Manager Technical Writer

Donald K. Thomas

Information Engineer (Technical Writer) and Documentation Manager

***** ***** **** **** ****, Cedar Hills, Utah, 84062

Phone: 801-***-****

E-mail: ***.******.*@*****.***

Summary

Because of corporate restructuring, which included the elimination of the documentation team, I am looking for an employment opportunity.

I have extensive computer-related documentation experience including: directing and managing documentation groups, technical writing, editing, documentation template design, documentation tools implementation, documentation production, strategy, planning, budgeting, customer support, and training. I have worked in support teams and understand the product administrators' and users' documentation needs. I have also worked in product management teams and understand their documentation needs.

I work effectively and efficiently with customers, senior management, developers, product mangers, support personnel, and others. I learn new systems and environments quickly and I am an efficient information gatherer and reporter. I am an effective manager and develop my team’s skills, knowledge, and efficiency. I also work effectively with engineering groups using different development methods including Agile XP (extreme programming) and more traditional waterfall methods.

Experience

Fidelity Investments

Advanced Process Solutions/XTRAC Solutions Business Unit

Salt Lake City, Utah 08/2010 06/2018

Senior Communications Manager

I managed the XTRAC Documentation Team for the Fidelity Investments XTRAC Business Unit. The XTRAC Documentation Team consisted of 2 to 5 people and we supported over 15 unique products and nearly 200 individual product releases and updates. I moved the XTRAC documentation from and old CHM-based Help and PDF administration and user manuals to state-of-the-art HTML5 documentation (which includes the context-sensitive help topics). The HTML5 documentation can be updated anytime on a separate web server without requiring a product release to make changes to the documentation.

The following links are just a small sample of the documentation (over 15 manuals with multiple versions) that I wrote or maintained. These examples are accessible outside of the Fidelity firewall without a non-disclosure agreement:

XTRAC Workflow Administration Guide (2018.1)

XTRAC Documentation User Guide

XTRAC Community Guide

Additional examples of the externally accessible XTRAC documentation that I wrote or maintained is available upon request.

I was also responsible for other internal documentation which included the XTRAC User Documentation (Fidelity Internal) website, release notes, installation notes, spec sheets, programmer documentation, etc., that accessible only within the Fidelity firewall and is only available after signing a non-disclosure agreement with Fidelity Investments. I will not provide samples of that documentation.

Avocent, South Jordan, Utah 03/2008 08/2010

Senior Technical Writer

I documented the Avocent Management Platform including the Administrator's Guide, online Help, Software Developer Kit (APIs), Release Notes, and cookbook documents. I work with the database team, services team, and the interface team.

I was instrumental in removing the documentation-related files from the product’s executable files which allows for the documentation to be modified and localized after the final gold build of the product’s executable file is produced. One of the last steps in the product’s executable file is to copy the needed files from a Docs folder and Help folder from the product’s installation media to the applicable locations in the Avocent server’s file system. Using this approach, we can update the English documentation and help and add localized versions of the documentation and help without having to open, modify, and retest the product’s executable file.

I designed, wrote, and delivered the entire Avocent Management Platform help files including providing the context-sensitive links for the user interface. The Avocent Console provides multiple ways to access the topic-specific, context-sensitive help files.

I designed Documentation Library and SDK Library files that provide navigation to the administrator documentation and SDK documentation in both the Avocent server’s file system and the Avocent server’s Web server.

I delivered the documentation files (help files, Administrator Guide, and Release Notes) to the Localization team and when the files were localized. I built the finalized localized help files in Madcap Flare and posted the localized files in the production build source control directories.

Symantec/Altiris Inc., Lindon, Utah 09/2000 03/2008

Senior Technical Account Manager/Senior Enterprise Support Engineer 01/2007 03/ 2008

I supported major accounts (including ABC/Disney, Time Warner Cable, Autodesk, First American Real Estate, Amkor, and Option One Mortgage) for all Altiris Lifecycle Management software products. Duties included resolving incidents within applicable service levels and documenting incidents problems, causes, environments, and resolutions. During this period, I wrote and published over 97 technical support articles in the Altiris Knowledgebase.

Support Engineer 07/2005 01/2007

I provided internal and external customer support for Altiris Lifecycle Management software products with an emphasis on Altiris Notification Server. My duties also include documenting incidents problems, causes, environments, and resolution. During this period, I wrote and published 116 technical support articles in the Altiris Knowledgebase.

Director of Documentation 12/2003 07/2005

I managed 2 managers and 19 technical writers in Lindon, UT; Plymouth, MI; Boston, MA; Austin, TX; Sydney, Australia; Tallinn, Estonia; and Pune, India. They wrote and published the documentation that shipped with Altiris computer lifecycle management products.

I was instrumental the creation of “documentation packages” that were external to the Altiris product code build. The documentation packages are available as separate executable files from the Altiris Solution Center and automatically install when the product is installed. Using documentation executable files, Notification Server and Altiris Solution documentation can be updated without having to change the product’s code executable file. Documentation changes, including adding localized documentation) can be made to the documentation executable files after the product has shipped. This process was also used for Altiris Solution reports and to add additional languages to the user interface.

