A subject-matter expert (SME) or domain expert is a person who
is an expert in a particular area or topic. The term domain
expert is frequently used in expert systems software
development, and there the term always refers to the domain
other than the software domain. A domain expert is a person with
special knowledge or skills in a particular area of endeavor. An
accountant is an expert in the domain of accountancy, for
example. The development of accounting software requires
knowledge in two different domains, namely accounting and
software. Some of the development workers may be experts in one
domain and not the other. SME should also have basic knowledge
on other technical subjects. In general, the term is used when
developing materials (a book, an examination, a manual, etc.)
about a topic, and expertise on the topic is needed by the
personnel developing the material. For example, tests are often
created by a team of psychometricians and a team of subject
matter experts. The psychometricians understand ho