Re: Interviewing for info. gathering

[Chuck Banks <chuck -at- ASL -dot- DL -dot- NEC -dot- COM>]

For LaVonna, et al:

        Here are the steps in the process I follow:

                1 - Obtain and review all available product/process
                    materials (making notes, highlighting, and pasting
                    marginal flags along the way).

                2 - If enough information is available, prepare a
                    draft user description.

                3 - Prepare a list of questions from the notes taken
                    in steps 1 and 2.  (I space the questions on
                    notebook paper, leaving room for Subject Matter
                    Expert answers.  Depending on the SME and the
                    subject and the expected document, I sometimes
                    forward a copy of my questions to the SME in
                    advance of our meeting.)

                4 - Schedule a meeting with the SME(s).

                5 - At the meeting, ask listed questions and record
                    answers.  Attempt to identify sources of answers
                    provided (i.e., source documents, reports, etc.).

                6 - After the meeting, rewrite the questions and
                    answers.

                7 - Send a thank you memo to the SME(s) via his/her/their
                    Boss(es).  (I find this step valuable.  It is hard
                    to convince product development supervisors and
                    managers to provide interview and document review
                    time to SMEs.  Our managers have come to accept
                    that such time is necessary during the product
                    development cycle.  SMEs sometimes use the memos
                    during their performance evaluations to remind their
                    reviewers that such time is/was not wasted.)

                    If any agreements are made during the meeting,
                    include them in the thank you memo.

                8 - Make a couple of copies of the finished Q & A list.
                    Post one on a wall for quick reference.  Put one in
                    your document files.  Refer to the list frequently
                    to refresh your memory.  Check off items as you
                    incorporate them in the document(s).

        This may seem like a lot of work, but it usually isn't; and it
pays for itself over and over during the development process.

I hope this helps!

Chuck Banks
--
__        ________     ______
|\\   |  ||          //              Chuck Banks
| \\  |  ||_______  ||               Senior Technical Writer
|  \\ |  ||         ||               NEC America, Inc.
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