Summary
Extensive experience in administering cloud-based technologies and creating a wide variety of technical and non-technical documentation in support of same. I have authored numerous system user, administration, and training guides for a wide variety of Fortune 500 companies. Additionally, I have authored a number of articles on a variety of business-related topics over the last 10 years. I have also published interviews with such bestselling novelists as Lee Child and Brian Haig.
Specialties: System User and Administration Guides
Business Journalism
Publishing industry journalism (author interviews and book reviews)
Education
Bachelor of Arts, Rutgers University
Experience
Senior Technical Writer (July 2018 – March 2019) SE2, Bridgewater, NJ
Working as part of a cross functional team that includes SE2 Operations staff as well as representatives from the external client was responsible for the creation of documentation to facilitate claims handing for a variety of insurance-based investment vehicles.
Participated in Quality Assurance testing of claim processing system enhancements which were built and deployed using Agile methodology and, based on results of those tests, either created new - or revised existing - step-by-step documents in support of that processing.
Senior Technical Writer (February 2018 – June 2018) Johnson & Johnson, New Brunswick, NJ
Working as part of software development and delivery team, was responsible for the creation of all SDLC documentation to support the testing, modification, and release of a new version of a vendor-based intellectual property docketing system that interfaces with the Johnson & Johnson Legal Department’s legal data warehouse.
SharePoint Business Analyst (June 2017 – December 2017) Bristol Myer Squibb (BMS), Princeton, NJ
Participated in content and full-site migration activities from SharePoint 2007 and SharePoint 2013 site collections to cloud-based SharePoint Online/Office 365 in a Windows 10 environment, utilizing ShareGate migration tool.
Working as part of business IT charged with managing the SharePoint environment for the internal commercial client, I am charged with reviewing the “Working Smarter” user portal for effectiveness of both the site design and its content and to make recommendations on how to improve both to empower the users to utilize the tools more successfully.
Charged with reviewing procedures for clients to select and order IT tools, developing process maps for those procedures, redesigning them to make them more efficient and user-accessible and helping to coordinate the roll-out these revised procedures.
Assessment Development and Systems Capability Consultant (Dec 2016 – Apr 2017) Educational Testing Service (ETS), Princeton, NJ
Working as part of the ETS user assistance team to review, test, and document a variety of functions in the student assessment test development systems that are utilized world-wide.
Reviewed and assisted in the remediation of user issues related to the test system reported through ServiceNow.
Built a cloud-based SharePoint Online/Office 365 user resource site and sub-site for users of the proprietary ETS test authoring system. Added and customized the apps requested by my direct supervisor.
Created user guide for ETS primary test authoring system.
Created user quick references for a variety of functions within that system.
Participated in system feature upgrade process, reviewing business requirements and conducting UAT testing.
Corporate SharePoint Administrator, Business Analyst, Technical Writer & Instructional Designer/Trainer (Dec. 2009 –July 2016) AIG (Jersey City, NJ)
Conducted meetings with personnel from client organizations to gather requirements for the design and build of custom SharePoint lists. Created prototypes of custom lists in test environment for review and testing conducted by the client. After client testing, conducted debriefs with client to elicit feedback, leading to list design modifications. Upon final client approval of list design, adjusted list designs and promoted revised lists to the production environment.
Interviewed personnel from client organizations to gather requirements for work processes that could be managed by SharePoint workflows. Developed process maps in VISIO and identified benchmarks within the processes that could be managed within SharePoint workflows. Utilizing these gathered requirements, authored SharePoint workflow process maps and submitted them to the clients for sign-off. When approved, built prototype workflows in SharePoint test environment and turned them over to clients for testing. Reviewed testing outcomes with clients, collaboratively identified areas requiring remediation and addressed these issues. Turned the prototypes over to client for follow-up testing and, when client sign off was obtained, promoted approved workflows to the production environment.
Authored SOPs in support of user reporting of SharePoint system-related questions and performance issues within a custom ticket queue in ServiceNow.
Designed, developed and delivered frequent webcast training sessions for 300+ SharePoint 2010/2013 site owners on:
oSharePoint governance rules
oSharePoint user provisioning guidelines
oHow to create and customize SharePoint 2010 workflows
Assisted Microsoft Engineer in the design and build of the SharePoint 2010 farm and then built 300+ sites in the primary site collection in the farm. This included defining and building all of the site level permissions groups.
Supervising the migration of the 3,000+ documents from the file share to the new SharePoint environment.
Managed day-to-day operations of the farm, including running audit reports on the system using ControlPoint to identify storage limit issues, permissions issues and fielded all user questions regarding functionality.
Authored SharePoint 2010 Site Owner and User Manuals as well as a host of quick reference job aids for users as the need for them was identified. Among those documents were job aids detailing the use of ServiceNow for incident reporting, and another on the building and execution of SQL queries.
Participated in the design and execution of our team’s migration plan to take the SharePoint 2010 farm to SharePoint 2013 utilizing the AvePoint DocAve migration tool. This included review of existing SP2010 sites and how they might be combined/consolidated in the new SP2013 environment to achieve economies of scale.
Built and customized sub-sites in the new SharePoint 2013 site collection, including the addition and customization of customer requested apps.
Built and customized sub-sites and apps in the Corporate SharePoint team’s cloud-based O365 (SharePoint Online) environment.
Designed and delivered a training class for SharePoint 300+ site owners on how to review and remediate any permissions issues on their sites in advance of their migration.
Authored QA and UAT Testing SOPs and test cases and executed test cases as part of my role in SharePoint monthly system releases, which were built and deployed using Agile methodology. Some of these releases included the integration of custom applications into the SP environment utilizing SP Web Services APIs.
Supported a global user population, both in and outside of normal business hours, for the SharePoint 2010 and 2013 environments I was charged with administering.
Participated in the monthly SharePoint system updates/customizations. Acted as UAT scripter and tester of feature additions/updates.
Senior Technical Writer (Dec. 2004 –Dec. 2009), AIG Livingston, NJ)
Responsible for the editing and/or authoring and conversion of 3,000+ documents to a new standard template.
Designed, built, and migrated documentation set to interim secure file share in advance of the deployment of SharePoint 2010 farm.
Senior Technical Writer - Consulting (August 2004 –November 2004), McGraw-Hill (East Windsor, NJ)
Created documentation in support of their information technology infrastructure's Sarbanes-Oxley Audit
Independent Consultant, Freelance Journalist, Business Plan Writer (1999 through 2004)
Worked with The CFO.com authoring business plans for their clients seeking venture capital. Worked as a freelance journalist for Pro2Net.com writing a number of articles on a variety of business-related topics. Also authored book reviews and author interviews for Book Page, a publishing industry publication.
Senior Technical Writer - Consultant (July 2003 –December 2003), Bristol-Myer Squibb (West Windsor, NJ)
Authored corporate communications documentation.
Senior Technical Writer (October 2002 –June 2003), Bradco Supply Corp (Avenel, NJ)
Managed the user and system administration documentation for the product inventory and ordering systems, including development of on-line help utilizing RoboHelp.
Senior Technical Writer (May 2002 – September 2002, Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ)
Interviewed all members of a development team after they’d completed the build of an OLAP cube for a data warehouse to gather the necessary information to author a design and functional specifications document to hand off to the client.
Instructional Designer/Technical Writer (July 2001 –December 2001), Lucent Technologies (Holmdel, NJ)
Designed and authored application courseware and user manuals for Lucent-created customer service systems for their client companies utilizing Adobe FrameMaker documentation tool.
Senior Technical Writer (May 2001 – June 2001), Montana Power Company/AirTouch Communications, Butte, MT)
Authored documents tracking migration of customer records from Pacific Telesis to AirTouch Communications.
Instructional Designer/Technical Writer (May 2000 –December 2000), Lucent Technologies (Holmdel, NJ)
Designed and authored application courseware and user manuals for Lucent-created customer service systems for their client companies utilizing Adobe FrameMaker documentation tool.
Senior Technical Writer (July 1999 – December 1999), American Reinsurance, Plainsboro, NJ)
Designed and authored user manual for a Siebel application.
Instructional Designer/Technical Writer (September 1998 –April 1999), Telcordia (Piscataway, NJ)
Designed and authored application courseware and user manuals for Telcordia-created customer service systems for Telcordia client companies.
Senior Technical Writer (March 1998 – September 1999), AT&T Solutions, East Hanover, NJ)
Authored documents in support of clients’ migrations of their IT infrastructures to AT&T Solutions provided facilities.
Senior Technical Writer (September 1996 – March 1998), Cotelligent, Liberty Corner, NJ)
Authored user manuals in support of Lucent Technologies LMOS system, used by all of the Bell operating companies.
Created client overview course in support of Lucent Technologies LMOS system.
Senior Documentation and Training Consultant (September 1995 – August 1996), HIP of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ)
Reviewed, redesigned, documented via process maps, and authored training for the retraining of all clerical staff on new patient intake and discharge flow processes at all of HIP’s healthcare centers statewide.
Instructional Writer (September 1994 – August 1995), ADP, Roseland, NJ)
Reviewed, analyzed, and redesigned training environment and training course in support of a proprietary SQL tool used by ADP office personnel.
Instructional Designer (April 1988 – August 1994), Bell Atlantic, South Plainfield, NJ)
Authored product knowledge and system courseware for business customer service representative initial and ongoing training.
Skills
Office365 Trained (Microsoft Virtual Academy)
Deploying Windows 10 Using System Center Configuration Manager (Microsoft Virtual Academy)
SharePoint Administration (formally trained by Microsoft Certified Trainers
ITIL Foundation Level Certification
Technical Writing
Instructional Design (Front End Analysis and Job Aid Creation from Harless Performance Guild; Information Mapping Certification; Policies and Procedures Friesen Kay Associates Certification)
SharePoint Online Administrator Trained (Microsoft Virtual Academy)
SharePoint User Documentation and Training
ControlPoint
ShareGate Migration Tool
Google Suite/Google Slides
Samples of articles available upon request.