How to Interview a Subject Matter Expert | Wadeware. Gathering information for a writing assignment can be a very straightforward process. You are given (or pointed to) resources and collateral that provide you with product or project background, and you begin your investigation. Sometimes, however, when there just isn’t enough information to work with, you will likely need to interview a subject-matter expert (SME) to get the information you need. Getting helpful and pertinent information from a SME is essential for producing useful, targeted technical documentation.
A SME likely knows a tremendous amount about the subject area you’re interested in, but because SMEs also tend to be busy, overburdened people, it’s best to capture as much of the needed information as possible when you interview them. Gathering unfocused, cumbersome information tends to create churn in the overall review cycle and possible client dissatisfaction with your work.
Familiarize yourself with available collateral and resources before the interview. Online Diagram & Flowchart Software | LucidChart. Visio – How to make detailed business process flowcharts easier to read — Technical Writing Tips. Isn’t the advantage of creating process flowcharts to help the reader see how it works instead of having to read the MS Word document?
But what happens if the process is so complex that the diagram becomes almost unreadable? Instead of helping business analysts understand the process, it adds another layer of complexity. In addition, it makes it almost impossible to discuss the process with your clients. They may even go back to the MS Word documents instead. Business Process Flowchart – 4 Swim lanes How do we avoid this? Understanding Flowcharts First we need to look at why we create diagrams for business processes. What is a flowchart?
A flowchart is a diagram that illustrates how a process works. Instead of using words to describe the interactions between people, software, or other ‘actors’ in an activity, the flowchart shows this via shapes, symbols, and directional lines. 3 Types of Shapes in Flowcharts When creating flowcharts, you will use the following shapes to capture most actions: