Technical Writer Project Manager
Resume:
Patti Short
***** *. **** **. #** • Arvada, CO • 80004
Voice 303-***-**** • Message (303) 424–9029 • e–mail: *****.*****@*****.***
SUMMARY INFORMATION:
Years of experience: Twelve years as a Technical Writer (internal and external user/training manuals). Eight
years as a Graphic Designer and Desktop Publisher in the printing industry. Two years total
as a Project Manager. Four years hands–on network system administrator experience.
Current/recent job title(s): Technical Writer (Senior / Lead)
Instructional Designer
Business Analyst
Preferred category: Information Technology
Telecommunications
Storage Network Solutions
Medical Devices
Help Desk
Preferred function: Technical Writer (Senior/Lead)
Instructional Design
Business Analyst
Preferred work location(s): Denver Metro
Type of employment: Full time, Contract-to-hire
Key work–related skills: Structured Frame
Framemaker Developer Kit (FDK)
DITA-Open Toolkit
Programming (XML, C++, VB/VBA, some Javascript and PHP)
Agile Product Lifecycle Management (PML)
Online Help Systems (Robohelp, beta tester for Madcap Flare, Author-It)
Microsoft Office Certified Expert (Word, PowerPoint)
Microsoft Advanced Proficiency (Outlook, Excel, SharePoint, Access, Publisher)
Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications, 3rd Edition
Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition
ISO 9000
IEEE Standards Style Manual
Network System Administrator (Windows, Unix, Novell)
Databases (Access, FileMaker Pro, MySQL)
Project Management
User Analysis
User Requirements
Business Processes
Affiliations: Society for Technical Communication
IEEE Computer and Communications Societies
IEEE Standards Association
Highest level of education: Associate of Applied Science Degree in Computer Network Systems Administration
School(s) attended: Denver Technical College, A division of DeVry University
University of Phoenix
Capella University (currently enrolled – Bachelor’s of Information Technology with an
emphasis in Project Management)
Resume: Patti Short–Employment History Page 1 of 1
Patti Short
10288 W. 58th Pl. #89 • Arvada, CO • 80004
Voice 303-***-**** • Message (303) 424–9029 • e–mail: *****.*****@*****.***
OBJECTIVE:
Broad experience in all phases of information development with an emphasis in policy and procedure development,
process development, e–Learning; and a technical emphasis in storage systems, telecommunications, network system
administration, and help desk environments. Additional experience includes writing high–level online help systems.
Combine dedication and commitment to quality control and customer satisfaction. Think analytically, learn quickly,
develop expertise, and produce immediate contributions. Blend leadership, creative, and analytical skills to produce a
challenged and focused environment with bottom-line results.
REPRESENTATIVE PROJECTS AND HIGHLIGHTS:
Managed projects at US West Communications, AT&T Broadband, Qwest, TeleTech Holdings, Sports Authority,
BuilderMT, P2 Energy Solutions, and Covidien.
Developed a systematic process for documenting company policies and procedures at Sports Authority.
Online documentation for Help Desk Professionals; managed and maintained department style guide for the
documentation team at Qwest Communications.
Developed online help for a network storage business solution for ADIC and LSI Logic.
Developed user guides for software conversion projects for the State of Colorado and the State of South Dakota.
Developed a high–level documentation process that included user analysis as well as project wrap–up/evaluation.
Managed and mentored associate level technical writers for their career advancement at TeleTech Holdings,
BuilderMT, P2 Energy Solutions, Ericsson, and Covidien.
Conducted user analysis to determine the needs of the user as well as the goals and objectives of the deliverables.
EMPLOYMENT:
Covidien (Contracted Consultant) 01/09 – Present
Boulder, Colorado
Technical Writer
Research, interview R&D engineers, and write instructions for use and user’s guides for surgical devices using
Structured Framemaker. Work closely with the 3rd party vendor to identify and address necessary changes and/or
issues with the XML application and templates for Framemaker. Develop and write department level policies and
procedures.
Ericsson (Contracted Consultant) 08/08 –12/08
Boulder, Colorado
Technical Writer
Research and write technical documentation, including user guides and reference guides, for telecommunications
infrastructure products using Framemaker 7 and Arbortext Editor.
NCI Inc. / Karta Technologies 04/08 –10/08
San Antonio, TX (Remote Part-time / Project basis only)
Instructional Systems Designer
Work closely with the Training Solutions team to design web-based and instructor-led training for a United States
based Telecommunications Company. Work closely with subject matter experts to create detailed outlines and
storyboards for final deliverables. Additionally, create job aids as necessary.
