A-**, First Floor,

Naraina Vihar

New Delhi - *** 028

INDIA

Phone : 00-91-11-25775656

Mobile: 981*******

E-mail: ac1rg4@r.postjobfree.com

ac1rg4@r.postjobfree.com

PARUL AGARWAL

EXPERIENCE SUMMARY

I am a Technical Publications Consultant with about 20 years of experience in several aspects of Technical Writing and Instructional Designing as listed below.

Technical writing. Worked on several types of documents for many complex products in highly technical domains, including Electronic Design Automation (EDA). These documents include user guides, troubleshooting guides, quick start guides, release notes, tutorials, command references, and so on. I have mentored several writers. I am a writer with passion for technology. Make constant efforts to enhance my awareness about technical writing strategies and methodologies.

Project management. As the sole technical writer for routing products, I independently manage and execute complex documentation projects. I interact directly with Cross Functional Teams in various locations across the globe. I set up and constantly modify processes and engagement standards to suit the different requirements of the product teams I work with.

Video creation and blogging. I create conceptual and interactive feature based videos for the products I work on. I also set up related processes for other writers. In addition, I write blogs for new and enhanced features of the products.

User Interface (UI). I review the user interfaces of the products I write about and provide feedback to R&D. My feedback is based on my knowledge of UX design over a course of time and resources such as the Microsoft design guidelines on MSDN.

TECHNICAL WRITING EXPERIENCE (in reverse chronological order)

Technical Publications Consultant with Cadence Design Systems (Noida) Current, since May 2007

Working with the Custom Packaging Business Unit

Responsibilities:

Plan documentation work for each release based on the fspecs available for the new products/features that are introduced.

Create wide range of guides and references for Virtuoso products, document new and enhanced features of the products.

Logical Designing of the User Manual starting from conceptualisation to final deliverable.

Create demo based documentation using Adobe Captivate.

Plan and update documents based on the change requests by cross functional team (R&D, product engineers, and application engineers, and validation engineers). Mostly work directly with my product teams, including R&D directors.

Set up and maintain processes and plans for products I own. The task leverages my abilities to plan, prioritize, juggle, foresee, and analyze my work.

Ability to work well with a wide range of cross functional teams across many geographies, and constantly improvise on processes to arrive at the best solutions.

Review of error messages that appears in the products when a problem is encountered.

Review user interfaces and providing feedback to product teams.

Ensure that all releases are shipped to customers with complete documentation.

Establish and Enforce corporate documentation standards/templates and ensuring quality in documents that were being released by the team.

Control document content to ensure on-time completion by enforcing project schedules.

Support release related activities, tarkit creation. Ensure that tarkits reach the release area.

Brainstorm to improve documentation and also automating certain activities, which would reduce both R&D and pubs time.

Mentoring new hires in the team.

Drive the induction training program for the new hires in the technical publication team and the cross functional team of my business unit.

Discuss key issues with my documentation manager.

Involved in various documentation release related activities.

Involved in various quality initiatives within the documentation team.

Project Leader with Virage Logic (Noida) March 2004 to April 2007

Responsibilities:

Manage and plan several documentation projects.

Create and update user guides and other manuals to be shipped with the release.

Ensure that all products are shipped to customers with complete documentation.

Establish and Enforce corporate documentation standards/templates and ensuring quality in documents that were being released by the team.

Control document content to ensure on-time completion by enforcing project schedules.

Co-ordinate team activities and work allocation, project status monitoring.

Interact with engineers for documentation schedule and review schedules.

Interview and recruit new team members.

Knowledge Transfer and Training to new recruiters.

Lead Technical Writer with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) April 2003 to July 2003 (On Contract)

Responsibilities:

Assure quality in the user documents for one of the primary clients of TCS Eli Lilly (USA).

Involved in reviewing user documents to meet client requirements.

Improved client standards/templates and ensuring quality in documents that were being released by the team. Also, created new templates for the client and maintenance of existing forms and templates

Team Leader with HCL Perot Systems (HPS) December 2002 to February 2003

Went for an onsite project to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a month (approx). The project involved documentation of the Standard Operating Procedures and Practices and developing end-user documentation necessary to support the efficient and effective use of the new system for the client (an Insurance company).

