Dirk S. Manuel
Texas, USA
Tel: +1 281 685 3527
E-mail: Dirk@TechnicalAuthoring.com
Education
| Degree | B.Sc. (Hons.) degree in Computer Science from the University of Portsmouth. This was a four-year course, which included one-year of industrial placement. |
| Professional qualifications | City & Guilds 5360 – Communication of Technical Information:
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| Professional affiliations |
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| ‘A’ Levels | English, Computer Science and Economics. |
| ‘0’ Levels | Math(s), English Language, English Literature, Computer Science (AO), Geography, Physics, German, Technical Drawing, Woodwork, General Studies (AO). |
Employers
| January 2014 to Present |
ExxonMobil Global Services Company (contracted through Stefanini Inc.), based in Houston, Texas. Training Development Lead for the GEMS II Project. Responsible for managing the development of training material for several distinct but parallel sub-projects implementing a combination of SAP and New Technology applications globally. This included planning, resourcing and managing training development for each sub-project, and managing a team of 8 Training Developers who worked across all sub-projects. |
| October 2012 to December 2013 | ExxonMobil Chemical Company (contracted through RCG Information Technology / Stefanini Inc.), based in Houston, Texas. Training Lead for the GEMS Turnaround Project. Responsible for managing a team of 12 UPK Developers to convert 2,000 Word-based User Procedures into interactive UPK training simulations. |
| January 2011 to September 2012 |
ExxonMobil Global Services Company (contracted through RCG Information Technology), based in Houston, Texas. Training and Documentation Lead for the NA STRIPES Project. Responsible for managing a team of five Training Developers to develop and deliver training material and user documentation for a global implementation of SAP. |
| April 2008 to December 2010 |
ExxonMobil Global Services Company (contracted through RCG Information Technology), based in Houston, Texas. Training and Documentation Lead for the Global Warehouse Management GWM) Project. Responsible for the development and deployment of training material and user documentation for a global implementation of SAP WM. Provided on-site training for users ranging from PLant Managers to forklift operators at warehouse locations across the United States. |
| February 2007 to March 2008 | ExxonMobil Petroleum and Chemical (contracted through RCG Information Technology), based in Houston, Texas. Documentation Consultant for the G-ROC Center of Expertise. Responsible for ongoing maintenance and continuous improvement of documentation and training programmes for a global implementation of SAP-Retail. I developed a steady-state Change Management process, covering all stages of system change, from design to implementation. I also developed and implemented a new Knowledge Management system for use by system users globally. |
| January 2005 to January 2007 | ExxonMobil Petroleum and Chemical (contracted through ITECS NV), based in Belgium. Documentation and Training Lead for the G-ROC Project. Responsible for writing, editing, and publishing user documentation, and managing the development and delivery of training courses for an implementation of SAP-Retail. As a part of the Change Management team, my responsibilities also include gap analyses, readiness assessments, and organizational design. Additional responsibilities include managing a team of content developers (writers and training developers), facilitating process (re)design workshops, and delivering training courses to users internationally. |
| March 2001 to December 2004 | ExxonMobil Chemical Global Services (contracted through RCG Information Technology), based in Houston, Texas, in America. Documentation Lead for the GEMS Project. I was responsible for writing and publishing user documentation and training courses for a global implementation of the SAP R/3, APO, and BW systems. Additional responsibilities included managing a team of content developers (writers and training developers), configuration, implementation and first-level support for the SAP Knowledge Warehouse, and development and administration of the project Website. |
| March 1998 to February 2001 | ExxonMobil Chemical Asia Pacific (contracted through Campbell & Associates), based in Singapore. Documentation Consultant for the AP-CSC Project. On this contract, I was responsible for writing and publishing user procedures for a regional implementation of the SAP R/3 and APO systems. Additional responsibilities included the development of data collection forms, and the design and implementation of all output documents (such as invoices and purchase orders). |
| April 1994 to February 1998 | Exxon Chemical Europe (contracted through TMS Technical Authors), based in Brussels, Belgium. Documentation Consultant for the E-CSC Project. On this contract, I was responsible for writing and publishing user documentation for a regional implementation of the SAP/R2 system. |
| December 1993 to March 1994 | Prudential Assurance, based in London, England. Technical Author. For this contract, I produced help files for IBM mainframe based finance systems. |
| November 1993 | Reuters, based in London, England. Technical Author. This short contract was a pilot project to produce an on-line Windows help facility for the construction of financial instrument codes. |
| January 1993 to October 1993 | DHL Systems Ltd., based in London England. Technical Author. This contract involved the production of technical documentation for Unix-based control applications. |
| August 1988 to August 1992 | IBM (UK) Ltd., based in Portsmouth, England. Analyst/Programmer. Although employed primarily as an Analyst/Programmer, the majority of my work comprised of producing documentation for real-time network security applications running on an IBM mainframe architecture. This job included a four-month assignment to IBM Germany. |
| July 1986 to October 1987 | IBM (UK) Ltd., based in Portsmouth, England. Industrial Trainee. This job was undertaken as a part of my degree course, and involved various programming work. |
Work Experience
Publications Management
- Managed documentation projects from conception to completion, across multiple development teams. This included scoping, estimating, planning, resourcing, monitoring progress, and ensuring delivery of quality documentation on-time and within budget. (ExxonMobil 1998-2001, ExxonMobil 2001-2004, ExxonMobil 2005-2007)
- Managed, mentored, and reviewed and edited the work of a team of up to 12 content developers. (ExxonMobil 2001-2004, ExxonMobil 2005-2007)
- Developed in-house publication styles and standards, now used worldwide throughout the Corporation, and ensured adherence to these standards on the project. (ExxonMobil 1998-2001, ExxonMobil 2001-2004, ExxonMobil 2005-2007)
- Developed user document and training course templates and style guides for use by the content developers. (ExxonMobil 1998-2001, ExxonMobil 2001-2004, ExxonMobil 2005-2007)
- Defined, documented, and implemented the documentation change management process. (ExxonMobil 1998-2001, ExxonMobil 2001-2004, ExxonMobil 2005-2007)
Change Management and Organization Design
- Assisted in the definition of user roles for the global implementation of an SAP-based ERP system, ensuring necessary controls and segregation of duties were in place. (ExxonMobil 2001-2004)
- Documented a global organization model, wrote detailed job specifications for each position, and mapped positions to roles. (ExxonMobil 2001-2004)
- Mapped SAP transactions and user documentation to defined roles, and developed a role-based training curriculum (ExxonMobil, 2001-2004).(ExxonMobil 2001-2004)
User Documentation
- Wrote all process documents for a global corporation. Facilitated business process redesign sessions and gap analysis workshops. (Exxon 1994-1998, ExxonMobil 1998-2001, ExxonMobil 2001-2004, ExxonMobil 2005-2007)
- Wrote or edited over 4,000 user procedures over a period of 12 years. (Exxon 1994-1998, ExxonMobil 1998-2001, ExxonMobil 2001-2004, ExxonMobil 2005-2007).