LSI Logic (Contracted Consultant) 01/08 –07/08
Boulder, Colorado
Technical Writer
Design, develop, and edit online help to support product software for storage systems using GoLive, JavaHelp,
Framemaker 8, Vasont, and ePublisher Pro. Plan and develop user hardware and software documentation that
include operating manuals, installation guides, software configuration instructions, and related help text.
P2 Energy Solutions 03/07 – 01/08
Denver, Colorado
Technical Writer
Develop comprehensive online help using the single-sourcing feature in RoboHelp 5x, which include tutorials,
training material for classroom-based training, release notes, installation guides, and implementation guides. Develop
internal process guide for the other writers that work on other projects. Manage two part-time writers and several
part-time reviewers located in Houston. Additionally, work closely with system developers and testers to gather
information as necessary. Also, work closely with business analysts to develop user requirements, businesses
processes, and workflows for usability and business needs. Conduct thorough user analysis to determine the needs of
the user as well as the goals and objectives of the deliverables.
Resume: Patti Short–Employment History Page 1 of 4
Patti Short
10288 W. 58th Pl. #89 • Arvada, CO • 80004
Voice 303-***-**** • Message (303) 424–9029 • e–mail: *****.*****@*****.***
Motorola (Contracted Consultant) 12/05 – 03/07
Boulder, Colorado
Technical Writer
Develop internal process user guide and training material for Rational ClearQuest database using FrameMaker 7.1.
Write release notes for multiple Public Safety products and maintain documentation changes using FrameMaker 7.1,
and compile online help using WebWorks 8 for FrameMaker. Work closely with system developers, business analysts,
and testers to gather information.
BuilderMT 08/05–12/05
Lakewood, Colorado
Lead Technical Writer/Instructional Designer
Develop, design, and implement training solutions in web–based, CBT, and instructor–led classes using the
Instructional Design Process known as ADDIE. Develop the company Documentation Process and educate the
company about the differences in the types of documents that can be created (white papers, job aids, knowledge base
articles). Create and maintain documentation project plans. Ensure that documentation meets project guidelines and
deadlines. Coordinate implementation and release of documentation, revisions, and updates. Teach and mentor the
Jr. Technical Writer in regards to industry standards such as the documentation life cycle and the use of a style guide.
Develop standard templates and a corporate style guide.
Avanade (Contracted Consultant) 02/05 – 08/05
Denver, Colorado
Technical Writer
Develop user guide (printed copy and online help) and training material (CBT/WBT) for the new DMV system for
the State of Colorado using Microsoft Word 2003, WebWorks for Word, and Macromedia Captivate. Work closely
with system developers, business analysts, and testers to gather information for specified deliverables.
The Sports Authority (Contracted Consultant) 01/04 –02/05
Englewood, Colorado
Documentation Specialist
Serve as an internal consultant to all functional areas within the field and corporate headquarters to ensure
appropriate policy and procedure documentation is accurate, current, and available. Analyze and organize content for
logical flow and usability. Check for completeness and accuracy; unity and coherence; sentence variety and clarity;
and ethics in writing and word choice. Accountable for supporting and providing analytical reviews of new and
existing policies, procedures, and forms to identify issues such as, gaps and risks. Build relationships with
Department Heads to help ensure open lines of communication. Assist Instructional Designers in the development
of training materials as requested. Also, document the Job Responsibility Lists (JRLs) and Job Descriptions.
First Horizons Merchant Services (Contracted Consultant) 11/03 – 12/03
Englewood, Colorado
Technical Writer
Write and edit technical documentation, user guides, training materials, presentations, and marketing support
materials. Create and maintain documentation project plans. Ensure that documentation meets project guidelines and
deadlines. Coordinate implementation and release of documentation, revisions, and updates. Design and create
graphics, charts and illustrations to support documentation and presentations. Act as a liaison between development
teams and business community. Assist in content development for intranet, internet, and marketing solutions. Edit
and review work from other writers and IS team members.
ADIC (Contracted Consultant) 07/03 – 10/03
Englewood, Colorado
Technical Writer/Web Content Developer
Design, develop, and edit online help to support product software using Dreamweaver MX and RoboHelp. Plan and
develop end user hardware and software documentation. Projects include operating manuals, installation guides,
maintenance guides, software configuration instructions, and related help text.
