Google Docs with SMEs

Will Richardson introduced me to the idea of using Google Docs with SMEs rather than sending zillions of Word docs as attachments through email. He was right–it really is much simpler for collaboration. Everyone always has the current version of the document, and there’s no need to keep separate archives of all the past versions.

Google Docs is easier for sharing with other members of my team when needed. Because we don’t have an actual editor, we try to review each other’s work. I prefer to have someone else read the content before I put it into the web pages; it’s just easier to edit text before I’m in Dreamweaver. Sharing with someone else is just a matter of sending another invite.

Google Docs has worked very well for drafts of writing with SMEs. Generally, we use different colors to show comments. If a SME has a question about something, it usually ends up as colored text directly in the document, and I reply in a different color. That works OK as long as we both are consistent about who uses what color. The unsigned comments can get a little confusing if we aren’t consistent.

Disadvantages & Issues

Formatting can be a challenge, especially if documents are moved back and forth between Word & Google Docs. Multilevel bulleted lists (which we use extensively for outlines) are also erratic. I find myself frequently going into the html to edit directly when I can’t control the WYSIWYG formatting. Very few of my SMEs can do that though. Usually it’s OK, as precise formatting isn’t important for a draft, but it’s still irritating sometimes.

Most SMEs haven’t used Google Docs before, so some training can be necessary. A few people have totally resisted learning this, and sometimes it just isn’t worth pushing. If a SME is struggling in other areas and learning new technology stresses them out, I’d rather just use the familiar Word attachments than force them to use Google Docs. It’s a case of picking your battles, and this isn’t important enough to me to make it a battle if the SME really resists.

When Google Docs came up in a networking group discussion lately, someone pointed out that security may be a concern. If you’re working in a super sensitive business where regular password protection isn’t enough, Google Docs may not be a good choice. It is possible to do a secure connection to Google Docs though (use https://docs.google.com/ instead of http://). You’d have to train your SMEs to use a secure connection as well, but if that’s important to you it’s probably possible to do the training. Personally, regular password protection is enough for what I do.

Has anyone else used Google Docs (or another online office application) with their SMEs? How has it worked for you for collaborating? Any tips on making it more productive?

Technorati Tags: GoogleDocs, sme, instructionaldesign, collaboration

Communicating with SMEs

Image citation
Communication by DailyPic

A large part of what I do as an instructional designer is working with SMEs (Subject Matter Experts). These are the people we hire because they have the deep knowledge of a specific area. In my company, they also often eventually serve as facilitators for the course. Of course, some SMEs are easier to work with than others, and every SME has individual quirks that I need to figure out to work with them successfully. One of the great things about our team is that we spend a lot of time discussing our SMEs and sharing ideas and strategies. Even though I’d worked with SMEs before, I feel like I’ve learned more from my experiences in the last year, and I know that bouncing ideas off the others on the team is a big part of that.

I want to start recording some of the strategies that have worked (and some of the ones that haven’t) here, to clarify my own “lessons learned.” This won’t be a structured series the way my Instructional Design careers set was where I had all the posts planned out in advance. I haven’t organized my thoughts that well yet–that’s what I’m going to use the blog for. So, please forgive me if they seem a bit unstructured.

And now for the first strategy…

One of the most helpful strategies I’ve used is asking SMEs directly how they best communicate. Yes, the strategy is that simple: Ask how they want to communicate. So much of the success of the relationship rests on how well we communicate with each other. I try to ask this question during my introductory phone call with the SME. At this point in the process, I’m mostly just looking for the technology: email, phone, IM, Skype, etc. I can work through any of those methods, but I need to know what’s going to be best for the SME. I’ve had several SMEs who really need to talk through ideas on the phone; they need that interplay with a live person, and they need the auditory to make connections. I’ve had others who did almost everything in writing, usually through email with a little IM. Knowing that upfront means I don’t waste time writing long emails to a SME who really needs to hear my feedback on the phone.

As the development progresses, I try to refine the communication a bit more. On one of the very first projects I worked on with a SME, I gave my initial feedback in long paragraphs. My observations were mixed in with what I needed him to do next, and none of it was particularly succinct. I did a lousy job of communicating what I wanted, but fortunately that SME called me up and told me point blank that he didn’t understand. After that, I gave him bullet points spelling out specifically what I needed changed, plus we went over the to-do list on the phone. I’d never give a SME a rambling paragraph like that now, but I do try to tailor my feedback. Some SMEs really need hard deadlines to work to, but I’ve had others who do better with some flexibility. Some need me to break down the goals and give them very detailed tasks, but others would go crazy if I micromanaged them that much.

It can be tricky to find the right communication method and style with SMEs, but I do find it’s getting easier with time. I learn something new from every SME I work with, and I feel like I’m accumulating enough of a “bag of tricks” now that I have strategies for most situations.

If you have a great strategy for communicating with SMEs, I’d love to hear about it.

Technorati Tags: instructionaldesign, smes, communication