Senior Technical Communicator with River Run Software Group (RRSG) June 2000 to December 2002

Responsibilities:

Logical Designing of the User Manual starting from conceptualisation to final deliverable (Using graphics, screen shots, flow charts in tutorial style to create how-to instructions)

Creating User Manuals and Help Files for a wide range of products developed by RRS (Using MS Word and RoboHelp to write context-sensitive help (Online help) and Webhelp (HTML help))

Extensive Instructional Design Reviews and Editorial Reviews of user guides written by team members

QA reviews to meet company/client requirements

Conducting Usability Testing of the products developed by RRS

Reviewing onscreen English of the software and Editing error Messages

Reviewing varied Company Profile Documents, Proposals and Brochures from time to time

Co-ordinating Team Activities and Allocating work to various team members

Organizing and Providing Trainings for Cross Skill Development within the Team

Interacting with developers for software understanding and work collation

Conducting Interviews for Recruiting Team Members

Member of the Total Quality Management (TQM) committee. The role involves defining quality processes in River Run Software and writing & formalizing these processes. Made an HTML presentation of the TQM standards and processes that are followed in the organization.

Heading the Social Affairs Committee (SAC). This committee aimed at bringing people together in RRS. The role involves organizing parties, get-togethers, meetings, and excursion trips and ensuring that they are successfully planned & executed.

Senior Systems Executive with NIIT Limited (New Delhi) August 1996 to May 2000

Responsibilities:

Develop CBTs for one of NIIT's prime clients, NETg Inc. (USA).

Developing CBTs, beginning with the envisioning phase, which involves task analysis and audience analysis to the stabilizing phase where the constructed CBT is tested against all standards

Lead Developer Role called for project monitoring, milestone reviews, project review meetings, and interfacing with all internal and external customers

Instructional design reviews and Editorial reviews and ensuring QA

Responsible for project planning, resource allocation, risk analysis, and budgeting

Using Word and Doc2Help tools to write context-sensitive help in addition to paper and on-line documentation

Formalizing standards and guidelines to be followed in a CBT

Involved in grooming & training team members to independently take charge of CBT products and conduct project-based reviews

Reviewing the work of team members, conducting trainings for new employees within and across teams

Exploring new tools developed by the client and giving feedback on them

Curriculum Co-ordinator for the eight-part Microsoft Windows 2000 Installation, Configuration, and Administration series

Co-ordinated the activities that were involved in developing the courses and ensuring consistency throughout the series

Providing support to other ID development teams in brainstorming and helping them in presentation of difficult topics

As a member of Future group, I was involved in studying the writing style of different multimedia products. The whole idea behind the exercise was to have a fast adaptability so that the organisation could quickly adjust to any new demands of the ever-changing market

Member of the Quality Assurance group. This role of an Internal Auditor involved conducting internal audits, closing non-conformances and improvise the overall standards

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING AND CONTINUING EDUCATION

Error Message review training

Adobe Framemaker Training (UNIX Based)

Refresher training on UNIX commands

Session on Usability testing

Brainbench certification for Technical Writing

Brainbench certification for Computer Fundamentals

Project Management & Client Interaction

Communications and Presentation Training

Leadership Circles & Supervisory Skills

Dr. Robert's Personal Quality Initiative (PQI)

Leadership training by Vriksh Consultants

Attended STC Conference 2004 held in Chennai from Dec 2-4

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

Microsoft Certified Product Specialist (MCPS), Windows 95 (1997): NIIT Ltd.

GNIIT (3 years), Honors Diploma in Computers (1993-1996): NIIT Ltd., New Delhi

B.A. with Maths & Economics from the University of Delhi in 1995

Class 12 (CBSE) from St. Anthony Sr. Sec school, New Delhi in 1992

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

Authoring Environment Used

Adobe FrameMaker (structured and unstructured)

WIKI/RDWIKI

Adobe Captivate 8.0

Microsoft Office 2000

Graphic Tools

Snagit

Paint Brush

Screen Hunter (used it for taking screen shots)

OPERATING SYSTEM/ENVIRONMENTS

Windows 2000

UNIX/LINUX

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Date of Birth: 22nd August 1974

Marital Status: Married

Gender: Female

Passport No: 2484006 (Valid till June 2017)

Nationality: INDIAN

SELF ASSESSMENT

Responsible, Innovative, Analytical and Creative with a lot of Initiative and Dedication. Leadership qualities with excellent team spirit to fit well with any professional team and make valuable all round contribution. Capable of doing hard work and having high order of integrity and ambition in life.

(PARUL AGARWAL)

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