Wrote Developer's Guides, API (Application Programming Interface) Reference Guides, and sample code.
Created an iOS application that received unanimous positive reviews from customers.
Worked closely with Development and Quality Assurance departments to ensure accuracy, completeness, and customer satisfaction.
Blackboard Inc.
Senior Technical Writer, 2009 – 2014
Wrote API documentation and user guides.
Provided feedback on API design, filed bug reports for APIs, and wrote test cases to ensure the API documentation was correct and complete.
Autodesk Canada
Developer Publications Specialist, 2004 – 2009
Created developer documentation for a highly technical audience.
Developed hundreds of code samples to demonstrate the APIs.
Provided tool support for other writers in divisions across the company.
Wrote FrameScripts to expand FrameMaker's built-in commands.
Saved three months of writers' time by developing a suite of Perl scripts to manipulate FrameMaker XML files to support Autodesk's custom online help enhancements.
Participated in a team to develop company-wide best practices for producing API references. Helped establish my department as one of the leaders in the company.
Led a team of three other writers to produce high-quality developer documentation for three products. Annual documentation releases consisted of nine developer's guides, eleven API references, and twenty technical notes.
Gathered requirements, created documentation plans, assigned work, and tracked progress.
Worked closely with developers, QA staff, and the Product Marketing Department.
Established and managed the Technical Publications Department (three writers).
Created departmental procedures, analyzed documentation requirements, and coordinated with other departments in Calgary and California. Worked closely with developers, QA staff, field sales engineers, trainers, the Marketing Department, and the Technical Support Department. Participated in software design reviews, project scoping and planning meetings, and UI design meetings.
Planned documentation projects and strategies. Tracked schedules and progress. Determined staffing requirements, prioritized projects, and allocated resources.
Managed a large, complex documentation set. A typical quarterly release involved eight user guides, four API guides, and six release notes.
Wrote:
user guides and administration manuals
API documentation for both internal and external users
online help
release notes
WOW Media
Senior Technical Writer, 1997 – 1999
Established and managed the Technical Publications Department (two writers).
Planned documentation projects and strategy. Tracked schedules and progress.
Wrote:
internal documentation (API documentation and software design notes)
operation manuals for end users
online HTML guides
marketing and promotional material
Valmet Automation
Technical Writer, 1995 – 1997
Wrote:
operation and management manuals
online help files
internal API documentation
Assisted in managing the Technical Publications Department (ten people) and supervised a three-person writing team.
Rewrote from scratch, in six weeks, a manual that a previous writer had been unable to complete in six months.
Other Experience
Have worked effectively in Agile teams and with geographically widespread, multinational teams.
Have won awards in the publications competitions of the Alberta Chapter and the Northern California Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication.