Copyright 2010 – Bruce Madole, CMC Expert Interviewers?

Does the SR&ED world have room for the expert interviewer?

Based in part on my initial readings on the subject of cognitive interviewing, I

have concluded that there is something to be gained by the application of improved

interviewing techniques to SR&ED practice. This leads me to consider a second question:

how essential is it that the SR&ED practitioner be a scientist, expert developer, or an

engineer?

A quick scan of the recruitment advertising for the world of SR&ED Practitioner

Firms identifies three distinct types of posting. Apart from SR&ED experience, often

considered a “nice-to-have”, the Practitioner Firms tend to be seeking engineers and

scientists (all kinds), tax accountants, and, less frequently, technical writers. In-house

SR&ED teams follow a similar pattern.

Given that SR&ED practice divides down the middle between the “science” and

“costing” sides of the work, the allocation of these skill sets is easily done: scientists do

the science bit, and the accountants ensure that the costing and taxation sides align.

Technical writers seem to be more frequently employed under the auspices of smaller

practitioner firms, and often assigned the role of “wordsmithing” a project description,

with or without the input of an advisory “science expert” who would have pronounced on

the eligibility of the work. (Occasionally, a technical writer will be asked to write up the

project in complete ignorance of the scope or nature of the costs actually being claimed –

almost a guarantee of a sub-standard project description.) In general, the technical writer

types are a kind of “poor relation” or second-class citizen in the world of SR&ED

practice, unless they happen to possess some of the “scientist” qualifications discussed.

This document is the property of Bruce Madole, CMC, and is used by permission. All rights are reserved. The opinions expressed herein are personal, created for entertainment
and information purposes, and are not intended to be relied on in place of professional counsel or advice. No part of this document may be re-used, transmitted or re-transmitted
without the express prior written consent of the author, who can be contacted at: brucemadole@sympatico.ca
Copyright 2010 – Bruce Madole, CMC Expert Interviewers?

However, before we take that thought any further, we should consider the roles of

those whose scientific expertise is commonly recruited. Most Practitioner Firms (and the

CRA itself) argue strongly that it takes a SR&ED Scientist (using the phrase generically

to mean a Technical SME of any background) to assess the scientific eligibility of claims.

Usually, the Practitioners and the CRA will put forward the notion that SR&ED

Scientists are assigned to help prepare or review claims based on a technically relevant

skill-set and experience.

In practice, it’s not true.

The demands of consulting practice (and apparently, of claim review) frequently

result in the use of technical interviewers or claim reviewers who have, ultimately, an

area of specific technical competence and at the minimum, a strong awareness of “what

SR&ED looks like” based on their own technical backgrounds and their growing

experience (and exposure to specific industry groups) as SR&ED practitioners. So the

requirement for specifically applicable skill-sets and qualifications rapidly morphs into a

broader awareness of the SR&ED domain, in which experience and SR&ED knowledge

supersede specific competencies. SR&ED “Scientists” are frequently cross-assigned to

areas where their experience and detailed SR&ED knowledge are expected to carry them

through.

The experienced practitioner, working away from his or her own preferred subject

domain, will recognize the signs of SR&ED, and will ask the necessary questions from

the SME they are interviewing, such as: “how does this problem go beyond the

boundaries of standard practice?” and “Why was this an advancement?”. They will, in

This document is the property of Bruce Madole, CMC, and is used by permission. All rights are reserved. The opinions expressed herein are personal, created for entertainment
and information purposes, and are not intended to be relied on in place of professional counsel or advice. No part of this document may be re-used, transmitted or re-transmitted
without the express prior written consent of the author, who can be contacted at: brucemadole@sympatico.ca
Copyright 2010 – Bruce Madole, CMC Expert Interviewers?

effect, supplement their own backgrounds with the voice and experience and judgment of

the SME who did the work.

This doesn’t always work out well, but often enough, it works.

As discussed in my previous article on Cognitive Interviewing, sometimes the

“SR&ED Scientist” assigned to prepare or review a claim may “overlay” the interviewing

or the review process with their own prior knowledge, experience and assumptions, to the

extent that those experiences and assumptions are allowed to interfere with the

interviewing or assessment processes. The very knowledge and experience that we

demand of them may prevent them from understanding what they are being told, or

indeed, from listening or perceiving with an open mind. It’s easy to rush to judgment, and

there are strong pressures to do so.

However, given that the SRED Scientists do not always end up applying their

skills in their precise areas of expertise, and given that SR&ED knowledge becomes

increasingly vital, might there not be a place within the SR&ED practitioner team for an

expert interviewer (whether or not that person was a SR&ED Scientist by training?) And

conversely, might there not be some real gains to be made, in SR&ED practice, by

ensuring that SR&ED practitioners receive some training in advanced interviewing

techniques? That is, I hope, more food for thought.

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This document is the property of Bruce Madole, CMC, and is used by permission. All rights are reserved. The opinions expressed herein are personal, created for entertainment
and information purposes, and are not intended to be relied on in place of professional counsel or advice. No part of this document may be re-used, transmitted or re-transmitted
without the express prior written consent of the author, who can be contacted at: brucemadole@sympatico.ca