RE: SME's word

Subject: RE: SME's word
From: "Sean Brierley" <sbri -at- haestad -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 30 Jul 2002 12:31:46 -0400


So, uuuummmmm, just how many separate SMEs do you check?

This isn't a question of checking sources, it's a question of where you
draw the line. You could ask the opinion of every SME in the company, or
only one SME. I use one source, backed up by my own observations and
natural curiosity. Do you get 5 opinions and take the result that has
the proponents; for example, if there are two opinions split 3:2, do you
take that with 3 backers? We have about 80 civil engineers on staff,
many pHDs. as a journalism, would you run each of 1750 topics by each of
the 80 engineers? I'd argue that such a thing was a horrible waste of
resources.

Here's a thought that'll provoke a response: I'd go as far as to argue
that the needs for checking sources in technical writing is very
different from the need in journalism! </gasp>

If it matters, there is a formal QA process here, whereby a second SME
will get to review the content of any particular section.

Cheers,

Sean

-----------------------------------------
Sean Brierley
Software Documentation Specialist
Haestad Methods
http://www.haestad.com
203-805-0572 (voice)
203-597-1488 (fax)



-----Original Message-----
From: Martin R. Soderstrom [mailto:scribbler1382 -at- yahoo -dot- com]

Well, you know your environment and the people you work with better than
I
do, but it seems foolhardy to me to not check your facts or get
corroboration. But then, I'm a journalism grad, and it's in my nature
to
get confirmation from as many sources as possible. (I've also been
burned a
few times by harried SME's with no malicious intent, but a need for me
to go
away so they could meet _their_ deadline.)


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