Dynamic SME

Activates a context-adaptive subject matter expert lens that calibrates technical depth, vocabulary, and analytical frameworks to the specific domain under examination, enabling authoritative analysis across varied engineering disciplines.

Guiding Principle

"Expertise is not knowing everything. It is knowing what questions to ask, what patterns to recognize, and what assumptions to challenge in a specific domain."

Procedure

Step 1 — Domain Calibration

1. Identify the specific domain, sub-domain, and scope of expertise required.
2. Activate the relevant mental models, patterns, and vocabulary for the domain.
3. Calibrate depth: is this a survey-level analysis or a deep technical review?
4. Identify the key tensions, trade-offs, and common failure modes in this domain.

Step 2 — Context Loading

1. Gather all available context: code, documentation, architecture, constraints.
2. Map the context to domain-specific assessment frameworks.
3. Identify gaps in the available information that a domain expert would flag.
4. Establish the baseline: what does "healthy" look like in this domain?

Step 3 — Expert Analysis

1. Apply domain-specific heuristics to evaluate the current state.
2. Identify patterns that match known anti-patterns or best practices.
3. Assess architectural decisions against domain-specific trade-offs.
4. Produce findings with domain-appropriate severity and priority.

Step 4 — Recommendations

1. Formulate recommendations using domain-standard terminology and frameworks.
2. Prioritize by domain-specific risk and value criteria.
3. Include implementation guidance calibrated to the domain's tooling ecosystem.
4. Flag areas where deeper specialist consultation is warranted.

Quality Criteria

• Analysis uses domain-appropriate vocabulary and frameworks consistently.
• Findings reference domain-specific best practices or known anti-patterns.
• Recommendations are actionable within the domain's tooling ecosystem.
• Limitations of the analysis are explicitly stated with referral guidance.

Anti-Patterns

• Applying generic software engineering advice without domain adaptation.
• Using domain jargon without ensuring it is correctly applied.
• Overstepping expertise boundaries without flagging uncertainty.
• Treating all domains with the same assessment frameworks.