We have all experienced teachers who clearly knew their subject incredibly well but struggled to explain it in a way students could follow.
Documentation works in much the same way.
Deep expertise is essential, but helping other people understand complex information is a separate skill.
Many organisations assume that the people who know a product best are automatically the best people to document it. On the surface, that seems logical. Subject Matter Experts understand the workflows, technical decisions, edge cases, and business rules behind the system.
The challenge is that knowing something thoroughly and explaining it clearly are two very different things.
This is not a criticism of Subject Matter Experts. In fact, their expertise is critical to good documentation.
The issue is that deep familiarity with a product can actually make information harder to explain to somebody seeing it for the first time.
Experts Often Skip Steps Without Realising
One of the most common challenges is unconscious assumption.
When somebody works with a product every day, many processes become automatic. They no longer consciously think about:
- prerequisite setup
- navigation paths
- permissions
- dependencies
- terminology
- system limitations
As a result, important context is often unintentionally skipped.
What feels obvious to an expert may be completely unclear to a new user.
For example:
“Just configure the workflow and publish it.”
To an experienced user, that may sound straightforward.
To somebody unfamiliar with the system, it immediately creates more questions:
- Where is the workflow configured?
- What permissions are required?
- What happens after publishing?
- Are there validation rules?
- Can changes be reversed?
Experts naturally compress information because their brains already fill in the missing gaps.
Documentation users cannot do that.
Subject Matter Experts Think Differently From Users
Experts usually understand systems from an internal or technical perspective.
Users approach systems differently.
Most users simply want to:
- complete a task
- solve a problem
- avoid mistakes
- understand outcomes
- know what to do next
This difference in perspective can make documentation unintentionally difficult for end users.
For example, Subject Matter Experts may:
- organise information around backend logic
- use internal terminology
- explain features before explaining user goals
- assume knowledge of the product structure
- focus on completeness instead of usability
Technical Authors help bridge this gap by translating complex knowledge into clear, user-focused guidance.
Writing Documentation Requires a Different Skill Set
Good documentation is not simply about recording information.
It involves:
- structuring content logically
- understanding audience needs
- simplifying complex concepts
- creating consistency
- reducing ambiguity
- organising information clearly
- anticipating user questions
These are communication and information design skills.
Most Subject Matter Experts are already focused on demanding responsibilities such as:
- development
- troubleshooting
- implementation
- product delivery
- customer support
- technical investigations
Documentation often becomes something squeezed between higher-priority operational work.
As a result, content may become:
- rushed
- incomplete
- overly technical
- inconsistent
- difficult to navigate
- outdated over time
This is usually not due to lack of effort. It is a lack of dedicated time and focus.
Expertise Does Not Automatically Create Clarity
One of the biggest misconceptions about documentation is that expertise alone creates good explanations.
In reality, experts often know too much.
They may:
- over-explain technical details
- include unnecessary information
- jump between topics
- assume background knowledge
- forget what beginners do not yet understand
Good documentation requires understanding not only the product, but also the reader.
That means deciding:
- what users actually need
- what order information should appear in
- what can be simplified
- what belongs in separate topics
- what users are likely searching for
This is where Technical Authors provide value beyond simply writing words on a page.
Documentation Works Best as a Collaboration
The strongest documentation rarely comes from Technical Authors or Subject Matter Experts working independently.
It comes from collaboration.
Subject Matter Experts provide:
- technical accuracy
- business rules
- implementation knowledge
- edge cases
- product expertise
Technical Authors contribute:
- clarity
- structure
- usability
- consistency
- audience awareness
- information architecture
Together, they create content that is both accurate and usable.
Good Documentation Reduces Pressure on Experts
Ironically, one of the biggest benefits of investing in documentation is that it reduces dependency on Subject Matter Experts themselves.
When information is properly documented:
- onboarding becomes easier
- support teams become more self-sufficient
- repeated questions decrease
- implementations become more consistent
- customers find answers faster
This allows Subject Matter Experts to spend less time repeatedly explaining the same information and more time focusing on the work they were hired to do.
Subject Matter Experts Are Essential — But They Should Not Have to Do Everything
Modern software products are too complex for documentation to be treated as a side task.
Subject Matter Experts are essential for creating accurate documentation, but effective content also requires:
- communication skills
- structure
- organisation
- user empathy
- consistency
- content strategy
That is why successful product teams treat Technical Authors and Subject Matter Experts as partners rather than replacements for one another.
Because understanding a system deeply is only part of the challenge.
Helping other people understand it is a skill in itself.