e-mail: dwaynerjames@cogeco.ca
web portfolios: www.dwaynerjames.com and dwaynerjames.deviantart.com

B.A. Hons,
University of Toronto, 1991

M.A. (Historical Archaeology),
Trent University, 1997

Click here to see it listed on the Trent University Masters Theses page.

Cows, Sheep, Pigs and Peacocks: the typical livestock for an early farmer in Clarkson?  Interpreting the Faunal assemblage from the Benares site (AjGv-30).
Presented at the Conference of the Canadian Archaeological Association in May of 1993

Internal Documentation On Demand: "Paying it Forward" in the Workplace.
Poster presented at the second annual IBM early tenure symposium at the executive training center in Palisades, New York. October, 2004.

My first role at Siemens was in the technical publications department, where I was primarily responsible for updating instruction manuals using Framemaker as well as the Siemens Industrial Publishing System Plus (SIPS+), a proprietary XML-based, single-sourcing documentation tool.

In August of 2014, I joined the Marketing and Communications team where I am now in charge of writing case studies, news releases, application stories, and technical articles, as well as assisting in the design of flyers, brochures, and web-based advertising.

restEddy designs
Artist and illustrator, February 2009 to present

When I was downsized by IBM in February of 2009, I decided to look at it as an opportunity and turn my hobby of painting and illustrating into something serious. I began to market my work by attending art shows, creating a website (resteddy.com), and designing brochures, business cards, and a portfolio.

Showed appreciation.
I introduced a complex spreadsheet to track hours, years of service, and forms of recognition for each volunteer. This made it possible to truly show our appreciation to our volunteers. In 2010, six volunteers were awarded Ontario Service Awards, and the entire corps was collectively awarded a Community Betterment Award by the City of Peterborough. I also organized a very successful Volunteer Potluck in 2009 for which I designed a photo-mosaic greeting card.

IBM Ltd.
Information Developer, November 2000 to February 2009

As a technical writer at IBM, I was primarily responsible for gathering technical information and designing effective user-friendly documentation, tutorials and samples for our Business Integration software applications. I also co-ordinated the ID build process, and maintained the team-based InfoCenter.

Accomplishments at IBM

Made things a little more animated...

In 2007, IBM introduced an annual company-wide video contest, and offered all of its employees the opportunity to participate. Videos had to be no longer than 60 seconds, and had to reflect a specific theme. The entire company could then view the entries, and judge the best ones. I decided to enter the contest on both occasions (see the entries here), and took the opportunity to develop my Macromedia Flash animation skills. My efforts were rewarded 2008's contest, in which I was awarded a third place prize.

Expanded my responsibilities beyond writing.

In January of 2002, I became the ID build Co-ordinator, and was responsible for getting my team's documentation into the Product build. Shortly after this, I also took on the responsibility of Translation Co-ordinator where I sent these same files out to our translation centers and dropped them to the Product build when they were returned.

Stream-lined writing processes.

When I joined, the ID build process was complicated and highly error-prone. So, in March of 2003, I proposed a radical change to the way in which we worked as technical writers. I suggested that we use XML-based tools that used the DITA-based information architecture, and work off a central repository from which the Product build would regularly and automatically process our files. We implemented the new system, and now the product always has the most current documentation, our work is automatically backed up, and I have more time to spend on writing.

Spread the wealth of knowledge.

Because the change I just described was fairly radical, and involved new tools and processes, I composed a comprehensive set of instructions for my team and made them available on a local server using an Eclipse-based InfoCenter (click to see the intro page, and an example). The instructions told my fellow team members exactly what they had to do in order to set up and use the new software.

Over time, the content on this InfoCenter continued to evolve, and proved useful even beyond our team. I received a number of compliments on it, and have had requests to set one up for other teams up. In October of 2004, I prepared a technical poster celebrating this success, and presented it at the IBM early tenure symposium at the executive training center in Palisades, New York .

Improved lines of communication with software developers

In my opinion, the greatest skill a technical writer can possess is the ability to interact diplomatically and productively with co-workers. Such a skill is especially important when gathering information from software developers who, in the beginning, may be the only ones who actually know how a product works.

When I first started at IBM, there wasn’t much in the way of direct interaction between the writer and the developer, and I worked actively to change that. I began by traveling to the development lab in Ottawa on a monthly basis and solicited a strong commitment from these once aloof developers and they became strongly involved in the development and review of the documentation.

Enhanced my skills

Encouraged by IBM's policy of skills development, I submitted and initiated a challenging skills enhancement program. I took courses in writing, Java Programming, HTML, SGML, Linux and XML. As well, I have been trained in the areas of Negotiation and Time management skills.

Struck an ideal work/life balance

In early 2003, I completed a transition that I had begun six months earlier when I moved to Peterborough , and became a remote worker. I worked from home and enjoyed the benefits of a flexible schedule. I didn't have to commute to the office, and could spend more time with my daughter. I became a much more productive worker, and learned to balance the pressures of work and home life.
 

Main duties were publishing, printing and coordinating the translation of the company’s manuals. Responsibilities also included some graphic work, and making changes to existing documents.

Accomplishments at Milltronics

Eliminated the translation print queue
When I was hired, I was given 8 months to clear the existing backlog of manuals waiting to be printed–I did it in 4. For the first time ever, all manuals were available in five languages current to the English revision.

Developed a new Information Design
I implemented the change from Ventura Publisher (rev 4.1) to a Word document template that I helped design. The new file format made updating easier, facilitated the review process, and made the manuals easier to use.

Reduced publishing preparation time
When I started, manual publication was poorly documented and time consuming, so I developed a Checklist to ensure that all necessary publishing activities took place, and introduced PDF files to the printing process. Preparation time was cut from 5 hours per document to just under one.

Enhanced the distribution of Technical Information
I streamlined the internal distribution of new or revised manuals by replacing hard copies with PDF's available via e-mail, the web, and CD ROM. Current technical information has never been more accessible, and roughly $20,000 per year has been cut from the printing budget.

Decreased printing costs with a PDF imposition program
When I started, film for manuals was being stripped and plated by our print house one page at a time. I introduced a PDF imposition program that saved $200 - $400 in set up fees per manual.tasks.

As a Graduate Level Instructor, I taught a course in Historical Archaeology in which I was responsible for course curricula and student evaluations.