Define: "SME (Subject Matter Expert)" in Business
Multi-headcount capital waste
"Never admit you are the SME for a legacy system. Feign ignorance or they will never let you work on the new technology."
An individual with deep authoritative knowledge in a specific area or topic.
What does "SME (Subject Matter Expert)" actually mean?
"The one person who actually knows how the infrastructure works guaranteeing they will be dragged into every pointless meeting on the calendar."
"We need to pull the SME into this discussion to ensure the technical requirements are accurate."
"Because Dave is the SME for the legacy BGP architecture he hasn't been able to take a vacation since 2019 without his phone ringing."
By The Chief Waste Officer
18 years in the corporate trenches quantifying waste so you don't have to.
Related Terminology
Tired of hearing this?
Next time someone says "SME (Subject Matter Expert)" in a meeting, track exactly how much company money they just wasted. Play Buzzword Bingo, generate a waste invoice, and stop the bleeding.
