Functional Knowledge in a Technical World

For many jobs that utilize software in their business operations you often only need to have functional knowledge and not deep technical knowledge.

Because some of the people I interact with know I had a long career in the software technology field, they assumed I possessed advanced software technical skills. I did not.

Well, the truth is that in the past I did possess what would be considered advanced technical skills. I used to be able to code software. I was once certified as an expert in a certain type of database software. I was able to write extremely complex macros to extend application functionality.

But those skills waned over time despite me having a successful career in software technology for decades. I morphed from a technical expert to a functional expert.

What’s the difference between functional and technical knowledge?

Functional knowledge pertains to a real world understanding about how things work within a specific context or business environment.

Technical knowledge pertains to expertise in one or more specific techniques or tools used to achieve a particular result.

So, while someone with a history of working within a certain field (something like the financial sector) might understand the whys and…