I wrote and maintained product documentation and edited multiple types of documentation including product documentation, training manuals, marketing white papers, and technical white papers.

I directed the writers to use localization-friendly writing techniques based on “Abreve” training. We achieved a 20-30% word count reductions per document.

I was the liaison between Documentation and Localization and built localized .chm and .pdf files for the Localization group when there was no localization resource available make the build.

I was the liaison between Documentation and Legal and I maintained copyright and trademark information in the standard “Notices” page of all Altiris production documentation with the Legal group.

I was the liaison between Documentation and Support. I trained Altiris Support personnel how to effectively search the Altiris Knowledge Base using the Helpdesk interface.

Manager, Documentation Group 11/2000 12/2003

I managed 6 technical writers in Lindon, UT who wrote and published the documentation that ships with Altiris computer lifecycle management products and I also wrote and maintained documentation.

Project Manager III 09/2000 11/2000

I was the project manager for third-party customers’ Customized Programming Requests. I used MS Project to track the progress of the requests.

Novell Inc., Provo, Utah 05/1991 09/2000

SDK Documentation Lead/Senior Technical Writer 05/1998 09/2000

I coordinated the work of 10 technical writers working in the Novell SDK group and I researched, wrote, and maintained documentation for the Novell SDK.

Director, Documentation Services Group 09/1997 05/1998

I managed the Novell Documentation Service Group comprised of 46 employees The group provided shared resources including editing, graphics, documentation testing, and productization which enabled the Novell Documentation group to produce standardized, cost-efficient documentation that meets customer needs and presents a common look and feel.

Manager, Java Technologies Documentation 02/1996 09/1997

I managed a team of 5 writers that documented the Network Object Services for Java Software Developer Kit (or JNOS SDK). This SDK was over 1000 pages. The SDK was delivered 3 times per year.

I also managed a team of 3 writers that maintained and updated Novell’s NetWare Software Develop Kit (contains approximately 16,000 pages) 4 times per year. This group also documented NetWare functions and structures (approximately 8,000 pages) in Windows help.

Project Manager, Technical Publications Group 10/1994 02/1996

I was the Documentation department’s information architect.

I coordinated projects with 5 Technical Publication Staff Managers and their employees.

I was the lead of the Documentation department’s “Complete Information Model” task force responsible to find a more efficient way to write and distribute Novell information for both online and paper delivery.

Manager, Technical Publications Group 05/1994 10/1994

I managed 4 technical writers, 2 editors, 1 desktop publisher, and 1 online documentation coordinator. The team completed and released NetWare 4.1 documentation in both paper manuals and online format. I also wrote and published production documentation.

Technical Writer (Principle, Senior, and Staff) 05/1991 05/1994

I updated and maintained the NetWare 4.1 System Messages documentation (online), which included over 2000 modules and 1500 pages and several other manuals.

Signetics (now Philips), Orem Utah 05/1980 05/1991

Documentation Supervisor, Technical Writer / Editor Fabrication Assembly Line Worker

Zion’s First National Bank, Provo Utah 06/1974 04/1978

Customer Service Representative / Teller

Authoring Tools

Madcap Flare, Madcap Analyzer (at Fidelity Investments, Avocent)

Adobe FrameMaker (at Fidelity Investments, Symantec, Altiris, and Novell)

Microsoft Word (at Fidelity Investments, Avocent, Symantec, Altiris, and Novell)

Microsoft Visio (at Fidelity Investments, Avocent, Symantec, Altiris, and Novell)

RoboHelp (at Symantec, Altiris, and Novell)

WordPerfect (at Signetics)

Education

Associates of Applied Science, Business Management 12/1982

Utah Technical College, Orem, Utah (Now Utah Valley University)

Applicable Seminars

Building Market Focused Organizations, Continuous Improvement Influencing Skills, Creating Structured Documents, Fact Based Decision Making, Finance for Non-Financial Managers, Introduction to Data Analysis for Quality Control, Introduction to Statistical Process Control, Managing Performance, Managing Within the Law I and II, Planning and Managing Projects with Microsoft Project for Windows, Quality College I & II, Seminars in Usable Design, Seven Basic Habits of Highly Effective People, Technical Writing, and User and Task Analysis, Understanding what Users Need and Want.

References

Reed Wellman, Head of Process Engineering and Consulting at Fidelity Investments 801-***-****

Jesus (Chewy) Vasquez, Senior Production Super at Young Living 801-***-****

Wendy Christopherson, Director of Product Management at Fidelity Investments 801-***-****

Bryan Nahrwold, Senior Software Test Engineer at Fidelity Investments 801-***-****

Brian Larsen, Senior Technical Writer formerly at Fidelity Investments 801-***-****

Jerry Chadwick, Software Engineering Manager at FamilySearch International 801-***-****

Contact this candidate