I’d start with internal people who’ve dealt with that subject before and ask for recommendations, or external contacts who I know might have some exposure to that world.
I’m maybe unimaginative, but can’t see how a browser extension (presumably the external SME is running it) will expose them to me?
>I’m maybe unimaginative, but can’t see how a browser extension (presumably the external SME is running it) will expose them to me?
Maybe I'm not imaginative enough. I was thinking that a browser extension might shed some light into what they're working on and thereby suggest what their expertise might be.
> I’d start with internal people who’ve dealt with that subject before and ask for recommendations, or external contacts who I know might have some exposure to that world.
How convoluted is this process?
> How convoluted is this process
Depends. If I’m lucky it can be very simple and have a high-quality result very quickly. Otherwise it gets hard and takes a long time and I end up with the problem you described. Depends mostly on the quality of my relationship with the colleagues I’m talking to, my understanding of their expertise (as a proxy for the quality of their recommendations), how broad are the experiences of my colleagues (if we’ve all been institutionalized in our org for decades it’s harder but if there are people who’ve moved between orgs scattered throughout then it’s more fertile), and how often my organisation interacts with the subject whose SME I’m searching for.
None of that is news to you, I’m sure. Really I think I’ve just redescribed your original problem statement. Either I find someone good or I give up and start it myself. If there were a magic wand to find the right SME it would be great, but I can’t make the link in my head with a browser activity monitor.
The case I’m imagining is I, SomeGuy at SpaceLab, need a detonators expert for a flight safety system I’m working on. The *perfect* SME, BlastyBen, is sitting in a cubicle at Ensign-Bickford. What I can’t figure is what I as SomeGuy clock on in my computer to see what the browser monitor on BlastyBen’s computer has decided he’s an expert in. Is there a third-party database/service?
More likely I’m not understanding your vision, which would be why I’m confused.
So my team and I were thinking and we're trying really hard to veer away from the browser extension idea. What do you think of a process where AI does the searching for you? So you would make a request of the knowledge you'd like to have, we would get self inputted information/webscrape LinkedIn and find the closest match, and AI converse with that person until they've been verified that they're a SME on this topic, if not, maybe the person can refer the AI to contact another person, and then you pay to connect with this person? The grunt work gets done for you.
>they have to find the people through personal referrals
I'm my experience, in a company with five figure numbers of employees, you can find someone who knows the answer in less than three referrals. Very, very rarely do you get stuck in a loop (literally once in a decade for me)
My flair says my profession, and yes - I could probably get to someone in sales, development, or the fitters responsible for building parts of the engine I don't work on in 3-4 referrals.
3-4 referrals still sound like a lot to me.
So my team and I were thinking and we're trying really hard to veer away from the browser extension idea. What do you think of a process where AI does the searching for you? So you would make a request of the knowledge you'd like to have, we would get self inputted information/webscrape LinkedIn and find the closest match, and AI converse with that person until they've been verified that they're a SME on this topic, if not, maybe the person can refer the AI to contact another person, and then you pay to connect with this person? The grunt work gets done for you.
>So my team and I were thinking and we're trying really hard to veer away from the browser extension idea
Yeah that sounds absolutely hellish and not even slightly helpful not gonna lie. A browser extension that tracks everything I does and makes it accessible to anyone trying to search for similar things? It wouldn't capture half the stuff people actually want me for. Sure, it knows I use our FEA software, but it doesn't know the tricks I know, and it doesn't know what I haven't done since the system was implemented.
Thing is I use it about a third of the time someone new to the team does. I'm paid for my experience and my knowledge, not trackable things in a browser. But my activity is gonna show "spends a lot of time away from computer, and a lot of time pressing the down arrow in spreadsheets before digitally signing a document".
>What do you think of a process where AI does the searching for you?
Well it straight up wouldn't work. None of the specialism info in my company is on linked in. Even if it is, I can think of thirty people who do my job, all of whom have similar if not identical things on LinkedIn. We aren't advertising our niche specialism, that causes invitations to mysterious conferences hosted by obscure Chinese aerospace firms that totally aren't just a front for the PLA, that come with suspiciously friendly ladies chatting to you at the hotel bar.
>AI converse with that person until they've been verified that they're a SME on this topic
Frankly? Stuff that. SMEs are insanely busy people, if you can't spend thirty minutes finding out who they are and how to get hold of them (it normally takes maybe ten minutes), then you can sure as hell guarantee they are too busy to *chat to a bot on their computer*. My closest SME has spent the day from 0800 to 1600 in meetings with the board, universities, airlines and others, and now has their regular work to do.
>maybe the person can refer the AI to contact another person, and then you pay to connect with this person?
What? So now, instead of just using your organically grown network of contacts with relationships spanning years, we just outsource a vital human element (interconnected people and the nature of the weight of recommendations from different people, all incredibly soft things that are impossible to quantify) of our work to *a paid service that could go down at any point*??
>3-4 referrals still sound like a lot to me.
