Software engineer,
teacher, and efficiency expert.
Framework for Working with an Expert
By Chance Smith
At Sodium Halogen, we hire experts to help advise on projects as we make progress. We’re experts hiring experts. It’s an investment for helping us achieve the business outcome our client has asked us to solve. Having the expert with us is an insurance policy.
These experts we hire are masters at their craft. Here is how we work well together.
How the expert helps us win
- We don’t know what we don’t know: The expert uses their experience and expertise to help us see the mistakes we’re making and prevent potential roadblocks.
- High-impact/Low-effort: They help us keep the work simple and stay focused on the priority.
- Push rather than pull: As we’re in the weeds and hesitant to use their time and brain poorly, they help by engaging with us and adding value anyway they think will bring big wins to the project.
- Easier to edit than create: They provide examples and sample solutions to problems but never do the work.
How we help the expert win
- We share an Asana project to see upcoming work and what bugs are popping up from the client.
- Assign at least one collection of completed work to review each week.
- Send progress on the latest work.
- Share a weekly digest of upcoming work (priorities), roadblocks, and worries.
What the expert does not do
The expert consults. They don’t do the work for us. They are tasked to observe the work on the horizon and give recommendations about future work.
You don’t want the expert to take ownership of the work being done. Once the expert starts doing the work for your team, they then become the owner of that work. All future questions and requests will be directed to the expert. Help your expert stay out of the implementation work.
Try it out: Hire an expert
Find an expert that can consult on the work you have ahead. Hire them for 3 months using the above framework.
Our team gives expertise in hiring, training team members, software development processes, strategy workshops, and interactive exercises. Reach out to us about any project you have running.