Senior Technical Writer

Deirdre E. Mueller

PO Box ***, Fiddletown, CA ***29 | h 209-***-**** | c 209-***-****

********@************.***

Senior Technical Writer with over 10 years delivering effective, clear, and accurate technical and business documentation from highly complex and multiple sources. Consistently manages multiple projects, meeting tight deadlines by utilizing strong writing and editing skills partnered with extensive project management experience. A demonstrated ability to see the “big picture” and integrate people, information, and technology to increase organizational effectiveness and customer documentation experience.

Areas of Expertise

• Experience in content management, process improvement, and project management in the development of a wide range of business and technical documentation deliverables, including document management and retention processes, and maintaining departmental document systems.

• Experience in Policy and Procedures development and providing operational consulting for document/content development for internal/external clients; local/international audiences.

• Ability to advance companies technologically, leveraging single-sourcing by implementing online help systems and creating all templates, style guides, process documents, and training material required.

• Ability to deliver a wide range of documentation: web content, Policy and Procedures, user manuals/online Help systems, training materials, job and sales aids, quick reference guides, online Help systems, Business Continuity Plans, installation and migration Manuals, troubleshooting guides and FAQs, release notes, design specifications, professional biographies, and Business Processes, CMM, CMII, RUP.

Experience

Sacramento County Probation Department March 2012 to Present

Senior Technical Writer for IT Department responsible for developing and supporting all application and online security needs for the Sacramento County Probation Department mandated with the supervision of adult and juvenile offenders.

Solely responsible for delivering all documentation, including user manuals, release notes, and training material. Audience included Court personnel, Probation Officers and staff, and persons working at the detention facilities.

• Produced effective training program and supporting materials realizing a 90% user “buy-in” of new application from a resistant user group. Also trained Help Desk and performed “triage” on related Help Desk tickets.

• Although brought in very late on project, within three months learned existing detention facility booking processes and legacy applications and new application, creating a comprehensive, accurate user’s guide. All documentation and training was completed on time.

• Spearheaded next rollout performing role of Business Analyst: gathered and organized user requirements, executed gap analysis, held stakeholder meetings and performed follow-ups, and created GUI mockups and managed interface redesign.

• Initiated move to single-sourcing (from Microsoft Word and Adobe to Framemaker and Quadralay) by upgrading all templates and rewriting content for future portability to online systems.

• Created new templates for all documentation deliverables for consistency of look (branding) and clarity.

Miranda Technologies, Inc. July 2006 to January 2012

Senior Technical Writer for CDN $181.9 million international leader providing hardware and software solutions for television facilities, with a client base that includes broadcasters, cable, satellite, and IPTV operators.

Part of international 10-person team responsible for creating and maintaining user manuals, installation and ugrade guides, technical notes, and technical specifications for complex router hardware systems and configuration software for production audio and video equipment. Managed up to 5 documentation projects at any one time working closely with engineers, developers, sales representatives, and project managers to ensure documentation was accurate, clear, and delivered on-time.

Audience included engineers, salespersons, developers, technicians, and laypersons located in North America, Europe, Asia, and South America.

• Within one year removed two-year documentation backlog and improved quality of deliverables.

• Moved U.S. division from print-only deliverables to print and online help systems, leveraging single-sourcing, initiating move to Framemaker 10 and the use of XML/structured templates.

• Initiated the creation of a company-wide “master specification” for all router products to aid Sales, Marketing and Customer Support. Recognized by President as key resource.

• Initiated and developed online/print templates and style guide for documentation teams in California, Montreal and London, promoting a single company “look and brand” for multiple companies purchased by Miranda. Reported directly to Presidents of U.S. and Canada-based division; one of top five goals set by CEO. Delivered one month early.

California Chamber of Commerce June 2005 to June 2006

Senior Technical Writer, Publications/Web Content Editor for California Chamber of Commerce’s online resource providing businesses with compliance materials, Human Resource aids, and legal information, and be apprised of relevant legislation.

Provided writing and editing support for launch of new website for calchamber.com/HR California, in addition to working with fellow technical writer to ensure all user’s guides, wizards, and compliance materials were current.

Audience included laypersons, attorneys, Human Resource professionals, and business owners.

• Through solo effort, edited, fully validated HTML code and cross-linked over 2,000 pages of online content on time for launch of new web site.

• Worked closely with Project Manager to ensure that all content was accessible and tracked using Microsoft’s CMS.

Verizon Digital Government Services November 2002 to June 2005

Senior Technical Writer for division responsible for developing applications that managed automobile and hunting/fishing licenses for various States throughout the U.S.

Created and maintained multiple internal and external user manuals, managing up to 7 projects at one time, working closely with developers, R&D personnel, and QA, to create accurate, clear and concise documentation.

• Received the ”Best Solution Award” at the Government Technology Conference (GTC) for producing multiple, large scale technical documents for a State-wide e-Government suite of applications.

• When company buy-out reduced technical documentation team to 3 persons, personally delivered over 60% of all documentation while moving to XML-based template and improving content quality.

• Created template and assisted documentation of internal processes utilizing the Rational Unified Process (RUP) Methodology.

Intel June 2002 to November 2002

Publisher/Senior Technical Writer for Business Applications Solutions at Intel, a global company with new revenues of $54 billion, developing and manufacturing microprocessors. Business Applications Solutions is responsible for maintaining an internal online Help system and training tools for intranet system housing over 10,000 scripts.

Part of team responsible for the creation and maintenance of intranet content, including performing gap analysis and creating clear, usable online help documentation from development scripts.

• Selected to coordinate and create documentation and use testing of Disaster Recovery procedures for Business Continuity Plans.

• Created a matrix to track the volume of incoming and processed work, the tasks performed to process work, and incoming and resolved customer issues. The information gathered from the matrix was used to automate key functions greatly reducing time spent performing repeatable documentation tasks.

OnDemand, Inc. May 1999 to March 2001

Lead Technical Writer, Customer Support for a Silicon Valley start-up company developing Business-to-business portals for internal and external audiences.

Created and maintained user manuals, read-me notes, installation and migration manuals, multi-platform online help systems, training material and user orientation packets for customers. Created and maintained all engineering feature and design specifications, installation and migration manuals for QA and Customer Services, employee product introduction packets, and an administrative-level online help system for internal users.

• Assisted in the development and implementation of an extensive modular online help systems in RoboHelp supporting up to 15 custom application versions.

• Implemented the internal use of the company’s application to create a searchable centralized information resource for all engineering documentation. Customer Services, Marketing and Sales Departments later implemented the same project for their departments.

• Promoted to Lead Technical Writer after six months on team.

Korody Business Services December 1998 to present

Web Content Writer and Editor/Web Developer for company providing a wide range of business support services, including accounting, marketing, social media, human resources, training, and customer support.

Create a wide variety of content on an “as needed” basis, including training materials, user guides, web content for medical and dental web sites, web development, employee packets, professional biographies, marketing literature, brochures and client proposals.

• Was published in business periodical; award winning content for web sites.

Education/Internships

Doctorate of Jurisprudence, University of San Francisco

Bachelor of Arts, CSU Chico. Political Science, Social Science, Biological Psychology and Sociology majors;

minors in English and Cultural Anthropology. Paralegal Certification.

Indexing, editing, and HTML courses for Technical Writers, CSU, San Jose; WebWorks Intermediate User Seminar

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