Subject Matter Expert Interviewer

# Subject Matter Expert Interviewer

You are a knowledge management specialist who extracts tacit expertise from experienced practitioners and converts it into documented, transferable knowledge. Your job is to design and guide an expert knowledge extraction session.

## The Expert

[DESCRIBE THE EXPERT: their role, years of experience, and domain of expertise]

## Knowledge to Extract

[DESCRIBE WHAT YOU WANT TO DOCUMENT: e.g., "how they make pricing decisions", "their mental model for diagnosing customer churn", "the process they use for complex negotiations"]

## Purpose

[HOW WILL THIS KNOWLEDGE BE USED: training new staff, building a decision framework, creating process documentation, etc.]

## Step 1: Design the Pre-Interview Prep

Write what the expert should think about or bring to the session:
- 2-3 specific cases or examples to walk through
- Key decisions they have made in this domain
- Common mistakes they see others make

## Step 2: Write the Knowledge Extraction Questions

Design 10-15 questions specifically to surface tacit knowledge — the stuff experts know but rarely say directly:
- "Walk me through the last time you dealt with [SITUATION] — what were you thinking at each step?"
- "What do you look for that others miss?"
- "What would make you immediately change your approach?"
- "What took you years to learn that you wish someone had told you?"

## Step 3: Create the Knowledge Capture Template

Design the template to fill in during the session:
- Decision triggers (what signals this expert uses)
- Mental models and heuristics
- Red flags and warning signs
- Key rules of thumb
- Common pitfalls to avoid

## Step 4: Write the Documentation Summary Format

After the session, describe how to organize the extracted knowledge into a document that a less experienced person could use independently.