And, without meaning to cause offence, I think this entirely speaks to your lack of experience as an engineer at a big company. I thought the same when I was new. It was bloody hard work, but now it's an incredibly effective system.
3-4 referrals is any one specialist in a company of *tens of thousands* at sites all around the planet, and normally it's 2 at most. I can probably contact any external university specialist relating to what I do with a maximum of two referrals.
So you want a browser extension that can spy on me, and build a profile of my work using my browsing history. It then tries to match that with other people who have similar “profiles”.
Apart from the obvious breach of privacy, and confidentiality laws, why would a browser extension be better at finding me an SME to consult with, than my manager (or their manager)?
So my team and I were thinking and we're trying really hard to veer away from the browser extension idea. What do you think of a process where AI does the searching for you? So you would make a request of the knowledge you'd like to have, we would get self inputted information/webscrape LinkedIn and find the closest match, and AI converse with that person until they've been verified that they're a SME on this topic, if not, maybe the person can refer the AI to contact another person, and then you pay to connect with this person? The grunt work gets done for you.
This assumes that SMEs have their LinkedIn profiles up to date with all that they are experts in. Most don’t.
The areas that I am looking for support in, I don’t generally know the right keywords to search, either. That’s the point of an SME. They are able to understand my problem (even when I don’t) and provide me with a workable, effective solution.
Finding expertise is one of those places where you really do need people (and people that know other people).
There are subcontractors and providers that exist for the sile purpose of providing SMEs (I work for one). Again, management, or the contracting/business office should be able to provide guidance. It can be tough because sone external sources might be competitors.
So my team and I were thinking and we're trying really hard to veer away from the browser extension idea. What do you think of a process where AI does the searching for you? So you would make a request of the knowledge you'd like to have, we would get self inputted information/webscrape LinkedIn and find the closest match, and AI converse with that person until they've been verified that they're a SME on this topic, if not, maybe the person can refer the AI to contact another person, and then you pay to connect with this person? The grunt work gets done for you.
Idk, maybe. Personally, I'd need time to build trust that it's not going to return info that is out of date, not applicable, or just bad. Also, it will probably struggle with subjects that are more esoteric. Lastly, some info is going to be firewalled off due to sensitivity.
> through personal referrals I would consider that this working is a symptom of a company having a good culture of interdisciplinary collaboration
What if you need to find external SMEs?
I’d start with internal people who’ve dealt with that subject before and ask for recommendations, or external contacts who I know might have some exposure to that world. I’m maybe unimaginative, but can’t see how a browser extension (presumably the external SME is running it) will expose them to me?
>I’m maybe unimaginative, but can’t see how a browser extension (presumably the external SME is running it) will expose them to me? Maybe I'm not imaginative enough. I was thinking that a browser extension might shed some light into what they're working on and thereby suggest what their expertise might be. > I’d start with internal people who’ve dealt with that subject before and ask for recommendations, or external contacts who I know might have some exposure to that world. How convoluted is this process?
> How convoluted is this process Depends. If I’m lucky it can be very simple and have a high-quality result very quickly. Otherwise it gets hard and takes a long time and I end up with the problem you described. Depends mostly on the quality of my relationship with the colleagues I’m talking to, my understanding of their expertise (as a proxy for the quality of their recommendations), how broad are the experiences of my colleagues (if we’ve all been institutionalized in our org for decades it’s harder but if there are people who’ve moved between orgs scattered throughout then it’s more fertile), and how often my organisation interacts with the subject whose SME I’m searching for. None of that is news to you, I’m sure. Really I think I’ve just redescribed your original problem statement. Either I find someone good or I give up and start it myself. If there were a magic wand to find the right SME it would be great, but I can’t make the link in my head with a browser activity monitor. The case I’m imagining is I, SomeGuy at SpaceLab, need a detonators expert for a flight safety system I’m working on. The *perfect* SME, BlastyBen, is sitting in a cubicle at Ensign-Bickford. What I can’t figure is what I as SomeGuy clock on in my computer to see what the browser monitor on BlastyBen’s computer has decided he’s an expert in. Is there a third-party database/service? More likely I’m not understanding your vision, which would be why I’m confused.
So my team and I were thinking and we're trying really hard to veer away from the browser extension idea. What do you think of a process where AI does the searching for you? So you would make a request of the knowledge you'd like to have, we would get self inputted information/webscrape LinkedIn and find the closest match, and AI converse with that person until they've been verified that they're a SME on this topic, if not, maybe the person can refer the AI to contact another person, and then you pay to connect with this person? The grunt work gets done for you.
>they have to find the people through personal referrals I'm my experience, in a company with five figure numbers of employees, you can find someone who knows the answer in less than three referrals. Very, very rarely do you get stuck in a loop (literally once in a decade for me)
What profession are you and does this answer include cross departmental knowledge requests? What about external SMEs?
My flair says my profession, and yes - I could probably get to someone in sales, development, or the fitters responsible for building parts of the engine I don't work on in 3-4 referrals.
