When I was a young design engineer, I quickly became the go-to expert in AutoCAD and Mechanical Desktop—back before Inventor and Vault even hit the scene. I didn’t ask for that title. It came because I was curious, quick to learn, and willing to help my team. I became the internal SME—before I even knew what that meant.
At first, it felt like a compliment. My team relied on me. I was solving problems that others couldn’t. I was asked to travel to other offices to train employees and be the internal go to. But I quickly realized something else: my time became more valuable to the team, but less valuable to my projects.
And that’s where everything began to unravel.
The Hidden Cost of Being the SME
Despite being constantly pulled into other people's work, my billable hours still had to go toward my own project deliverables. No time was allocated for the “helping” I was doing. Eventually, I got “talked to” about my own projects slipping. The only way to fix it? Work longer hours. So I did.
What followed was predictable: burnout, resentment, and frustration. So I quit—and went to another engineering firm. But within months, I was once again the in-house SME. And once again, the cycle repeated.
That’s when I realized: the problem wasn’t me. The problem was the system.
Most SMEs get overwhelmed because they’re the only source of truth in the building. That’s a training problem. That’s an operations problem. That’s an HR problem. And ultimately—a CEO problem.
And that’s when the blame game starts:
“I just can’t find good talent,” in a country of ~210 million working-aged people.
Consulting Opened My Eyes
When I finally left to start working at resellers/consulting firms, I began working with multiple firms—big and small—and I saw the exact same dynamic playing out everywhere:
• SMEs getting crushed under the weight of “quick questions”
• Project managers expecting delivery without accounting for all the extra help
• Company leaders underappreciating just how much tribal knowledge lived in one person’s head
And worst of all: no one had a plan to fix it.
Sales Opened My Eyes Even Wider!
For years I was involved in sales from a technical sales perspective. I generally divorced myself from most customer conversations and hearing many customer problems, until I was asked to get involved (mainly because I was busy consulting, supporting and training other customers).
When I took a full-time sales position, I found out quickly that my past experience was far more common than I realized.
In conversations with COOs, CEOs, directors, and managers, the same problems kept coming up:
Their SMEs were working insane hours. Standards weren’t being followed. And sadly, most new hires—fresh out of college—understood the theory of their degrees, but had very little practical experience. Many had to be trained from the ground up.
And worst of all: no one had a plan—or even a clue—how to fix it.
Fast forward to today—and that experience is exactly why I founded Cedar Rock Consulting and partnered with Global eTraining. Because fixing this isn’t about telling SMEs to “just say no”—it’s about redesigning the way companies train, support, and structure their teams.
Let me explain how.
1. Training – Redistribute the Knowledge, Not the Burnout
Most SMEs get overwhelmed because they’re the only source of truth in the building. That’s a training problem.
With Global eTraining, firms can onboard and upskill their staff without draining their internal experts. Learners get interactive, 24/7 access to training on everything from CAD and BIM to project delivery systems and ISO workflows.
At Cedar Rock, we help Manufacturing Engineering and AEC teams:
• Roll out structured, trackable training programs
• Reduce SME interruptions by building internal competence
• Align learning content with real workflows using tools like Autodesk Build, Revit, Vault, and more
Result: SMEs can finally breathe. Projects move faster. Teams grow stronger.
2. AI – Empower People Without Bottlenecks
When I was an SME, I answered the same questions over and over. Now, those same answers can be delivered instantly—by AI.
GIA, the intelligent assistant inside Global eTraining, allows users to type a question and get a real-time, AI-generated answer—backed by both the GeT course library and broader web resources. Instead of, "Go ask your SME" it's now, "Go ask Gia. If Gia doesn't know, then ask your SME."
We help teams:
• Integrate GIA into their toolsets for just-in-time support
• Use AI to surface the right training at the right time
• Minimize constant SME disruptions with always-on assistance
Result: SMEs aren’t human chatbots anymore—AI handles the repetitive stuff.
3. Outsourcing – Bring in Strategic Help When It’s Needed
If your SME is expected to manage CAD standards, configure Vault, troubleshoot errors, and train the team—they’re doing four jobs. That’s not sustainable.
At Cedar Rock Consulting, we give firms access to fractional experts in:
• CAD/BIM Management
• Data standards and Vault/Fusion workflows
• Construction and collaboration platforms
• Custom training and documentation
This allows internal teams to stay focused while we handle the backend setup, tech stack alignment, or surge support.
Result: You get expert support—without overloading your in-house talent.
4. Promoting – Recognize and Reward the Role
The most frustrating part of being an SME wasn’t the extra work. It was the lack of recognition.
SMEs often hold together the technical foundation of a firm, yet their contributions are invisible to the timesheet—and their growth path is unclear.
We work with leadership teams to:
• Define and formalize the SME role
• Build in incentives, promotion paths, or stipends
• Clarify job expectations (Is this a project engineer? A trainer? A system admin?)
And when the role just doesn’t fit the individual anymore, we help transition that responsibility to an outsourced model that works better for everyone.
Result: No more invisible labor. SMEs are empowered—or offloaded.
Final Thoughts: Stop Burning Out Your Best People
I don’t regret becoming the expert. But I do regret how unsupported that role was—by structure, by leadership, and by process.
At Cedar Rock Consulting, we’re committed to ending the burnout loop for SMEs and helping firms build scalable systems that grow with their people—not at their expense.
With the power of structured training, AI-driven support, and external expertise, your team can stop treading water—and start moving forward.
Let’s fix this together.