Staff Technical Writer
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Total years of experience :22 years, 3 Months
Individual contributor role: Prepare a complete set of documents per Engineering Sample, Feature Complete, and Customer Sample (minor and major phases) release schedules.
✔ Project lead role: Lead Tech Comm documentation projects. Facilitate to prepare and deliver documentation suite for chipset hardware/software - example, Release Notes, Hardware/Host Software/Firmware/NSS and Networking documents - in coordination with the documentation program manager, engineering program manager, and set of assigned technical writers.
✔ Editor/Reviewer role: Regularly review WIN BU documents and provide objective review comments, suggestions, and feedback to improve documentation quality. Play the IoT BU documentation editor role for documentation refactoring, scenario-based and topic-based writing, and DITA conversion works.
✔ Mentoring role: Mentor newbies and junior members in the pan-India Tech Comm team on quality management metrics and guidelines.
✔ Trainer role: Train pan-India Tech Comm team on company’s newly implemented processes, tools, and quality management
✔ Quality Management Initiatives: Review and revamp quality management resources such as Tech Comm Quality Metrics and Guidelines and Tech Comm Style and Graphics Guidelines. Review quality management tools (such as Acrolinx) and templates (MS Office, MS Visio, FrameMaker, Oxygen XML, DITA) and regularly update them on need-basis.
✔ Innovation Initiatives: Attend Innovation forum meetings, suggest innovation ideas to writers, and provide solutions to pressing challenges as an Innovation forum core team member.
✔ Tools Implementation initiative: Try and test new documentation tools and provide suggestions for tools/features optimization, training, and implementation in the team.
✔ Event Management and Tech Comm Representation: Represent Technical Communications team in company’s internal events like TechFest and Qbuzz - create posters and presentations on Tech Comm achievements and initiatives, arrange event stalls, conduct quiz/puzzle/know-the-team activities for internal customers (engineering teams, IT team, support team, etc.).
✔ Areas of Documentation Expertise - Chipsets or chipset components for Mobile, Computer, and Camera (MCC) projects, IoT projects, Wireless Infrastructure (WIN) projects, etc.
✔ Authoring projects - User Guides, Quick Start Guides, Design Guidelines, Programming Guides, and Application Note.
✔ Editing projects - User Guide, Application Note, and Programming Guide.
✔ Authoring tools - Oxygen XML, FrameMaker (minimally).
✔ Editing Tools - MS Word Tracking feature, Adobe Reader (Commenting tool - Annotations and Drawing Markups)
✔ Versioning Tool - Ixiasoft, AEM.
✔ Collaboration tools - Confluence and SharePoint.
✔ SDLC Methodologies - Waterfall, Agile
✔ Other Volunteering Activities
✅ EnT - Entertainment and Treat committee member (Chennai facility) to induce a bit of fun in the working environment that serves as motivation for the Chennai team
✅ Trained Member in the Emergency Response Team (ERT) of Chennai facility.
Information Developer III - Specialist (Sep 2015-Sep 2018)
✔ Led Technical Publications Projects for two software products as independent writer.
✔ Authored Release Notes, User Guides, Online Help, CLI Reference Guides, and API Reference Guides (independent writer for two projects and contributing writer for others).
✔ Revamped and maintained company's Style Guide.
✔ Edited/Reviewed technical documents.
✔ Quality Assurance: Metrics Sheet creation and modification for Documentation team.
✔ Prepared screening test papers (question papers and keys) for recruitment activities and evaluated responses to screening tests.
✔ Participated in project-related activities and initiatives - Created accessible technical documents, Created video demos, SEO for documentation suite, Improved findability of topics in documents, Helped creating and reviewing a common data dictionary/bank (glossary).
✔ Mentored newly inducted technical writers at the project level.
✔ Conducted training sessions for rookies in the team.
✔ Areas of Documentation Expertise - Networking - Wired and Wireless Network components, Network Planning and Engineering, Network Provisioning, and Network Management and Maintenance applications
✔ Authoring projects - Release Notes, User Guides, CLI Reference (Configuration) Guides, API Reference Guides, Quick Start Guides, and Online Help.
✔ Editing projects - Release Notes, Online Help, How-to Guides, User Guides, and other ad hoc requests.
✔ Authoring tools - Madcap Flare, SangIt, Captivate, FrameMaker (minimally).
✔ Editing Tools - MS Word Tracking feature, Adobe Reader (Commenting tool - Annotations and Drawing Markups)
✔ Versioning Tool - Perforce.
✔ Collaboration tools - Confluence and Wiki.
✔ SDLC Methodologies - Waterfall, Agile (2-week to 4-week sprints).
✔ Other Volunteering Activities
✅ Fun committee member (Chennai facility) to induce a bit of fun in the working environment that serves as motivation for the Chennai team
✅ Trained Member in the Emergency Response Team (ERT) of Chennai facility.
Senior Technical Writer and Editor (Mar-Sep 2015)
✔ Authored Release Notes, User Guides, and CLI Reference Guides (part of a team of writers).
