The document describes the role and responsibilities of a Subject Matter Expert (SME), who possesses in-depth knowledge of a business domain and supports the definition and implementation of business processes and policies. An SME provides subject knowledge and reviews business rules and testing results, but does not own tasks. The SME works with Single Points of Contact (SPOCs) in individual business sub-domains to transfer knowledge in a centralized approach.

1. The Subject Matter Expert
Denis Bazhin, Jan 2017

2. Context and scope 2/2
 Q: Who is the target audience of this document?
 A: The target audience of this document is any person interested in SME role description
 Q: What is the scope of this document?
 A: The scope is the facilitation of Subject Matter Expert (SME) Role description throughout
business domain. Applying it to a particular service context or finding the most appropriate
SME actions in any given situation is not a part of the scope.
 Q: This description only deals with the logical and mechanical aspects. What is the main
purpose of SME?
 A: There are many definitions of SME role and many aspects to it. SME could help to setup
a centralized business domain context approach to provide the technology and services
that enable software development in the most effective and efficient way

3. Context and scope 1/2
 Q: What is a business domain?
 A: Business domain is a logical part of the software development/testing or other service
provided by Company. It could be customer – oriented domain, e.g. Costomer-UNIT, or
service-oriented domain, e.g. QA
 Q: What is a business domain context?
 A: Business domain context is a set of properties of a particular business domain, e.g.
service type and specificity, customer specificity, current business domain targets, etc.
 Q: Can SME role be scaled?
 A: Yes, SME role could be scaled with the same way as business domain scaled, e.g.
business domain could be a business unit of organization, and it could be the whole
organization too depending on the business development approach.

4. Background
The evolution of complex and distributed commerce
requires the implementation of training design and
development models that capture and mold the expertise
of subject matter experts (SMEs)

5. The Subject Matter Expert
defined as “that individual who
exhibits the highest level of
expertise in performing a
specialized job, task, or skill within
the business domain”
SMEs possess in-depth knowledge
of the subject you are attempting
to document
an SME is often
an expert contracted or assigned
by an organization to consult on
the training being created

6. The Subject Matter Expert
 Responsibilities:
 Support the definition of business processes throughout business domain
 Determine and support the implementation of a business policy, generally by providing the
following:
 the contents for the business rules that enforce the policy;
 the process contexts in which the rules are applied
 Oversee the execution of that policy via business rules applied. Such oversight includes
confirming that the implemented rules fully and faithfully correspond to the intended
policy.
 Once Rule Writers have created the first set of rules, the SME reviews the rules, and the rule
flow to give feedbacks on the logic and pattern used.
 Review the results of testing and simulation
 Manage business vocabulary
 Resolve business issues relating to business rule execution.
 Be accountable for the quality of the business rule
 Approve major changes to business rule

7. The Subject Matter Expert
the Subject Matter Expert has
a strong business knowledge and experience,
some management skill,
effective communication,
leadership,
decision making skills.

8. The Subject Matter Expert
the SME is not responsible as a primary owner, of any task.
He is more a source of knowledge to transfer into the rule
base system.

9. Business sub-domain Single Point of Contact
(SPOC)
Request in knowledge
SME
SPOC
Business
sub-domain
A source of knowledge
Context:
• Service type
specificity
• Customer
specificity
• Business
targets
information
is time-
sensitive
accuracy is
important
focal point
of
information
External
business
service
interface

10. Business sub-domain Single Point of Contact
(SPOC)
Request in knowledge
SME
SPOC
Business
sub-domain
A source of knowledge
Context:
• Service type
specificity
• Customer
specificity
• Business
targets
SPOC responsibilities:
• Participate In business sub-domain
service strategy planning
• Formulate business sub-domain service
requirements
• Transfer service knowledge to business
sub-domain level
• Coordinate service knowledge transfer
from business sub-domain (expertise
sharing)
• Coordinate service-related information
distribution within the business sub-
domain

11. The Subject Matter Expert
SME
Business
sub-domain
X
Head MGM
Key persons
SPOC
Business
sub-domain
Y
Head MGM
Key persons
SPOC
Business
sub-domain
P
Head MGM
Key persons
SPOC
Business
sub-domain
Z
Head MGM
Key persons
SPOC
Centralized
business domain
service evaluation,
setup and
evolution

12. Contact
https://www.linkedin.com/in/denis-bazhin
https://www.facebook.com/chillamb