Mike Stockman
(781) 598-8983
mstockman@aol.com
Objective
A challenging senior-level position, building or managing a documentation department, contributing as a technical writer, or providing support as a documentation toolsmith.
Skills and Tools
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Writing and Researching. Strong writing and peer-editing skills. Ability to perform independent research and interview Subject Matter Experts. Experience writing for all levels of audiences.
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Operating Systems. Mac OS and OS X, Windows, MS-DOS including DOS batch programming , Linux, Solaris, and other UNIX-like operating systems.
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Online Help. Skilled in the architecture and implementation of online help systems, including Microsoft Help, HTML Help, Quadralay WebWorks, RoboHelp, RoboHTML, Doc-to-Help, Apple Help SDK, AppleGuide GuideMaker for Mac OS, and Eclipse help plugins.
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Print and Web-based Documentation. Proficient in all aspects of print, online, and Web publishing, including development of Web sites, PDF files, and printed books. Experience with a wide range of tools, including standard text editors, HTML editors, word-processors, page-layout applications, raw HTML and XHTML editing, Author-it, Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) and other XML-based systems, and other XML-based systems, JavaScript, cascading style sheets (CSS), Macromedia Dreamweaver, FrameMaker, PageMaker, Microsoft Word, OpenOffice.org, and others.
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Toolsmithing. Ability to script and implement automated document production and file transformations. Experience includes transforming DITA XML output to PDF, using Eclipse help plugins, developing Web-based forms processing and calculation tools. Scripting languages and environments include 4NT and Windows batch files, Visual Basic for Applications, JavaScript, Apache Ant, and some experience with XSLT and Perl.
Experience
Principal Technical Writer
December 2009-Present
Created documents for the Autonomous Operations Planner (AOP), a research software project being developed by Engility, and for the Air Traffic Operation Simulator (ATOS), a simulation environment in which the AOP operates.
- For the AOP, read and analyzed C++ code as well as interviewed subject matter experts (SMEs) to document the architecture, algorithms, and implementation of the software.
- For ATOS, read and analyzed C++ code to create Interface Control Documents (ICD)s that describe the inputs and outputs of each subsystem (including the AOP) as it communicates with other subsystems in the simulation environment.
Independent Contracting, Technical Writing and Editing/Online Help Development
Contract Technical Writer
December 2008-December 2009
Wrote, produced, and edited documentation and online help for use across multiple operating systems for a number of companies, including Incipient, Inc.
Senior Technical Writer
July 2002-December 2008
Wrote administrator and developer documentation for Storage Area Networking (SAN) storage virtualization and data migration products. Created a large library of content to support multiple parallel projects for OEM partners. Accomplishments include:
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Contributed to the documentation set for the company's two major products (Incipient Network Storage Platform and Incipient Automated Data Mover), producing branded output for multiple OEMs. My areas of focus were on the command-line interfaces (CLI) as well as the inner workings of the product, a Perl automation library, and other technical aspects of the products.
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Used FrameMaker and WebWorks Publisher to produce PDF and online help output.
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Developed an automated FrameMaker production system to generate nightly builds of the documentation set in all output formats, including full error reporting.
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Converted the documentation set to use the Author-it content management and publishing system, used to generate Word and DITA XML output for multiple OEMs.
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Developed an automated Author-it production system to generate nightly builds of the online help from the DITA output produced by Author-it. This project included extensive work in XML manipulation, production scripting, and automation.
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Created a Web-based form with JavaScript processing to aid the services group in generating complex data for customer installations.
Concentric Visions, Inc.
Senior Technical Writer
February 2002-June 2002
Responsible for all end-user, administrator, and developer documentation for a set of rich-media content management and production tools built around SQL and J2EE servers.
Principal Technical Writer
January 2000-February 2002
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Wrote all end-user and administrator online help and printed documentation for the WebInteract, WebIntertalk, and WebIntermeet line of Web collaboration and telephony products.
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Edited, wrote, and published developer architecture/SDK documents for internal use.
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Wrote and published information on the Web, as Windows online help, in PDF (Adobe Acrobat) format, and on paper.
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Managed automatic account setup project for a free trial program as well as the user interface and documentation for an automated credit-card system for the WebInterpoint product line, and wrote extensive JavaScript code for form processing.