✔ Maintained company's Style Guide.
✔ Edited/Reviewed technical documents.
✔ Areas of Documentation Expertise - Networking: Wired and Wireless Network components, and Network Planning and Engineering
✔ Conducted training sessions to new members in the team
✅ Importance of Technical Communication
✅ English Grammar and Language
✅ Writing for the International Audience
✅ Concise Writing
✅ Importance of Following Company Style Guide
✅ Aruba Style Guide Walk-Through
✔Led a team of junior and senior technical writers. Other responsibilities include devising documentation strategy, documentation planning, template creation, ideation, discussion, and finalization of technical writing tools, training the team, quality management for end-user documentation.
✔Authoring projects - HLR, CBOS, CPOS, MNP, IVRS, SCP, PBS, RRBS, WBS, VoMS, DSM, and Self-Care web-based applications.
✔Editing projects - IVRS, Self-Care, CBOS, and VoMS.
✔SDLC Methodology - Agile.
✔Project Lead and Technical Editor for assigned Technical Communication projects.
✔Led teams of size 5-20 members.
✔Worked in both Waterfall and Agile (Scrum framework) project methodologies.
✔Documented for cloud-based web applications.
✔Mentored new recruits.
✔Conducted training sessions for new recruits.
✅ Basic English Grammar and Language session
✅ Documentation Quality Guidelines session
✅ DDLC session
✅ Importance of Technical Communication session
✅ Web Content Writing and Editing session
✔ Domains - Retail, Consumer Goods, Insurance, Leisure and Hospitality, Networking, Telecom, Health Care, and Pharma/Life Science.
🛠️ Tools - FrameMaker, RoboHelp, SnagIt, MS Paint, and MS Office Suite.
Manager/Quality Champion - Level 1 (Jul 2008-May 2010)
Led a team of 10 proofreaders and 1 corporate trainer for Proofreaders.
Responsibilities: Day-to-day work assignment for US-region-based jobs/projects, shift planning, roster planning for weekends and public holidays, maintaining leave and attendance records, conducting regular team meetings, conflict management, doing random and spot quality checks for team, preparing performance appraisals and conducting semiannual appraisal discussions with team members.
Manager/Quality Champion - Trainee (Jan-Jun 2008)
Led a team of 7 proofreaders. Responsibilities - day-to-day work assignment, shift planning, roster planning for weekends and public holidays, maintaining leave and attendance records, conducting regular team meetings, conflict management, doing random and spot quality checks for team, preparing performance appraisals and conducting semiannual appraisal discussions.
Proofreader Level III (Oct 2006-Dec 2007)
- Proofreading business solutions documents and PowerPoint slides for spelling, grammar, language, tone, voice, accuracy, consistency, integrity, and visual impression.
- Checking the data-driven charts for numerical and factual correctness.
- Filling in the details in the accuracy matrix for visual analysts.
- Communicating with the McKinsey consultants for editorial review requirements and expectations.
✔ Technical Documentation for Automobile Parts.
✔ Language review for legacy documents to ensure accuracy, consistency, and completeness.
✔ Quality management for Engineering documentation.
✔ Editorial and Technical Metrics sheet creation and implementation.
Proofreader Level II (Jul 2003-Jun 2004)
- Quality assurance for business solutions documents - grammar, language, tone, voice, consistency, contextual clarity, integrity of information, visual impression, and more.
- Adherence to McKinsey standards.
- On-the-job training for newbie proofreaders.
- Conducting Refresher Training sessions for experienced proofreaders.
- Logging the quality metrics for production team and junior proofreaders.
Proofreader Level I (Jul 2002 - Jun 2003)
- Quality assurance for business solutions documents - grammar, language, tone, voice, consistency, contextual clarity, integrity of information, visual impression, and more.
- Adherence to McKinsey standards.
- On-the-job training for newbie proofreaders.
Junior Proofreader (Jul 2001 - Jun 2002)
- Quality assurance for business solutions documents - grammar, language, tone, voice, consistency, contextual clarity, integrity of information, visual impression, and more.
- Adherence to McKinsey standards.
Proofreader Trainee (Jan-Jun 2001)
- Underwent hands-on training to proofread business solutions documents.
- Underwent 1-month training for Visual Analysts in PowerPoint (tailored to McKinsey production needs)
- Learnt Chicago Manual of Style guidelines and Merriam-Webster based spelling usage in documents.
- Attended the "Say it With Charts" session to improvise the PowerPoint presentations for data-driven charts.
- Pre-edit Science, Technology, and Medicine (STM) articles and journals before being passed on to Copy Editing department.
- Add SGML tags to relevant sections or parts of the articles using TeX, LaTex, and Customized MS-Word applications.
- Proofread documents for typography, grammar, language, and consistency.
- Understand basics of APA Style Guide and CMS guidelines.
Master of Science - Psychology (General)
C, C++, Oracle, Developer 2000, Networking, OOAD concepts
Ancillaries: Mathematics, Chemistry
Business English Communication course