| Objective |
To develop, follow, and refine best practices in the technical communications field. |
| Summary of Qualifications |
- Fifteen years of experience writing customer-facing product documentation.
- Experienced in writing for multiple audiences: IT administrators, developers, and end-users, as well as sonographers and other users of ultrasound machines. Online help recognized as “excellent” in a product review (NetworkWorld, 2000).
- Breadth of industry knowledge: software for healthcare, medical research, customer relationship management (CRM), and network management, as well as ultrasound machines.
- Proven expertise in managing documentation projects from start to finish.
- Advanced skills in Adobe Acrobat, Adobe FrameMaker, Madcap Flare, and Office.
- Comfortable with and knowledgeable about check-ins to software code base using TFS and other tools.
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| Experience |
|
| Technical Writer |
Microsoft Research (Steyer Associates vendor), Redmond, WA, 3/13 to present. |
| Technical Writer |
Caradigm, a Microsoft | GE Healthcare Company (Idea Entity vendor), Bellevue, WA, 6/12 to 3/13.
- Wrote customer-facing documentation for Amalga V3 healthcare enterprise product line.
- Developed content model for documenting user interface modules used by administrators.
- Collaborated with other UA team members on single-source XML content files to ensure intelligent reuse.
- Worked with UX design team to provide consistent UI text and error messaging.
- Reviewed UI text strings and provided .resx file edits for check-in.
- Reviewed and provided detailed feedback on testable stories, specifications, and other developer, test, and PM materials.
|
| Technical Writer |
Microsoft Health Solutions Group (Idea Entity vendor), Redmond, WA, 10/08 to 6/12.
- Wrote customer-facing documentation for medical research product under the Pharos and Amalga teams at Health Solutions Group (HSG).
- Managed all stages of Pharos documentation from planning to publication.
- Assisted team with MadCap Flare tool questions.
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| Sr. Technical Writer |
Onyx Software (Consona CRM),
Kirkland, WA , 2/06 to 9/08.
- Researched and led implementation of documentation plans and other best practices.
- Managed all stages of documentation projects from planning to publication.
- Wrote content for CRM end users, administrators, and developers.
- Edited content written by non-native English speakers.
- Applied topic-typing principles to completely redesign the outline of a 150-topic Help project for maximum usability.
- Developed publication procedures for MadCap Flare and other tools.
- Led efforts to standardize terminology and syntax across product documents, revamping the departmental style guide in the process.
|
| Sr. Technical Writer |
Siemens Medical Solutions, Ultrasound Division, Issaquah, WA, 11/01 to 2/06 (including eight-month contract assignment through Linda Werner & Associates, Seattle, WA).
- Created and maintained online help files in five languages across several software versions, despite shifting software requirements.
- Outlined and wrote a 90-page user guide for imaging software.
- Researched, outlined, wrote, and edited backwards-compatible user documentation for several ultrasound products (often simultaneously ).
- Created content modules for re-use across products, reducing translation costs.
- Interviewed clinical specialists to establish accepted terminology and expected workflow for new concepts, such as 3D imaging.
- Edited user interface text for accepted terminology and consistency; revised syntax where needed to facilitate translation.
- Coordinated documentation reviews for several simultaneous projects and resolved queries from translators.
- Learned to use new ultrasound products from hands-on experience; designed “workflow tests” to confirm my assumptions about the software’s design.
- Created layout for trifold quick reference cards.
- Achieved consensus on departmental style guide.
- Completed a training course for XML and content development.
|
| Technical Writer |
Vixel Corporation (now Emulex), Bothell,
WA, 9/98 to 10/01.
- Sole writer of user documentation for company products
(switches, hubs, and software).
- Planned user documentation sets for
new products and product releases.
- Single-sourced online help, PDFs, and printed guides for each product line.
- Wrote detailed print specifications
for print vendors and fedexed with hard copies of documents; sent
electronic files to print vendor’s .ftp site.
- Reviewed textual elements of user interfaces
(for both the software suite and the command line interfaces for the
hubs and switches) and championed consistent terminology to simplify
customer’s experiences.
|
| Technical Writer |
Boeing, Writing and Editing Services,
Renton, WA, 9/97 to 9/98. (Contract assignment through Superior Design
Company, Bellevue, WA.) Wrote procedures and documented call center
processes; facilitated meetings. |
Technical
Editor/Intern |
Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 4/96 to 6/97. Under direction of James B. Bassingthwaighte, edited articles submitted to the Annals of Bioengineering.
|
| Technical Skills |
|
| Software and Methodologies |
- Agile software development
- Dreamweaver
- Flare (MadCap)
- FrameMaker
- FreeHand
- HomeSite
- Illustrator
- Office
- PageMaker
- PaintShopPro
- PhotoShop
- Publisher
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- Quark Express
- RoboHelp
- SharePoint
- SnagIt
- Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
- StarTeam
- Virtual Server
- Visual SourceSafe
- Visual Studio Team Foundation Server (TFS)
- Visio
- WebWorks Publisher
- Word
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|
| Operating Systems |
|
| Style Guides |
- Chicago
- Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications (MSTP)
- Read Me First (Sun)
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| Professional Memberships |
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| Activities of Interest |
- Provide professional editing services for manuscripts: perform structural edit and line edit; review author changes and work with author to resolve queries; keep books on schedule.
Recent project: Yimsut, Ronnie (2011). Facing the Khmer Rouge. New Jersey: Rutgers University Press.
- Monthly writing critique group reviewing nonfiction and fiction.
- Monthly open mics—I regularly bring pieces to read to local open mics.
|
| Education |
Bachelor of Science in Technical Communication, with specialty in biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. |
| LinkedIn Profile |
www.linkedin.com/in/pameladenchfield |
| References |
Available upon request. |
Download
Resume (Word Doc) | LinkedIn profile
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