Independent Contracting, Technical Writing and Editing/Online Help Development
Contract Technical Writer
February 1991-January 2000
Wrote, produced, and edited documentation and online help for use in Mac OS, Microsoft Windows, UNIX, and Microsoft Windows for Pen Computing for a number of companies, including those listed here.
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WebDialogs, Inc. (now IBM). Wrote Windows online help for their telephony client application.
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Shiva Corporation (later Intel). Wrote and produced Windows, DOS, and Mac OS online help for Shiva's line of remote networking and shared dial-out servers, including their ShivaRemote (dial-in network access software); Shiva Dial-Out; the Shiva Security Pack for Windows 95; and the Shiva AccessPort ISDN router. Wrote the Shiva Dial-Out Software Development Kit (SDK) documentation for developer access to Shiva's products.
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Desktop Data, Inc. (later Thomson Corporation). Wrote end-user guides for a high-end networked news retrieval system for Windows, Mac OS, and Lotus Notes, including quick reference guides and printed manuals.
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Occam Research Corp. Wrote and edited FrameMaker-based printed documentation and Windows online help for several releases of MUSE®, a natural-language data retrieval and analysis package for Mac OS and Windows.
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Gutenberg Systems. Wrote and produced documentation for CD-ROM writing software that shipped with JVC Corporation's early Writeable CD-ROM systems for Mac OS and Sun's Solaris operating systems.
Articulate Systems, Inc. (later part of Lernout & Hauspie)
Documentation Manager
September 1990-July 1991
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Wrote end-user documentation and online help for the Voice Impact line of recording devices and the Voice Record sound editing software package.
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Maintained and updated documentation in the Voice Navigator voice interface system.
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Wrote and maintained their Software Development Kit (SDK) documentation for Mac OS developers.
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Managed all aspects of documentation production, from writing and editing to desktop publishing, imagesetting, and printing. Supervised and coordinated jobs with outside contractors as well.
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Worked closely with Research and Development in user-interface design.
Layered, Inc.
Documentation Manager
September 1988-August 1990
Technical Writer
July 1987-September 1988
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Wrote all end-user documentation for the Insight Expert Accounting series (later marketed as Peachtree Insight Expert for Mac OS), atOnce! Integrated Accounting software (later marketed as Peachtree Accounting for Mac OS), and other software packages written for the Apple Mac OS and Microsoft Windows.
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Managed additional technical writers and outside contractors.
Teaching and Training
All teaching and training occurred on a part-time basis in addition to full-time work.
Instructor, Computer Troubleshooting and Maintenance
Fall 2005-Spring 2006
Taught a non-credit class explaining to students how to identify problems with their computers (mainly Microsoft Windows-based systems, although the class covered other operating systems); how to prevent problems; how to repair software conflicts, spyware/virus/trojan horse infestations; and additional maintenance and security issues.
Instructor, Internet and Computing
October 1995-January 1997
Participated on a volunteer basis in the library's Whole New World program, in which students of junior high and high school ages attended training in browsing the Web, using e-mail, reading newsgroups, and so on using accounts provided by the program.
Instructor, Desktop Publishing
April 1990-March 1993
Multiple 10-hour introductory courses (4 or 5 weeks each) in desktop publishing using Aldus PageMaker. Classes ranged from 12 to 14 students per course.
Boston Computer Society
Instructor, Desktop Publishing
July 26-July 31, 1992
Classes included approximately 50 students in lecture and laboratory settings and course material included both Aldus PageMaker (Mac OS and Windows) and QuarkXpress.
Commercial Publications
Co-authored the Peter Norton Guide to Network Security Fundamentals, published in October, 1999 (Sams Publishing, ISBN: 0672316919). This book provides an introduction to the risks to which a network is subject, as well as ways to secure the network against intrusion.
Co-authored the Broadband Internet Access for Dummies book, published in December, 2000 (Hungry Minds Inc., ISBN: 0764507699). This book provides an explanation of the broadband Internet connections available (DSL, Cable Modem, and Satellite) and suggests ways to make the best use of the speed.
Education
Bachelor of Arts in English
Certificate in Management Studies (Information Systems)
References
Available upon request.