>> "buy-in" from the department heads. ...<snip>...
Well...you -do- need buy-in at various levels:
Corporate - If there weren't some level of buy-in there, the TWs wouldn't
have been hired. It's not always highly supportive, but unless someone at
that level is actively lobbying against you, you're o.k.
Department - If you're going to be using the time/resources of the people in
their departments (your SMEs), the department heads are going to be
involved. They need to understand that your work is intended to support
theirs, and that you're not going to be a drain on the productivity of their
people. And you have to be willing to do all the up-front research, etc.,
possible so that you don't become the liability to their work they're
assuming you'll be.
SME - In spite of time spent playing video games or shooting the breeze at
the water cooler, most people in the company probably have plenty to do
besides contribute to/review your material. These are the people you need
to develop a solid professional relationship with - and a casual working
friendship doesn't hurt at all, either.
Someone else made this suggestion, and I echo it: Do your homework
first. When you come to the SME, have specific questions for them that
directly relate to their area of expertise. Give them items to review in
small chunks, don't dump a 400-page book on them all at once and expect a
48-hour turnaround. If they've given you extensive information, come back
to them with the write-up to ask for verification that you represented them
correctly. Chat about non-work stuff, as appropriate, over lunch or in the
breakroom. Remember that SMEs are people too.
L
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