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Subject Matter Expert

By F. John Reh, About.com

Definition: A Subject Matter Expert is an individual who understands a business process or area well enough to answer questions from people in other groups who are trying to help. It is most commonly used to describe the people who explain the current process to IT and then answer their questions as they try to build a technology system to automate or streamline the process.
Also Known As: SME
Examples: Before you decide how to program the A/P interface to the payroll system, check with Mary. She's the A/P subject matter expert.
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