In regulated life sciences environments, procedures, reports, and technical documents form the foundation of compliance. Standard operating procedures, validation protocols, investigation reports, and work instructions must accurately describe how work is performed and provide clear, repeatable guidance to those executing tasks.
Yet many organizations struggle to produce documentation that truly reflects reality. Critical knowledge often resides in the heads of subject matter experts (SMEs) - engineers, scientists, operators, and technicians who understand processes deeply but may not communicate them clearly or completely in writing. The result is a gap between what is written and what actually happens on the floor, creating risk for errors, deviations, and inspection findings.
This webinar focuses on closing that gap by teaching practical techniques for extracting and translating SME knowledge into usable, compliant documentation. Participants will learn how to engage experts effectively, ask the right questions, and uncover the tacit or "tribal" knowledge that is rarely captured in formal procedures. Many SMEs explain processes verbally or assume certain steps are obvious, leaving critical details undocumented. Others provide highly technical explanations that overwhelm readers or obscure key actions. Without structured methods for gathering and organizing information, writers often end up with procedures that are either incomplete or unnecessarily complex.
The session introduces proven interviewing and observation strategies that help writers move beyond surface explanations. Techniques such as process walk-throughs, shadowing, and scenario-based questioning reveal how tasks are truly performed, including decision points, exceptions, and informal workarounds. Participants will learn how to convert these insights into clear, actionable steps that support consistent performance and regulatory compliance. Emphasis is placed on distinguishing between essential instructions and background theory, ensuring that procedures remain focused and usable.
Another key challenge addressed is managing conflicting inputs. Different SMEs may describe the same process in different ways based on personal habits or historical practices. Without careful facilitation, documentation can become inconsistent or overly complicated. Participants will explore methods to reconcile disagreements, standardize approaches, and document decisions using objective evidence rather than preference.
Finally, the webinar covers techniques for simplifying complex science and avoiding over-technical language. Clear, concise writing reduces cognitive load, improves comprehension, and decreases the likelihood of errors. By applying plain-language principles, logical structure, and visual aids, organizations can create documents that support performance rather than hinder it.
By combining effective SME engagement with practical writing strategies, participants will gain a repeatable process for producing documentation that is accurate, clear, and inspection-ready - ultimately improving both operational reliability and compliance outcomes.
Why should you Attend:
If you’ve ever struggled to turn expert knowledge into clear, usable procedures — or found that your SOPs don’t match what actually happens on the floor — this webinar will give you the tools to fix the problem. You’ll learn how to interview and observe SMEs effectively, capture hidden or “tribal” knowledge, resolve conflicting inputs, and translate complex technical details into simple, actionable instructions that people can follow consistently. By improving how you gather and communicate information, you’ll create stronger documentation, reduce deviations and rework, and produce audit-ready procedures and reports that truly reflect real-world operations
Areas Covered in the Session:
