Nancy A. Pickering, 201 Westminster Ave. NW, P.O. Box 1128, Watertown, MN, 55388, (952) 955-3035 nancyp@minn.net, www.geocities.com/nancy_pick/ Senior Technical Writer/HTML Developer Keywords: technical writer, documentation, online Help, HTML, web, intranet, manuals, design and layout. Professional Summary Experienced professional in Technical Writing, Documentation and Communication, and Design Implementation. Emphasis on User Education materials. Additional experience in departmental intranets, newsletter publishing, and Project Management. Experience/Employment History Independent Contractor and Self-Employed Consultant, 01/07-present Documentation Specialist--User Education, Editor, Presentation Designer, and Web Site Designer for various small businesses. Express Scripts (ESI), Bloomington, MN Permanent Employee, 1/05-12/06 Independent Consultant (for Tail Wind Technologies), 6/03-1/05 Documentation Specialist for Information Technology department of the third-largest Pharmacy Benefit Management company in the United States. * Documented the internal business processes behind mainframe applications, for an audience of client administrators and account managers. * Created departmental intranet and designed new intranet distribution methods for documentation. * Created, published, and distributed monthly newsletter. * Created database to prioritize and track documentation requests. * Served as Toastmasters President at ESI Bloomington location. (**info at end) * Use of MS Office Professional, MS Access, MS Publisher, Adobe Acrobat, Visio, and HTML. Donaldson Company (for Rapid Application Deployment), Bloomington Independent Consultant, 10/02-4/03 Communications Coordinator for scientific engineering group of a large multi-national filtration company upgrading their internal custom software. * Revised/expanded online JavaHelp system for custom prototype modeling tool. Use of Help Breeze JavaHelp Edition and 1stPage 2000. * Created self-running, interactive tutorial using RWD Info Pak Simulator. * Updated content, graphics, and site architecture for 45-page project web site, using NetObjects Fusion. Nextel Partners, Inc. (for Modis Incorporated), Eden Prairie, MN Independent Consultant, 10/01-9/02 Communications Coordinator for the Project Management Office for national company-wide billing conversion project for division of cellular telephone company. * Created and implemented an internal Intranet site to communicate project information to both business leaders and users. * Set documentation standards for sharing, storing, and archiving project documentation, both on the network and within a web-based document management system. * Formulated a PMO-led Risk Management strategy for the project. * Edited 67 training lessons for intra-company users throughout the U.S. Use of MS Office, Visio, FrontPage, 1stPage 2000, Paint Shop Pro, and eProject. MLT Vacations, Inc., Edina, MN, 12/00-9/01. Documentation Specialist for the Project Management Office in Information Services of a wholesale travel and tour company. * Created, revised and implemented a Master Documentation Plan for business technology projects and processes. Included style sheets and templates. * Created user education documentation in support of PMO-sponsored IS projects in the form of Quick Reference Guides, User Manuals, and a standalone WebHelp system. Projects ranged from documenting software enhancements to internal policies and procedures to new testing and reporting systems to a new company intranet. Use of MS Office, Visio, PageMaker, RoboHELP, and Paint Shop Pro. Maintenance of legacy user manuals using FrameMaker. Consulting, 11/93-10/00. Analysts International, Edina, MN, 1995-2000, Technical Consultant Senior Technical Writer, HTML Help Writer, Business Analyst, and Graphical Artist for contract durations of four months to two years. Information Services projects included custom application development (client/server and web), e-commerce web sites, and a corporate intranet, requiring the production of requirements analyses and specifications documents and templates, user education and training materials, and on-line help systems. * Heavy use of MS Word, RoboHELP HTML, Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro; also FrontPage and PageMaker. Highlights * Designed, co-wrote and edited a set of six User Manuals (600 pages) detailing a mail order pharmacy's procedural use of a customization of Lawson financial software (AP, AR, GL, CL, Billing). Led a team of seven Business Analysts and Technical Writers. * Wrote the on-line HTML Help files (WebHelp) to accompany a web-based application, using RoboHELP HTML. Users were several thousand state and county employees scattered throughout Iowa. * Devised a system to customize User Training Guide chapters for each of 16 autonomous business units of a state agency, while also tracking revisions for common chapters in one place to minimize maintenance tasks. * Wrote one of six printed user manuals for a software product developed for national commercial distribution. Coordinated with team of five other writers. Client Companies Medical Reinsurance Company, Iowa Department of Human Services, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, U.S. West (Qwest), Minnesota Department of Human Services, ValueRx/Express Scripts (Mail-order pharmacy), American Express, Bankers Systems (Banking forms supply and software firm in St. Cloud). Self-Employed Consultant, 11/93-6/95 and 11/00-present, Independent Educator/Trainer. * Designed and created business web site and continue as webmaster for www.stevemillaranddiamondhead.com. Continue to design flyers and brochures. * Developed and taught seminars and courses in Windows 3.1 and WordPerfect for individual clients and for a small business owner of a computer hardware firm expanding their client services. Applications, Languages, Environments: MS Office 2003: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access, Publisher, Visio, Project; Adobe: Acrobat, InDesign, Photoshop. RoboHELP, Help & Manual, Dreamweaver, FrontPage, Paint Shop Pro. Windows (NT, 2000, XP), HTML. Industries: Custom Software Development, Financial, Electronic Medical Technology, Health Insurance, Pharmacy Benefit Management, Telecommunications, HVAC, Marketing, Travel, Distribution, Government, Manufacturing. custom software development, financial, electronic medical technology, health insurance and pharmacy, state government, HVAC, marketing, travel, distribution, telecommunications, and manufacturing industries. Positions/Titles: Communications Coordinator, Documentation Specialist, Senior Technical Writer, Project Team Lead, HTML Help Writer, Business Analyst, Staff Engineer, Graphic Designer, Programmer, Instructor/Trainer Training: PMI Project Management Institute. Seminar: Project Management Structure and Competencies; A Guide to PMBOK. Mindsharp Learning: MS Access. Weisner Associates: Dreamweaver. AWAI: Copywriting home-study courses. Education: CDI Career Development Institute, Programming Certificate, Business Applications. University of Minnesota, Master of Fine Arts. University of Kansas, Bachelor of Arts. ** Toastmasters International: At Express Scripts, I have served as President and as Vice President Public Relations. I have won the 1st place trophy in the Division Speech Contest Fall 2006, and won 1st and 3rd place trophies in the District Public Relations Contest (flyers & brochures) Spring 2005. I have earned the Competent Communicator award and 2 Competent Leader awards.