LANE NELSON COPLEY
lcopley@gmail.com (415) 279-4193
Technical Writer and Software QA Engineer
Looking for an interesting hardware and software processes and procedures documentation or QA project which fully uses my knowledge, experience, resilience, initiative, optimism, adaptability and energy in a way which is technically challenging and demands constant educational growth.
TECHNICAL SKILLS
● API documentation and “normalization”
● Full experience with the complete SDLC (several projects)
● Experience with full Agile and mixed Agile development schemes
● Programming Languages: Java/Android, C#/.NET
● Operating Systems: Windows, Android, MacOS, iOS (did the coursework for UNIX sysadmin through UC Extension, but never used it).
● Development environments: emacs, Visual Studio, Eclipse, Android Studio
● Defect tracking software: Jira, TestTrackPro, Microsoft Test Manager
● Requirements management: Microsoft Team Foundation Server, IBM DOORS
● Automation scripting: Microsoft Test Manager, custom test scripts in WSH
● Version control systems: SVN, GitHub Enterprise (and Git proper), Team Foundation Server, SharePoint
● Enterprise software technical writing experience for both on-prem and cloud (AWS and GCP—no Azure)
● Semiconductor technical writing experience
● Consumer product technical writing experience
● Regulatory experience (FDA-regulated GLP methods development and validation, GMP process and equipment validation, and GCP device software testing)
EXPERIENCE
● New document portal creation for financial institution card-processing company involving API documentation editing, formatting from/to Swagger
● Some SOP editing for their new Developer Studio project, a developer-friendly credit/debit card processing system (contract through a temp agency)
● Established authoritative document portal in this enterprise environment, creating or editing SOPs for developers new to the Yahoo!-AOL-Oath-Verizon Media environment in both AWS and GCP cloud systems
● Extensive work within GitHub Enterprise, Jira, Confluence
● Lots of nifty tools and information to document including:
1. security docs,
2. CI/CD using Screwdriver,
3. iOS and Android developer tools,
4. REST APIs,
5. web apps,
6. A.I. (general docs and operating docs), and
7. Yahoo’s supporting electronic publishing software infrastructure, all being migrated to either GCP or AWS.
● Created or edited technical papers, user guides, quick start guides, reference guides, FAQs, and general security and secure software lifecycle white papers
● Assembled, edited, reformatted, proofread and wrote disaster recovery runbook documents for Kaiser Permanente in Pleasanton (contract through a temp agency)
● Edited, proofread and reformatted Test Methodology Design Guide and Data Sheets for a provider of non-volatile memory circuitry designs to improve usability and branding consistency (contract through a temp agency)
● Quickly found major defect sources in blocks of code by ad hoc testing in a session-testing environment
● Responsible for writing technical documentation of entire test plans from software requirements specifications for several projects at a time
● Responsible for writing technical documentation of test cases from test plans which trace to software requirements specifications
● Responsible for writing technical documentation for release recommendation reports
● Executed tests from test cases, providing timely feedback through prompt, complete defect recording and tracking in an Agile environment
● Test lead on two robot projects (one firmware-based, one Windows-based); wrote test plans, test cases, test reports and release recommendations
● Test lead on firmware-based PCR instrument; wrote test plan, test case, test report and release recommendation.
● Provided direction to software developers creating automated testing software from a SQA point of view
● Created test harness (not related to the above test software) for execution of scripted UAT and BVT with excellent notification features (distributed e-mail if all passed, SMSed operator only if any test failed)
● Prevented enormous loss of time and money by calculating the expense of fully validating existing product line in a mixed environment (approximately two man-years saved)
● Instituted virtual machine testing using VMware images; later automated testing using these images
● Verified data integrity over command-line interfaces through rigorous test planning and execution. The command-line interface was later replaced with a full API.
● Provided meaningful feedback for UI development from the customer POV
● Installed, tested, verified and validated firmware components of several complex instrument controls, including heating/cooling controls, robotic stepper systems, heated lid and motor systems, I2C communication devices, USB hubs and cameras in the context of providing end-to-end verification of instrumentation systems
● Verified microscope camera data integrity in Android kiosk-mode touchscreen-controlled fluorescent cell imaging device
● Helped validate 21 CFR Part 11-compliant software revision
● Revised and edited datasheets and application notes for a small telecommunications semiconductor design company as part of their re-branding effort (they wanted to be bought out)
● Created document tracking system and specified new technical documentation software (FrameMaker and Visio) (contract through a temp agency)
● Reformatted, revised and edited Pathways Tools genome navigator software manuals (contract through a temp agency)
Temporary Technical Writer for the MS / .NET software for a laboratory analytical device 2003-2004
● Wrote and edited software APIs
● Wrote and edited software design specifications
● Wrote and edited software life cycle documents
● Wrote and edited software release specifications and procedures
● Wrote and edited user guides
● Wrote and edited ISO 9001 compliance documents (SOPs and work instructions) (contract through a temp agency)
Temporary Technical Writer 2002-2003
● Wrote and edited product bulletins
● Wrote and edited software specifications
● Wrote and edited user guides for a line of personal media devices (contract through a temp agency)
Contract Technical Writer 2002
● Wrote and edited data sheets
● Wrote and edited hardware reference manuals for the analog front end and digital back end of digital imaging products (contract through a temp agency)
Contract Technical Writer 2001
● Wrote marketing copy
● Edited data sheets and application notes
● Wrote product bulletins
● Documented the software APIs of a whole family of video processors (contract through a temp agency)
Technical Documentation Director 2000-2001
● Managed deadlines for firmware and register specifications
● Wrote product bulletins
● Edited application notes and data sheets for display processors
Technical Writer 1998-2000
● Researched and wrote documentation suites for families of graphics processors and memory chips
● Wrote and edited design and engineering specifications
● Wrote and edited technical reference manuals, programmer's reference guide, product brochures and bulletins, data sheets and application notes in FrameMaker
● Instituted firm's first document tracking
Technical Writer 1997-1998
● Updated data- and application books for the entire family of graphics processors, as part of Intel's Portable Graphics Group in FrameMaker
● Worked with supervisor to reorganize entire documentation format, structure and system
● Wrote test procedure documentation, edited software release notes and produced ancillary training materials
● Represented Intel at VESA standards meetings
Temporary Technical Writer 1997
● Authored and maintained web site on Sun Solaris system in Notepad, emacs and pico
● Produced more than half the design, writing, editing and illustration in both the on-line help
● Produced more than half the printed user's guide for EZaccess
● Shared in the generous bonus for meeting an extremely aggressive deadline
Validation Consultant 1996-1997
● Tested, documented and validated the software implementation of Building Automation System and Distributed Control System for cGMP/cGLP compliance (both the clean-room air-handling system and the manufacturing control system)
● Wrote batch production records, standard operating procedures and training records (contract through a temp agency)
Temporary Technical Writer 1995
● FrameMaker editor on the 100,000-page set of end-user training manuals for the State of Florida (contract through a temp agency)
Temporary Technical Writer 1995
● Wrote and edited substantial portions of the first Internet Yellow Book (shovelware, to be honest)
● One of two writers promoted from the team of 140 technical writers
● Received cash awards for both volume and quality of contributions (contract through a temp agency)
EDUCATION
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, Chico and Hayward--Bachelor's in Chemistry
Additional
classwork in UNIX system administration, Java for Android development, C#/.NET
for Windows and
software QA for 21CFR Part8xx, Medical Devices
Rev. 2024A4-short