Link: http://www.etc-architect.com/?p=774
From ETC-Architect
When I talk about a domain I do not mean the mathematical domain definition where the parameters defining the boundaries of the domain and sufficient mappings into a set of ranges including itself are not well enough understood to provide a systematic description of the domain. Instead I use the domain definition as a minimal set of sources for mappings relative to the problem a specific instance of applying Occam’s Razor.
As such the domain or the problem domain refers to the area of expertise or application that needs to be examined to solve a problem. The problem however is that often the expertise is the main reason that a problem is not solved. I for example was appointed last year to create a standard for retail banking product description in two month. The problem with assignment was that product description such as current accounts, loan, credit card, etc. with all of their many facets such as overdraft, eligibility, interest rates, fees, benefits, features, etc. are not described any where else, so you need to start at zero. With a lot of overtime I got the standard out in time and while it still needs changes it was good enough to make the biggest 9 banks report against it. I had no expertise in retail banking apart from working in investment banking and 4 month working in the Finance department of a bank. All the experts with industry knowledge either told it was impossible (as there were several failed attempts earlier) or that it would take at least ten times the time.
I have encountered similar things myself in the past in other areas and while I can see some convincing arguments for problem domain expertise, I personally are not convinced that the expertise actually amounts to anything.
