Blair Bolles Resume

¨ Distributed information

¨ Enterprise software

¨ Communication software

SOFTWARE SKILLS

Graphics:	Help Authoring:
¨ Visio 6.0	¨ Robohelp
¨ Microsoft PowerPoint	¨ Forehelp
¨ Lotus Freelance	¨ Doc-to-Help
Database Management	Web Authoring
¨ Microsoft Access	¨ Microsoft FrontPage
¨ Microsoft Visual Basic	¨ Adobe GoLive
Spreadsheets	Word Processors
¨ Microsoft Excel	¨ Microsoft Word
¨ Lotus 1-2-3	¨ Word Perfect
	¨ Lotus Word Pro

My basic IT skill is more simply put: as a quick study, I can look at any software or network and grasp its essentials. Examples:

¨ Arrived at a large investment bank to document a mission-critical application. Supervisor immediately went on vacation. Explored application on my own; developed table of contents on my own; produced 200+ pp. document in under 2 months.

¨ At a bank with worldwide operations, found that users were having great difficulty installing communications software. Wrote text and logical flow for an installation wizard that ended the problem immediately.

¨ At an investment firm I joined a team preparing for it's first federal IT audit. By interviewing personnel of all pay grades, I was able to deliver a book describing all the procedures used to maintain the data center.

BACKGROUND

Citizenship: United States

Education: M.A. University of Pennsylvania. Major: English Literature.

National service: U.S. Peace Corps, Tanzania

CONSULTING HISTORY

2005 March - July: International Bank

Developed a series of documents to support recovery of the bank's Global General Ledger, a suite of applications (mostly Linux based) serving as the bank's chief accounting source (databases > 2 terabytes, with 6 million+ new records per day). A global team developed the business continuity plan, but I created all the supporting documents. Deliverables:

¨ Master Recovery Guide: (130 pp document describing the complete plan of recovery)

¨ 25 Server Recovery Guides (2 pp describing step-by-step method of failing over individual servers supporting the Global General Ledger)

2005 February - March: Central Bank

Developed an Excel workbook for tracking progress in a Risk Management project, and then developed a template for a monthly report. Also wrote an internal document developing the business case for purchase of a vulnerability assessment product and a Powerpoint presentation supporting the case. Deliverables:

¨    Risk Management Project Report Template and Supporting Spreadsheets.
¨    Vulnerability Assessment Document (QuarkXpress)
¨    Powerpoint presentation

2004 December - January 2005: International Bank

Using Visio, created a wall sized map (3 ft x 3.5 ft) of bank's global network for programmed trading. The war-room type map was developed for the engineers maintaining the network. It showed the clients, routers, firewalls, switches, servers, and server farms supporting the system. Document title:

¨ Client Connectivity Technology: Group Technology & Operations

2004 September - October: Central Bank

Wrote a 70 page handbook setting forth the Bank's information security policies. The handbook was created to provide all managers with a clear understanding of their responsibilities protecting information's confidentiality, integrity, and availability. Based the document on interviews and a thorough study of the Bank's internal documents. Document title:

¨ Information Security Handbook.
2004 June - August: International Pharmaceutical Company
Revised documentation of the architecture for firms's IT infrastructure. Interviewed various systems architects and, based on these interviews, revised the Pfizer technology standards. Sample document title:
¨ Network Architecture Standards

2003 December: Brokerage Firm

Part of team working to document firm's conversion of global personnel data from Peoplesoft to an Oracle database.

2003 March - July : International Pharmaceutical company

Revised and wrote over 200 procedures for the Safety and Health department of Pfizer's Brooklyn plant. The largest task was to produce a 50 page document (in IMI, Information Mapping, Inc. format) on responding to emergencies. Another document I created combined the procedures and policies from six documents into one large document on the safe handling of chemicals. Sample procedure titles included:

¨    Incident Management System
¨    Electrical Safe Work Practices
¨    Bloodborne Pathogens

2002 April — December: International Pharmaceutical Firm

Part of a team brought in to up-date the Pfizer Brooklyn plant’s procedures and translate them into IMI (Information Mapping, Inc.) format. I wrote and revised about 150 procedures covering everything from using the computer databases, to testing pharmaceuticals to ensure sterility, to laboratory control techniques, to manufacturing processes. Sample procedure titles included:

¨ Writing Technical Reports

¨ Sterility Test Controls

¨ Brooklyn Quality Control Laboratory Standard Test Times

¨ Finished Goods Warehouse Security

¨ Waste Coating Disposal

2001 December — January 2002: Major Pharmaceutical Firm

Member of a two-person writing team that created a suite of documents for a new, web-based application used in the early stages of developing pharmaceuticals. As senior writers, we developed the look and feel for the documents as well as providing content. Deliverables that I provided were:

¨ User Guide for senior level application users.

¨ PowerPoint slides used in training users.

¨ Context sensitive help (html files)

¨ A quick reference card for users to keep beside the computer.

¨ A plan for training senior users and their assistants.

2001 May – July: International Banking Firm

Wrote for the infrastructure department, creating documentation for a new mobile access application. I also wrote the logic and text for the application’s installation wizard, enabling users to install the software without needing any technical knowledge about their needs. Other documents created included a “Product Guide” or catalog of the department’s services and an HTML page to alert users to a problem discovered with some of the bank’s browsers. The main deliverables were:

¨ Text and logic for installation wizard.

¨ Documents (3) explaining to the user how to install their software (received in the mail).

¨ Reference card and troubleshooter’s guide to keep with the computer for quick consultation.

¨ User’s manual to the Virtual Private Network application used to access the firm’s network from outside bank.

¨ 2002 Product Guide, listing infrastructure services and costs.

