Manager Technical

Stephen J. Goodman

**** **** ****** ****. • Walnut Creek, CA 94595 • 415-***-**** • *********@****.***

Accomplished technical writer, skilled at writing for multiple audiences –

from developers to system administrators to end users

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

• Over 20 years of diverse experience in all aspects of technical communications.

• Excellent communication skills: writing, editing, information design.

• Broad industry expertise in hardware and enterprise software, including SOA, EAI, and DBMS applications.

• Solid skills in project management, publications infrastructure, mentoring, and business analysis.

EXPERIENCE

NORTHSTAR SYSTEMS, San Francisco, CA 2008

Senior Technical Writer

Wrote application developer and system administration manuals for customizing and deploying NorthStar’s SOA, J2EE-

based financial management application. Served as lead writer, providing mentoring to NY-based end-user writer.

Key Accomplishments:

• Redesigned the SDK documentation set to fulfill the twin goals of sharply reducing its overall size while better

targeting its intended audience.

• Wrote and edited documentation for application developers tasked with customizing this complex, J2EE-based Web

services application. Edited administration guides for deploying across several types of application servers.

MATRIKA ASSOCIATES, Walnut Creek, CA 1996 – 2005; 2007 – 2008

Technical Communications Consultant

Provided technical and marketing communications expertise to technology companies. Diverse customer list, including SGI,

Cisco Systems, Casahl Technology, Vitria Technology, Sybase.

Key Accomplishments:

• Wrote and edited award-winning manuals and online help, targeting application developers and system administrators

integrating data between collaborative applications and enterprise data stores.

• Created wide range of marketing materials (technical white papers, brochures, data sheets, Web content, customer

stories, press releases, investor information) for software and hardware companies. Technologies described include

high performance computing, servers, networking, and enterprise software (DBMS, B2B, EAI).

• Provided expertise in business analysis/planning and system implementation to donor administration department of

large not-for-profit foundation. Led the search for an automated solution to replace the existing, largely manual, donor

management system. Drove the RFP, vendor selection, and initial implementation processes.

• Served as acting Technical Publications Manager for a growing software company, designing and developing the

documentation set, as well as hiring and mentoring writers.

VMWARE, INC., Palo Alto, CA 2006 – 2007

Manager, Technical Publications Infrastructure Group

Created and managed infrastructure team to support VMware’s technical publications department. Team of six was

responsible for tools development, templates and styles, editorial and production activities, and process standardization.

Key Accomplishments:

• Initiated a process of department-wide collaboration for developing and maintaining a new set of FrameMaker

templates. Worked closely with all stakeholders, including writers, managers, localization staff, and corporate graphic

designers, to ensure that all requirements were identified and achieved. Provided training, technical support, and

production-level support to writers, to speed the process of adoption and facilitate the migration of existing content.

• Supervised development of editorial standards for all technical documentation, instituting a formal style guide and an

advisory committee, along with consistent procedures for developmental editing, copyediting, and proofreading.

• Developed tools and processes for single-sourced release of all documentation in both online and print formats. Online

documentation was processed through WebWorks ePublisher; print documentation was converted to Adobe Acrobat.

• Standardized key processes and tools across the technical publications organization. Reorganized internal website and

shared file system to provide writers with timely and comprehensive information on procedures and tools.

SYBASE, INC., Emeryville, CA 1987 – 1996

Director, Information Products Group (1994 – 1996)

Directed corporate information publishing activities, overseeing a diverse 20-person group of software developers, Web

designers, technical support/training specialists, editors, release specialists, and managers, with annual budget of $3 million.

Key Accomplishments:

• Managed publishing and editorial process for technical documentation throughout the company, coordinating the

efforts of 100 writers in 12 writing groups across North America, as well as globalization/localization activities.

• Implemented SGML-based end-to-end publishing process to enable single-sourced, simultaneous release of

documentation across multiple channels: Internet, CD-ROM, and print. Achieved $5 million in first year cost-of-

revenue net savings, with projected savings rising to $18 million by the third year. Boosted customer satisfaction ratings

for technical documentation to 15% over competitors, with electronic distribution channels cited as key differentiator.

Project featured as case study in two books and a series of courses at University of Wisconsin.

Senior Publications Manager (1988 – 1994)

Built and managed publications department that created customer documentation for all Sybase application development

products. Grew organization from start-up to a group of 15. Fostered environment for producing award-winning

documentation, as recognized by the Society for Technical Communication.

Senior Technical Writer (1987 – 1988)

Wrote complete range of developer guides and API references for Sybase’s programming libraries. Developed versions for

multiple programming languages, including C, Fortran, Ada, Pascal, and COBOL. Edited and wrote code samples.

Developed UNIX-based scripts and other tools to assist in conversions between languages. Served as lead writer and

mentor.

INGRES CORP., Alameda, CA 1984 – 1987

Senior Technical Writer

Wrote documentation for a wide range of audiences, including developers, system administrators, and end users. Progressed

to a lead position within the organization.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Electronic Publishing: XML, SGML, HTML (Homesite, Dreamweaver), Wiki (TWiki), Adobe FrameMaker,

Adobe Acrobat, WebWorks ePublisher, RoboHelp, Adobe Illustrator, Paint Shop Pro,

SnagIt, MS Visio, MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, CVS, Perforce

Java (J2EE), XML, C, Pascal, SQL

Languages:

Platforms: Windows XP, UNIX, Linux, Macintosh OS X

Application Expertise: DBMS, enterprise application integration (EAI), B2B applications, virtualization

(VMware), SOA, Web services

Other Technical Expertise: High performance computing (HPC), clusters, storage, networking

EDUCATION

Courses and seminars in XML, SGML, Web publishing, business management, and project management. Course

work at University of California, Berkeley, in advanced data structures, program design techniques, systems analysis,

C, and Pascal. Additional course work in programming and database management systems. Attended Hampshire

College, Amherst, MA, with concentrations in English and anthropology. 4.0 GPA for all course work.

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