How you take notes in SME interviews

[John Posada]

> Maybe a  silly question, but I was wondering
> When you interview programers (or any  other SMEs) about features
> you
> have to document, do you make notes in a  notebook and write them
> up,
> or do you write directly into your  computer.

I never bring a laptop or a digital recorder. Instead, I bring a pad
of 11x17 copy paper bound with an aligator clip.

When I interview a SME, I'm not interested in their word-for-word
explanation. I'm interested in understanding the process and
diagrams, flowcharts, and DFDs work best for me. Notes are no
comparison to actually understanding the process 

Sometimes I don't even take notes...I'd rather listen, question, and
understand. I don't want to figure it out later from my notes...I
want to understand it before the meeting ends...the specific
questions can come when I start to write or when it comes time to
have my content reviewed.

John Posada
Senior Technical Writer

"I think the problem, to be quite honest with you, is that you've never actually known what the question is."