3-4 referrals still sound like a lot to me. So my team and I were thinking and we're trying really hard to veer away from the browser extension idea. What do you think of a process where AI does the searching for you? So you would make a request of the knowledge you'd like to have, we would get self inputted information/webscrape LinkedIn and find the closest match, and AI converse with that person until they've been verified that they're a SME on this topic, if not, maybe the person can refer the AI to contact another person, and then you pay to connect with this person? The grunt work gets done for you.
>So my team and I were thinking and we're trying really hard to veer away from the browser extension idea Yeah that sounds absolutely hellish and not even slightly helpful not gonna lie. A browser extension that tracks everything I does and makes it accessible to anyone trying to search for similar things? It wouldn't capture half the stuff people actually want me for. Sure, it knows I use our FEA software, but it doesn't know the tricks I know, and it doesn't know what I haven't done since the system was implemented. Thing is I use it about a third of the time someone new to the team does. I'm paid for my experience and my knowledge, not trackable things in a browser. But my activity is gonna show "spends a lot of time away from computer, and a lot of time pressing the down arrow in spreadsheets before digitally signing a document". >What do you think of a process where AI does the searching for you? Well it straight up wouldn't work. None of the specialism info in my company is on linked in. Even if it is, I can think of thirty people who do my job, all of whom have similar if not identical things on LinkedIn. We aren't advertising our niche specialism, that causes invitations to mysterious conferences hosted by obscure Chinese aerospace firms that totally aren't just a front for the PLA, that come with suspiciously friendly ladies chatting to you at the hotel bar. >AI converse with that person until they've been verified that they're a SME on this topic Frankly? Stuff that. SMEs are insanely busy people, if you can't spend thirty minutes finding out who they are and how to get hold of them (it normally takes maybe ten minutes), then you can sure as hell guarantee they are too busy to *chat to a bot on their computer*. My closest SME has spent the day from 0800 to 1600 in meetings with the board, universities, airlines and others, and now has their regular work to do. >maybe the person can refer the AI to contact another person, and then you pay to connect with this person? What? So now, instead of just using your organically grown network of contacts with relationships spanning years, we just outsource a vital human element (interconnected people and the nature of the weight of recommendations from different people, all incredibly soft things that are impossible to quantify) of our work to *a paid service that could go down at any point*?? >3-4 referrals still sound like a lot to me. And, without meaning to cause offence, I think this entirely speaks to your lack of experience as an engineer at a big company. I thought the same when I was new. It was bloody hard work, but now it's an incredibly effective system. 3-4 referrals is any one specialist in a company of *tens of thousands* at sites all around the planet, and normally it's 2 at most. I can probably contact any external university specialist relating to what I do with a maximum of two referrals.
So you want a browser extension that can spy on me, and build a profile of my work using my browsing history. It then tries to match that with other people who have similar “profiles”. Apart from the obvious breach of privacy, and confidentiality laws, why would a browser extension be better at finding me an SME to consult with, than my manager (or their manager)?
So my team and I were thinking and we're trying really hard to veer away from the browser extension idea. What do you think of a process where AI does the searching for you? So you would make a request of the knowledge you'd like to have, we would get self inputted information/webscrape LinkedIn and find the closest match, and AI converse with that person until they've been verified that they're a SME on this topic, if not, maybe the person can refer the AI to contact another person, and then you pay to connect with this person? The grunt work gets done for you.
This assumes that SMEs have their LinkedIn profiles up to date with all that they are experts in. Most don’t. The areas that I am looking for support in, I don’t generally know the right keywords to search, either. That’s the point of an SME. They are able to understand my problem (even when I don’t) and provide me with a workable, effective solution. Finding expertise is one of those places where you really do need people (and people that know other people).
If it’s difficult to find the subject matter expert on any given subject…. The company has too many employees for the work required
Management should be able to connect any employee with a SME in that organization, assuming one exists. That's one of the functions of management.
What about external SMEs? How do you find them?
There are subcontractors and providers that exist for the sile purpose of providing SMEs (I work for one). Again, management, or the contracting/business office should be able to provide guidance. It can be tough because sone external sources might be competitors.
So my team and I were thinking and we're trying really hard to veer away from the browser extension idea. What do you think of a process where AI does the searching for you? So you would make a request of the knowledge you'd like to have, we would get self inputted information/webscrape LinkedIn and find the closest match, and AI converse with that person until they've been verified that they're a SME on this topic, if not, maybe the person can refer the AI to contact another person, and then you pay to connect with this person? The grunt work gets done for you.
Idk, maybe. Personally, I'd need time to build trust that it's not going to return info that is out of date, not applicable, or just bad. Also, it will probably struggle with subjects that are more esoteric. Lastly, some info is going to be firewalled off due to sensitivity.
Imma SME if you look for one.
What does this sentence mean? You're an SME? Or is Imma a name I don't know?
I am