K. John Russell

Current

Project Manager at CMA Consulting

Past

Director of Engineering, Quality Assurance at MapInfo Corporation
Principal at ProForma Consulting (Self-employed)
Director, Technical Publications at CommSoft

Senior Technical Writer at Dataware Technologies, Inc.
Purchasing Coordinator at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

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Education

Indiana University Bloomington
Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania

Recommended

6 people have recommended K. John

Connections

299 connections

Industry

Information Technology and Services

Websites

My Website

K. John Russell’s Summary

I am a proven technology management professional. I have worked in software product development and technology environments since 1991.

I succeeded as a technical writer and technical writing manager, reaching a director level position with a lot of responsibility. I succeeded as a quality assurance manager, reaching a director level position with a lot more responsibility.

I am a driver. I have ideas about how things should work, I take initiative to make them happen, and I get things done. I like process, process improvement, and running projects.

My primary career interests include:

- Quality
- Process Improvement
- Project Management
- Technical Communications (business process analysis)

K. John Russell’s Specialties:

Project Management
Quality
Process Improvement
Technical Communications & Business Analysis

K. John Russell’s Experience

Project Manager

CMA Consulting

(Privately Held; Information Technology and Services industry)

May 2007 — Present (2 years 10 months)

Project Management: Plan, schedule, oversee and manage multiple projects; initiate action to ensure timely project progress; effectively interact with management at multiple levels to ensure clear communication.

Business Analysis: Provide business process analysis and identify process improvement opportunities; effectively interact with multiple departments to ensure thorough analysis and adherence to policy.

Requirements Analysis and Definition: Collect and communicate technical and business requirements as relate to forward-thinking technology solutions; ensure adequate requirements coverage for system integrations, minimizing operational disruption while maximizing system integration benefits.

Change Control: Communicate with internal and external stake-holders to ensure preparedness for change.

Technology Consulting and Advice: Assess proposed technical solutions and integrations and provide advice and guidance.

Vendor Management: Interact with potential vendors and service providers, ensuring adherence to all ethical and legal constraints; act in the interest of the client at all times.

Trusted Advisor: Am motivated and take action to ensure client satisfaction; am viewed as "trusted advisor".

General: Am generally helpful; no task too small (or large) for me to provide assistance.

Current Assignment: New York State Department of Health, Vital Records; I oversee several projects, including the procurement of services to develop an electronic death registration system, and services for independent verification and validation.
Director of Engineering, Quality Assurance

MapInfo Corporation

(Public Company; MAPS; Computer Software industry)

September 2000 — February 2007 (6 years 6 months)

Responsible for Quality Assurance, Localization, Documentation, and Installer Development staff in two North America offices, with related project responsibility worldwide. Involved in worldwide Engineering operations, including the establishment of India satellite office. Traveled to all locations.

Performed all managerial duties in exemplary fashion, with focus on budget planning and management, salary and incentive plan management, staff project allocation, and staff performance management and career growth. Managed budget of $5.5 million; managed staff of 55 people. Worked collaboratively with management team regarding staff assignments, accounting for project team needs, staff skills development, and career progression.

Established QA Practices, an activity designed to engage senior staff and managers in a concerted effort to improve departmental operations, immerse staff in software quality assurance methodologies, and establish software quality assurance as a professional career at MapInfo. Increased staff average functional area experience from 2 to 7 years. Drove effort to define a data-driven risk assessment model to support product release decision-making based on quality as well as time to market.

Participated in high-profile corporate operational improvement initiatives (OpEx):

Participant in Nova (FY02): North America Engineering team focused on re-engineering MapInfo’s software development lifecycle and practices.

Team Leader for OpEx People Development (FY04): Global team focused on Human Resources, staff development and morale; global team included participation from corporate headquarters, Windsor, UK, and Toronto, Canada.

Team Leader for OpEx Engineering (FY05): North America team focused on identifying critical improvement opportunities for Engineering operations; North America team of management and senior staff from corporate headquarters and Toronto, Canada.
Principal
ProForma Consulting (Self-employed)

(Self-Employed; Myself Only; Writing and Editing industry)

May 2000 — September 2000 (5 months)

Provided desktop publishing, technical writing, and online help development for software firms. Provided training on desktop publishing and graphics software.
Director, Technical Publications

CommSoft

(Privately Held; Telecommunications industry)

December 1996 — April 2000 (3 years 5 months)

Created new functional department for software and database development organization serving the telecommunications industry; grew department to more than twenty people company-wide, including two managers.

Established all processes, policies, and standards; set department short- and long-term goals. Performed hiring, position placement, staff performance reviews, and salary increases.

Demonstrated exceptional team-building skills; developed cohesive, efficient team with high morale and productivity despite ambitious work schedules.

Ultimately responsible for technical publications company-wide: Albany, NY; San Antonio and Austin, TX; and Glendale, CA. Had full budgetary and signing authority.

Thoroughly familiar with all aspects of technical communications, from information source identification to management and delivery. Expert knowledge of all aspects of desktop publishing.

Successfully implemented template-based publication process and delivered paper manuals, electronic files on CD, and HTML on our intra- and extranet sites. Regularly delivered product documentation to customers in paper, electronic (Adobe .pdf), and HTML formats.

Created more than fifty new product manuals for eight products, significantly improving customer satisfaction with product documentation.

Performed project management duties, accurately tracking multiple concurrent projects; completed projects on time and within budget.

Performed inter-departmental coordination, promoting positive relations between departments, ensuring flow of information to support the company's objectives.

Effectively interacted with management at all levels concerning project status.
Senior Technical Writer

Dataware Technologies, Inc.

(Computer Software industry)

March 1993 — December 1996 (3 years 10 months)

Researched and wrote technical documentation for full-text search and retrieval software; audience ranges included end users, system administrators, and computer programmers.

Created documentation and on-line help templates and systems. Developed Windows and HTML-based help systems.

Investigated and implemented processes to support simultaneous development of on-line and hard-copy documentation (single-sourcing).

Interacted with and interviewed programmers for product information.

Learned WordBasic programming language and wrote programs that enabled me to perform my job more efficiently; it also improved my effectiveness with programmers.

Researched usability testing methodologies and provided input on product, graphical user interface (GUI), and installation design for GUI-based products.

Researched and successfully implemented a formal documentation review procedure that improved information verification and increased documentation accuracy and quality.
Purchasing Coordinator

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

(Educational Institution; 501-1000 employees; Higher Education industry)

September 1991 — September 1992 (1 year 1 month)

Provided first-level phone support for purchasing agents. Researched status of purchases and responded in a timely and cordial fashion. Established excellent rapport with all departments on campus.

Researched Institute spending policies and procedures. Revised Purchasing Manual that was six years out of date. Wrote procedures to support personnel on Institute’s new finance and purchasing system. Trained individuals in three departments how to use the new purchasing system.

K. John Russell’s Education

Indiana University Bloomington

Master Fine Arts , Creative Writing , 1988 — 1991
Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania

BA , English , 1982 — 1987

Activities and Societies:

Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity