SME Guide

Subject Matter Expert Guide | Articulate Rise

📌 Overview

The Subject Matter Expert (SME) Guide for Conceptual Training is a self-paced eLearning module designed to equip SMEs with a clear understanding of their role in the training development process.

Built to support consistency across multiple instructional designers and projects, the guide outlines best practices, expectations, and workflows for collaborating on conceptual training initiatives. It serves both as an onboarding resource for new SMEs and as an ongoing reference tool throughout the project lifecycle.

🧩 The Challenge

Gaps around SME involvement in training development historically led to misalignment around expectations, delays in deliverables, and inconsistent participation in review cycles.

Because each instructional designer on our team typically manages their own projects independently, there was no standardized resource to help onboard SMEs or clarify their involvement. Our team of designers needed a unified, scalable solution that would:

Define SME roles and responsibilities
Clarify deliverables and timelines across different types of training
Standardize the review process and expectations around feedback quality and format

✅ The Solution

To address this, I developed a centralized and reusable eLearning guide that could be assigned to SMEs at the start of any training development project. The guide:

Explains the training development lifecycle and where SME contributions fit
Clarifies what to expect in terms of time commitment, deliverables, and collaboration
Standardizes review cycles and feedback expectations across all instructional designers
Includes tips and tools SMEs can refer back to throughout the duration of a project

This solution created alignment across the team and improved the onboarding and engagement of SMEs in training efforts.

🧠 Design Challenge

One key design challenge was creating a resource that worked across varying instructional designers and project types, without being too generic or too prescriptive. The guide had to be flexible enough to apply broadly, but specific enough to provide value regardless of the training format.

I addressed this by:

Using a modular structure to let SMEs access only the sections most relevant to their current stage of involvement
Incorporating interactive components and real-world examples to maintain engagement
Designing for reusability, so the guide could serve as both an initial training and an ongoing reference throughout any project

🎯 Audience & Delivery

Target Audience: Subject Matter Experts from across the organization who contribute to training projects—ranging from product experts to department leads.

Delivery Method: The guide is delivered as a formal training assignment prior to the kickoff to new training development projects, with flexibility for SMEs to revisit it as needed. Its on-demand format supports just-in-time reference and helps maintain consistent standards regardless of which instructional designer is leading a given initiative.

🛠 Tools Used

Bringing the SME Guide to life required a thoughtful blend of design, animation, and visual communication tools to ensure the resource was both informative and engaging:

Articulate Rise – Served as the primary development platform for the guide, allowing for clean, responsive design and seamless content organization
Vyond – Used to create a supplemental animated video that explained the learning model and SME involvement in a visually engaging format
Visio – Enabled mapping of project workflows, review cycles, and role clarity through collaborative process diagrams
Canva – Supported the creation of branded visual graphics, icons, and layouts to elevate the visual quality and align with Majesco’s style guide

This toolset allowed the guide to function not just as a training module, but as a polished, practical resource SMEs could return to throughout their project involvement.

🧑‍💻 My Role

I led the initiative to create this SME guide from the ground up, identifying the need for a standardized resource based on recurring challenges across multiple training projects. I proposed the idea to our team manager after analyzing historical feedback and pinpointing consistent pain points shared by both SMEs and instructional designers. These included unclear roles, time commitments, inconsistent review cycles, and varied expectations around feedback quality and timelines.

From there, I:

Conducted a needs analysis to define pain points from both SME and designer perspectives
Outlined content that addressed the full training lifecycle, with actionable guidance tailored to each stage
Developed guide variations to align with our three core training formats—Conceptual, Functional, and Technical
Designed and built the eLearning guide using Articulate tools, ensuring it was modular, interactive, and reusable
Piloted the guide as the instructional designer on a live project, incorporating it into onboarding and communication workflows
Introduced complementary project management enhancements, including a standardized task management process and a post-project SME survey to collect actionable feedback for continuous improvement

This initiative not only streamlined SME onboarding but also improved consistency, collaboration, and transparency across projects managed by different instructional designers on our team.

▶️ Experience the Guide Firsthand

Want to explore the resource in action? View the Majesco Subject Matter Expert Guide for Conceptual Training in full below. This interactive module offers a first-hand look at how SMEs are supported throughout the training development process—from understanding their role to giving effective feedback and navigating review cycles.

Note: This version is provided for portfolio demonstration purposes only. Content may not be reused or redistributed.

Email | LinkedIn