Resume: Patti Short–Employment History Page 2 of 4
Patti Short
10288 W. 58th Pl. #89 • Arvada, CO • 80004
Voice 303-***-**** • Message (303) 424–9029 • e–mail: *****.*****@*****.***
Manheim Auctions (Contracted Consultant) 09/02 – 06/03
Golden, Colorado
Technical Writer/Web Content Developer
Create and maintain online documentation for the AS/400 auction system using Dreamweaver MX. Duties required,
but not limited to, the development of intranet sites and management of the on going regular maintenance of
updating website data, replacement of information to website data links including Manheim Auctions policy,
technical documentation and other sources of information.
TeleTech Holdings, Inc. (Contracted Consultant) 03/02 – 05/02
Englewood, Colorado
Sr. Technical Writer/Chief Editor
Develop a high–level, formal documentation process that involves ISO 9000 standardizations and methodologies for
a large IT department. Organize and facilitate all meetings that involved any IT processes, procedures, and policies.
Develop documentation for the IT department, including Request for Proposals (RFPs) and department processes.
Develop training material for internal training sessions, such as Video Conferencing and the Change Management
Process. Manage, mentor, and train two Jr. Technical Writers. Develop project plans for all documentation requested
through the newly developed documentation process. Develop standard templates and a corporate style guide.
South Dakota Dept. of Transportation (Contracted Consultant) 10/01 – 01/02
Pierre, South Dakota
Technical Writer/Editor
Develop and edit documentation for the proprietary software specifically developed for the SDDOT Finance
Department, including processes and procedures for billing DOT customers from federal agencies to private
vendors. Documents include, but are not limited to, installation procedures, user guides, system administration
guides, and troubleshooting guides.
Qwest Communications (Contracted Consultant) 01/01 – 9/01
Denver, Colorado
Technical Writer/Instructional Designer/Editor
Develop and edit documentation for the IT Help Desk Professional using Dreamweaver MX and Microsoft Word.
Develop and maintain online versions of the corporate style guide. Documents include, but are not limited to,
installation procedures, user guides, system administration guides, troubleshooting guides, and processes and
procedures. Develop documentation that follows the ISO9000/14000 standards. Coach and mentor other team
members on industry stands, the use of the style guide, and HTML tags.
AT&T Broadband (Contracted Consultant) 09/00 – 1/01
Englewood, Colorado
Technical Writer
Plan, develop, write, and manage all user documentation for proprietary software that was developed for High Speed
Data deployment. Develop and manage a department style guide containing template, corporate logo, and
grammatical information. Work closely with business analysts, developers, project managers, and user community.
Manage all user documentation projects.
IBM (Contracted Consultant) 02/00 – 8/00
Boulder, Colorado
Technical Writer/Information Developer
Develop and write system administration and end–user guides for new products developed for the IBM Printing
Systems division. Work closely with the software development team to gather product information. Evaluate and
update existing system administration guides by utilizing past system administration experience.
American Securities Transfer & Trust, Inc. 02/99 – 2/00
Lakewood, Colorado
Technical Writer/System Operations Supervisor/Network Systems Administrator
Plan, write, and manage all technical end user and training guides for staff members. Plan and develop technical
reference manuals for existing software application and upgrades. Develop and implement network processes and
company procedures. Develop and maintain a trouble-reporting database for the IT department. Develop and
manage the disaster recovery documentation.
Resume: Patti Short–Employment History Page 3 of 4
Patti Short
10288 W. 58th Pl. #89 • Arvada, CO • 80004
Voice 303-***-**** • Message (303) 424–9029 • e–mail: *****.*****@*****.***
State of Colorado (Contracted Consultant) 06/98 – 2/99
Lakewood, Colorado
Technical Writer/Jr. NT Administrator/Tier2 Help Desk Administrator
Revise and manage the technical reference manual for the Help Desk Administrators, which include how to
administer users in a Windows NT environment, transferring files to a recordable CD, and how to use the
proprietary software for the state recording system. Perform problem analysis/resolution on hardware and software
issues. Create and maintain user IDs and set up security permissions on the local servers for each county.
Lucent Technologies (Contracted Consultant) 03/98–6/98
Englewood, Colorado
Technical Writer/Tier1 Help Desk Administrator
Prepare and organize the help desk training manuals for the Help Desk Professional, which include processes and
procedures, and Microsoft Office and Lotus Notes help information. Receive end–user trouble calls and perform
problem analysis/resolution on hardware and software issues.
