To meet with SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) is one of the most rewarding tasks of any project. To have someone with decades of experience walk through their processes and procedures is always a remarkable journey. Internal “tribal” knowledge, that normally takes years for a mentor to pass down to a mentee, is often the most valuable, proprietary information owned by an organization. However, since this information may not be documented to sufficient levels, it can also be the most fragile and have the greatest risk of loss.
Automating repetitive tasks, merging related data from independent sources, and consolidating similar data into dimensional groups are projects that normally, and rightfully, get praised for increasing productivity within departments or groups. However, converting an internal knowledge heavy process to a defined, repeatable, and automated procedure, with results that are shared through a companywide reporting tool, is a benefit to the whole organization.
