Senate Efficiency Review (SER) Wave One projects Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) Presentation for Registry Staff meeting 27November 2014

What is a SME? A SME is a Subject Matter Expert and….. like all the Project Team members, SMEs need to understand their roles.

SMEs Subject Matter Experts SMEs have special, in-depth knowledge of a business area (eg, matriculation, advising, mark reporting, decision-making on international qualifications, thesis submissions, etc.) that enhances a Project Team's understanding of a given legacy process…. So each project will have its own SMEs. A SME is a stakeholder for a business team which means that when the SME is with the Project Team s/he is acting as a business ambassador for one area of the business (eg, UG Team, CSA Team, PGR Team, etc.) I am not expecting SMEs to co-locate (ie, sit together) with the Project Team. Instead, SMEs will be called out of the office to work alongside the Project Team for a morning, afternoon or even up to 3 days a week. Budget has been agreed for Teams who have SMEs working on a project so there may be funds available for overtime, if that is appropriate, or there may be funds to bring in temporary support staff. The actual arrangements will be Team specific.

SMEs Subject Matter Experts SMEs help to keep focus on the agreed MoSCoW priorities. These priorities are set up front at the beginning of each timebox. They are taken from the master list of High Level Requirements (HLRs) agreed by the Project Team at the start of the project. SMEs will help to determine what is in and what is out of a particular timebox iteration. SMEs help to determine whether change requests during an iteration are adding value to the end user and/or the project at that stage. Each SME plays a critical role in defining business needs, test requirements, and software functionality.

SMEs Subject Matter Experts SMEs need to have recognised expertise and authority for a given business process usually because the SME has worked in the area for some time and knows the processes inside and out. Along with their business process knowledge, SMEs will be expected to have good communication skills and need to be prepared to act as a trainer, approver, knowledge sharer or reviewer at different times during the project. SMEs may even be asked to help design the architecture of a new software system.

SMEs Subject Matter Experts Here are some things SMEs may be asked to do: Help answer questions associated with the design of the current system including its features and its capabilities. Help to choose or review test cases associated with the testing that will be done in a timebox. Give opinion on the design and construction of test cases and business scenarios. Validate results from testing. Ensure that requirements have coverage during testing. Help validate the specific user requirements being developed in a timebox. Help refine and determine feasibility, correctness, and completeness of end-user's requirements. Help developers walk through codes in software developments (eg, status codes, CBKs, course change functionality, automations, etc.).

SMEs Subject Matter Experts To help SMEs be productive throughout the project, the Project Manager will ensure in writing that: SME have well-defined tasks, deliverables, and due dates. Before arriving at a meeting, the SME will have had the opportunity to ask questions about his/her role at the meeting to ensure that s/he understands it clearly.