Challenge Your SMEs

In certain industries, organizations often deliver similar project types for every client—most commonly, standardized implementations. From a project perspective, these efforts become predictable and repetitive: the same project executed for a different client. While this might seem to foster a sense of comfort or operational efficiency, it also presents a subtle but significant risk.

The core issue is that experience without challenge leads to familiarity, but not necessarily to value creation. Consider the subject matter experts (SMEs) within your organization. What truly qualifies someone as an SME? Is it simply repetition and memorization of the same process, or is it the ability to be challenged, to adapt, and to contribute meaningfully beyond routine execution?

Real value emerges when understanding is deep enough to foster innovation and creative problem-solving. It lies not in the repetitive or the routine—not even in the SME designation itself—but in the ability to apply expertise in new and evolving contexts.

Over time, one can become proficient in many subjects, but the real question is: can that proficiency translate into meaningful contributions when the situation calls for critical thinking or innovation?

We've seen firsthand how SMEs can excel at explaining a process step by step yet struggle when asked to think beyond the established framework. In today’s dynamic environment, it's not enough to know the process—you must also be able to reimagine it.