- Devised and developed quick reference guides, white papers, job aids, and other supporting materials as required by users. (Exxon 1994-1998, ExxonMobil 1998-2001, ExxonMobil 2001-2004, ExxonMobil 2005-2007)
- Wrote the complete product documentation set (including General Information Manuals, Installation Manuals, Operating Instructionsand User Guides) for internal and commercial Network Security Management Systems, to British Standard BS5750 and International Standard ISO9000. (IBM 1988-1992)
System Documentation
- Wrote detailed Program Specification Documents and Technical Reference Manuals for Network Security Management Systems. (IBM 1988-1992)
- Wrote Technical Reference documentation for a UNIX-based Shipment Control System. (DHL 1993)
Information Design
- Designed the layout of business reports to maximize their usefulness and ease of understanding for the users. (ExxonMobil 2001-2004)
- Designed and developed all commercial documents (Invoices, Purchase Orders, Delivery Notes, etc.) for a multinational company.(ExxonMobil 1998-2001)
- Designed and developed internal data collection forms and user request forms. (ExxonMobil 1998-2001)
Internet Development
- Designed and built a project Intranet website and wrote most of the content of this website (ExxonMobil 2001-2004, ExxonMobil 2008).
- Published and maintained an Internet website consisting of several hundred inter-linked HTML pages. Website was reviewed favorably in a national magazine. (1996-2000)
Training Material
- Developed and presented end user and project team training courses. (ExxonMobil 2001-2004, ExxonMobil 2005-2007, ExxonMobil 2008).
- Edited and performed quality assurance for an entire user training curriculum for over 1,000 users across multiple countries (ExxonMobil 1998-2001).
- Piloted the use of Macromedia Flash for on-line course delivery. Investigated e-learning requirements, including the SCORM specification. (ExxonMobil 2001-2004).
On-line Help Systems
- Converted existing documentation for financial instruments into a Windows Help application. This documentation was produced using the Doc-To-Help package, and included hyperlinked graphics and context-sensitive help. (Reuters 1993)
- Developed on-line help (Operations Manuals and Systems Manuals used by technical support personnel) for IBM mainframe based applications. (Prudential 1993-1994)
- Developed a comprehensive context-sensitive on-line Windows Help application for Windows-based applications. (Exxon 1994-1998)
- Implemented and maintained a system for converting existing HTML documentation into a suite of Windows HTML Help files. (ExxonMobil 2001-2004).
SAP Knowledge Warehouse
- Investigated, implemented, configured, and supported a global implementation of the SAP Knowledge Warehouse. (ExxonMobil 2001-2004)
- Provided first-level support to the content developers and end users. Worked closely with SAP AG System Support to identify problems and implement solutions. (ExxonMobil 2001-2004)
- Designed the architecture of the Knowledge Warehouse, provided information design, developed access mechanisms, and designed and configured the user interface. (ExxonMobil 2001-2004)
Desk-Top Publishing
- Worked as the editor of a local magazine in Southern England. This included writing the majority of the articles, designing the page layout, producing any required graphics, and printing camera-ready copy for delivery to the commercial printers. (1994-2000)
Commercial Writing
- Have written three commercially-available books on Oracle UPK.
- Have proofread over 60 books for a Packt Publishing, a commercial publisher specializing in technical reference manuals. (Ongoing)
- Regular contributor of articles for a professional publication (The Communicator, the magazine of the ISTC) and peer-review articles for the same magazine. (Ongoing)
- Wrote articles that have been published in specialist magazines and trade publications worldwide. (Ongoing)
Skill Summary
- Microsoft Office (XP): Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access.
- Global Knowledge OnDemand, Oracle User Productivity Kit (UPK).
- HTML, XHTML, XML, CSS, JavaScript, PERL, PHP.
- Adobe InDesign CC.
- Microsoft FrontPage, Macromedia Dreamweaver, SoftQuad HoTMetaL, Quadralay Webworks.
- Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Fireworks, Macromedia Freehand, PaintShop Pro.
- Documentum, Plumtree.
- Corel Draw, Visio, ABC Flowcharter.
- SGML, Script, BookMaster.
- Windows Help, HTML Help, RoboHelp, Doc-To-Help.
- Adobe Acrobat, Information Mapping.
- Macromedia Flash, Articulate Presenter.
- SAP R/3, ECC 6.0, APO, BW (user), SAP Knowledge Warehouse (expert).