¨ Series of documents (3) alerting users to a problem concerning improperly configured browsers.

2000 June – January 2001: European Banking Operation

Worked in the Data Center Operations’ infrastructure department, providing a series of technical documents supporting its North American network. The tasks required interviewing and the ability to develop documents based on discussions in meetings. The most important deliverables were:

w Operating Standards (network organization, disaster recovery, etc.) for UNIX servers in the North American network.

w Template for UNIX and NT runbooks.

w Data Model, User’s Guide, and a series of process documents supporting a new database application tracking the Data Center’s assets (i.e., hardware and system software).

1999 August - May 2000: Technology Consulting Firm

Wrote operations and user’s manuals for a firm providing custom software to financial clients. Also produced help files (using both Doc-to-Help and Robohelp). The firm had developed a series of controls that were used in many of its projects. All projects were developed in Visual Basic with SQL backends. Had to be able to read the Visual Basic code as part of the project. Deliverables included:

w Manuals and help file for *** financial services.

w Generic manuals and help file for the firm’s desktop controls.

w Two manuals (user’s guide and reference guide) and help file for a client’s asset management system.

1999 March - June: International Banking Firm

Member of team created to provide documentation for the bank’s migration to Windows NT-based network. The bank created a new network with about 900 servers for its retail operations with branches in the northeast and Texas. The system was reputed to be the largest NT-based network in existence. My primary task was to write operations procedures for the servers supporting Lotus Notes (NOMAD) and the bank’s investment services. I also wrote operating procedures for servers in the regions and district offices, and recovery procedures for Oracle servers in branch back offices. I produced 31 deliverables, including:

w Server guides for NOMAD servers (12 vols.)

w Server guides for investment member servers (2 vols)

w Backout procedures for branches during migration to NTServer guides for region and district branches (2 vols)

w First day guide for workstation users

w Recovery procedures for branch foreign exchange servers

w Recovery procedures for branch bond sale servers

1998 September - January 1999: Worldwide Manufacturer

I developed a database in Microsoft Access to model the relocation of personnel from facilities (buildings, plants, labs) scattered about its home state into new offices. Database used to track personnel, property, and their moves in multibillion dollar corporate restructuring. Model replaced a 25 mb Excel spreadsheet.

1998 June - August: Global Investment Banker

I documented a client-server system for posting banking and investment transactions. The system was one of the most important in the firm with well over 1,000 users who needed a complete reference and training manual. Besides explaining procedures, I developed the manual’s outline, designed its index, and created its graphics. Text covered all screens, techniques for troubleshooting problems balancing a transaction, and security issues. Document that I delivered:

w User guide for application posting transactions to many banking systems (175 pages).

1998 March - May: Worldwide Investment Firm

I was part of a team hired to write documents for the Operations and Technology office while it prepared for a federal audit of its procedures. The work required interviewing executives, technicians, developers, and data security officers to determine compliance with standards. Also had to review and analyze run books. This work provided an excellent (and fascinating) opportunity to see the details of how a worldwide financial operation organized its data centers. My work on the team concentrated on operating policy in two data centers, one downtown devoted to brokerage operations and a second midtown data center for processing banking activity. Documents that I delivered:

w Operations manual for Data Center serving the brokerage business. The manual focused more on policy standards than on step-by-step procedures.

w Operations manual for Data Center serving the banking business. This manual was designed to match the brokerage one in look and organization, giving me an excellent chance to compare and contrast two ways of managing computer operations.

w User’s guide for application managing the brokerage operation’s general ledgers.

w User’s guide for application managing the organization of brokerage client accounts.

1997 March - December: Major Pharmaceutical Manufacturer

I documented systems developed by a pharmaceutical company for distribution to hospitals and clinics. The work required me to read Microsoft Access code. These documents (manuals and help files) were particularly interesting challenges because the manufacturer wanted documentation that would encourage users to explore and work with its applications. Documents that I delivered:

w User’s guide and help file for application that tracks the management of disease states in patients. This application was especially ambitious, almost an attempt at artificial intelligence. It used disease algorithms to classify patient conditions and recommend treatment. The documentation had to be very careful because the users, physicians, do not want to see their authority and expertise subordinated to a machine.

w User’s guide and help file for application that tracks lipid levels in a patient’s blood. The help file included a feature that ran a simple Visual Basic program I created to demonstrate how to use features of the program.

w Help file for “lite” version of the lipid clinic program.

w Help file for program that compared clinical results of competing forms of medication.

1996 October - February 1997: Asian Insurance Company

Wrote a user’s guide for an exceptionally cumbersome application that managed claim handling from first notice of a claim to final closure of the case. The difficulties of the system and its interface made the writing particularly interesting as it forced me to develop techniques for clarifying and organizing a very complicated set of screens and procedures. Documents I delivered:

w User’s guide for the claims handling system. The final document required several hundred pages. The most complicated and important information concerned the payment of money and the security system to guard against unauthorized payments.

w “Cube” with a quick summary of application’s main commands. The cube folded into a box that sat on top of the user’s monitor. It reduced the user’s guide to one page listing the main steps and commands needed in handling a claim.

w Reference cards outlining the steps for the key activities in handling a claim.

Prior to Oct. 1996

I engaged in a variety of freelance writing activities including a program, going back to 1985, in which I wrote technical manuals and sold them myself through computer bulletin boards.

Information Managers	Application Users
¨ Network standards	¨ User guides
¨ Runbooks	¨ Help files
¨ Data models	¨ PowerPoint slides
¨ Disaster recovery procedures	¨ Interactive wizards
¨ Federal IT audits	¨ Training materials
¨ Clinical tracking software analysis	¨ Visio charts