Senior Technical Writer

William Michael Monaghan

*** *********** ******, ***. ****

Mountain View, CA 94040

Cell: 925-***-**** Home: 650-***-**** Email: *********@*********.***

OBJECTIVE To further my career as a technical writer in the Boston area (relocating to Boston area in the spring).

SUMMARY

Dedicated and versatile technical writer and course designer with proven track record for delivering a variety of subject matter. Authored documents using Microsoft Office, Adobe Acrobat (PDF), FrameMaker, HTML and XML to create paper, online, and CD-ROM deliverables. As project lead, collaborated with local and international teams to understand the intended use of my documentation to effectively meet customers’ needs.

EXPERIENCE

2004-present

Senior Technical Writer, Ericsson AB, San Jose, CA

Wrote end-user documentation for Ericsson’s wireline telecommunications equipment (GPON: gigabit passive optical networks, Ethernet). Managed approximately 10,000 pages per year. Collaborated with Project Management to: scope how many and what kind of documents were required, estimate man hours needed to produce the documentation, budget time for review cycles, determine which subject matter experts were needed to deliver source material and review content.

Logged bugs to improve product usability and led efforts to improve documentation processes. Worked with international Ericsson teams for document translation (English into Chinese, e.g.). Managed Tech Pubs wiki site to improve document review cycle. Promoted twice within the Tech Pubs group.

Tasks included writing:

• Project plans

• Software installation guides (Sun servers; Windows/Solaris; Oracle database to support Ericsson’s network manager GUI)

• Software user guides

• Alarm reference guides (for troubleshooting and maintenance)

• Administrator guides

• Quick reference guides (for system bring-up)

• System architecture guides (planning/scaling Ericsson networks)

• Methods of procedures (MOPs) (used by Ericsson personnel to bring up customer labs and networks)

• Software and hardware release notes (for product upgrade and maintenance)

• Hardware reference guides (chassis specs, installation)

2003-2004

Contract Technical Writer, Luminous Networks, Cupertino, CA

Updated user manuals and training module for Ethernet-based metropolitan area networking (MAN) equipment:

• Hardware installation guides

• Software guides (command line interface)

• Developed PowerPoint training slides for the instructor

2002-2003

Contract Curriculum Developer, PeopleSoft, Pleasanton, CA

Wrote training module for customer relationship management (CRM) application used by government agencies. Authored in Microsoft Word and using macros, converted one training guide into three deliverables (student guide, training slides, and HTML to complement the existing user reference guide). Wrote project plan to determine how many chapters and graphics required updating.

2002

Contract Technical Writer, General Dynamics C4 Systems, Taunton, MA

• Updated hardware installation guides (text and graphics) for military communication equipment, in compliance with statement of work (SOW)

• Designed new Adobe FrameMaker templates that reduced documentation time to market by one month

1999-2001

Technical Writer, Lucent Technologies (formerly Ascend Communications), Marlboro, MA

Wrote guides for fault-tolerant computer platform (five 9’s reliable) used in telecommunications networks to reliably store customers’ data:

• Hardware installation guides for asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) switch (used by Tier 1 telecomms, such as AT&T, for their core networks)

• Configuration guide

• Quick reference guide

• Maintained Adobe FrameMaker templates

1998-1999

Technical Writer, Kodak (formerly Cemax-Icon), Fremont, CA

Wrote guides for medical imaging technology used by hospitals:

• Medical hardware guides

• Medical imaging software guides (how to capture or convert X-ray, for example, to PACS format)

• Medical software administrator guides

• Online help (RoboHelp HTML) for medical imaging software (X-ray, digital film scanners)

• Created test plan templates using Word

1996-1998

Technical Writer, Chek-Chart Publications, Sunnyvale, CA

Managing editor/technical writer for leading automotive college textbook publisher. Projects included:

• Engine repair and theory text and lab books

• Automatic and manual transmission text and lab books

• Instructor guide for each textbook (lesson plans, sample test questions)

• Automotive technical service bulletins (maintenance information)

• Staffed trade fairs and took automotive courses to learn how the textbooks were used in the classroom

EDUCATION

B.S., Journalism, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA

Attended professional development courses in:

• Adobe Photoshop

• Adobe FrameMaker

• Cisco Certified Networking Academy (CCNA) (courses I and II)

• HTML

• Single-sourcing XML

• “Role of social networking applications in society” (conference)

• “Future of Cloud Computing” (conference)

COMPUTER SKILLS

PC, Mac, UNIX; Adobe FrameMaker, Photoshop, Acrobat, Illustrator, RoboHelp; Microsoft Office (Word, Excel), Visio, ArborText Editor (TagTool), Quadralay WebWorks, Dreamweaver, screen capture tools (SnagIt), HTML, XML

PRESENTATION

Guest lecturer, online Human-Computer-Interaction (HCI) course, State University of New York at Oswego: “Usability and the role of the technical writer”, June 24, 2010.

AFFILIATIONS

Society for Technical Communication: Boston, MA & Silicon Valley, CA chapters; writing contest judge

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