Conducting Successful Interviews With Project Stakeholders

A simple, semi-structured, one-on-one interview can provide a very rich source of insights. Interviews work very well for gaining insights from both internal and external stakeholders, as well as from actual users of a system under consideration. Though, in this column, I'll focus on stakeholder interviews rather than user interviews.

Baty, Steve. UXmatters (2007). Articles>Collaboration>Interviewing

Effective Interviewing: Get the Story  

In this article, Geoffrey Hart offers the following tips on how to interview a subject matter expert (SME) for reliable, comprehensive, timely information:

Hart, Geoffrey J.S. Intercom (2000). Articles>Interviewing>Collaboration

Techniques for Successful SME Interviews  

Lambe offers tips for gathering information from SMEs.

Lambe, Jennifer L. Intercom (2000). Articles>Interviewing>Collaboration>SMEs

Tips for Tech Writers Interviewing Engineers: Building a Strong Relationship with Developers

Outside of the formal SME interview, a writer's relationship with engineers and experts is built on trust, respect, and a little bit of bribery.

Bryant, Stephanie. Suite101 (2008). Articles>Collaboration>Interviewing>SMEs

What Questions You Should Ask at a SOW Meeting

At times, though, a writer is a bit overwhelmed at the start-of-work meeting. He becomes passive and takes in everything the client lays out without asking for more. That can result in some information that’s very important to the writer being missed.

Adar, Bryan S. Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Collaboration>Interviewing>SMEs