U S West Wireless (Contracted Consultant) 06/97–3/98
Denver, Colorado
Technical Writer/Jr. NT Admin/Documentation Specialist/Tier2 Help Desk Administrator
Develop processes and procedures for the technical team, which include technical reference manuals for proprietary
software installations and procedures for the standard configuration of a workstation. Simulate and test documented
procedures in order to produce accurate training manuals for the help desk professional, support personnel, and for
the on–call technicians. Maintain inventory of computer equipment and the internal inventory database. Assist the
Senior NT Administrators in configuring and maintaining servers, testing new software installations, and testing
unattended installs for various products. Assist with the daily and weekly back–ups for all servers. Manage all help
desk documentation, inventory, and configuration of computers.
WRITING SAMPLES:
Available upon request
REFERENCES:
Paul Cartee
Technical Writer
**********@*****.***
(303) 819–1583
Cheryl Kendrot
Agile Change Analyst
******.*******@********.***
303-***-**** (work)
720-***-**** (home)
Bob Smith
*********@***.***
David Catriel
*****.*******@*****.***
Resume: Patti Short–Employment History Page 4 of 4
Patti Short
10288 W. 58th Pl. #89 • Arvada, CO • 80004
Voice 303-***-**** • Message (303) 424–9029 • e–mail: *****.*****@*****.***
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ADDENDUM:
Software Years of experience Proficiency Last used
Adobe Acrobat (Professional) 8 yrs Expert 2009
Agile 2 yrs Strong 2009
CorelDraw 4 yrs Strong 2003
Dreamweaver 8 yrs Expert 2008
Arbortext (Epic) Editor 1 yr Light 2008
FileMaker Pro 6 yrs Strong 2003
FrameMaker (Structured and Unstructured) 5 yrs Strong 2009
FreeHand 7 yrs Strong 2006
GoLive 3 mos Strong 2008
Illustrator 6 yrs Strong 2009
Lotus Notes 2 yrs Medium 2003
Macromedia Captivate (formerly RoboDemo) 3 yrs Strong 2008
Madcap Flare (beta tester only) 6 mos Light 2008
Microsoft Access (Database development) 5 yrs Strong 2008
Microsoft Excel 11 yrs Strong 2009
Microsoft Outlook 10 yrs Expert 2009
Microsoft PowerPoint 12 yrs Cert. Expert 2009
Microsoft Project 2 yr Light 2007
Microsoft Publisher 4 yrs Strong 2005
Microsoft Sharepoint 4 yrs Strong 2009
Microsoft Word 12 yrs Cert. Expert 2009
PageMaker 12 yrs Expert 2005
PaintShop Pro 7 yrs Expert 2009
PhotoShop 12 yrs Strong 2005
QuarkXpress 7 yrs Expert 2005
Rational ClearQuest (Subject Matter Expert) 1 yr Strong 2007
RoboHelp 4 yrs Strong 2008
SnagIt 7 yrs Expert 2009
Vasont 1 yr Medium 2009
Visio 8 yrs Strong 2008
WebWorks for FrameMaker (ePublisher Pro) 2 yr Medium 2008
WebWorks for Word 1 yr Medium 2006
Environments (System Administrator – Install, Configure, and Support
Citrix 2 yrs Medium 2006
Linux 3 yrs Strong 2009
Microsoft Exchange Server 2 yrs Strong 2003
Novell 1 yr Strong 2003
TSO/RACF (Administrator) 2 yrs Strong 2003
Unix 2 yrs Strong 2009
Windows XP, Vista 9 yrs Expert 2009
Languages
C++ 1 yr Medium 2001
Flash 1 yr Light 2007
HTML / CSS 9 yrs Expert 2009
Javascript 2 yrs Medium 2007
VB/VBA (Access/Outlook/Excel) 4 yrs Medium 2009
XML/SGML/XSLT 3 yr Strong 2009
Misc. Abilities
Course Development 4 yrs Expert 2008
Disaster Recovery Guides 1 yr Strong 2001
Document Design and Layout 19 yrs Expert 2008
Style Guide Development 7 yrs Expert 2007
Usability Testing 2 yrs Strong 2007
User Reference Guides 9 yrs Expert 2008
Web Authoring 8 yrs Expert 2008
Resume: Patti Short–Professional Development Addendum Page 1 of 1
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