LANE NELSON COPLEY
lcopley@gmail.com (415) 279-4193
GMP Chemist, 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, VS Code
● 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
Contract Technical Writer May 2024 – present
● Creating internal user guides for Intuit's Application Mangement Tool and for Intuit's Open Calendar group of software modules.
Contract Technical Writer Jan. 2024 – Mar. 2024
● 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
Senior Technical Writer Sept. 2018 – July 2023
● 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
KAISER PERMANENTE Remote
Contract Technical Writer Sept. 2016 – Dec. 2016
● Assembled, edited, reformatted, proofread and wrote disaster recovery runbook documents for Kaiser Permanente in Pleasanton
KILOPASS SAN JOSE, CA
Contract Technical Writer May 2016 – July 2016
● 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
BIO-RAD LABORATORIES HERCULES, CA
Software QA Engineer Jan. 2005 – May 2015
● 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
TriCN SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Contract Technical Writer 2004
● 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)
STANFORD RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INTERNATIONAL MENLO PARK, CA
Contract Technical Writer 2004
● Reformatted, revised and edited Pathways Tools genome navigator software manuals
BIO-RAD LABORATORIES HERCULES, CA
Contract Technical Writer 2003-2004
● Wrote and edited software APIs, software design specifications, software life cycle documents, software release specifications and procedures, user guides and ISO 9001 compliance documents (SOPs and work instructions)
EMANTRAS SAN JOSE, CA
Contract Technical Writer 2002-2003
● Wrote and edited product bulletins, software specifications and user guides for a line of personal media devices
NUCORE TECHNOLOGY SUNNYVALE JOSE, CA
Contract Technical Writer 2002
● Wrote and edited data sheets and hardware reference manuals for the analog front end and digital back end of digital imaging products
EQUATOR TECHNOLOGIES CAMPBELL JOSE, CA
Contract Technical Writer 2001
● Wrote marketing copy and product bulletins
● Edited data sheets and application notes
● Documented the software APIs of a whole family of video processors
SAGE SAN JOSE, CA
Technical Documentation Director 2000-2001
● Managed deadlines for firmware and register specifications
● Wrote product bulletins
● Edited application notes and data sheets for display processors
SILICON MAGIC SANTA CLARA, CA
Technical Writer 1998-2000
● Researched and wrote documentation suites for families of graphics processors and memory chips, including design and engineering specifications, technical reference manuals, programmer's reference guide, product brochures and bulletins, data sheets and application notes in FrameMaker
● Instituted firm's first document tracking
INTEL SAN JOSE, CA
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
BRESSLER COMPUTING OAKLAND, CA
Contract 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
BAYER BIOTECHNOLOGY EMERYVILLE, CA
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
SYNERGYSTIC COMMUNICATIONS SAN MATEO, CA
Contract Technical Writer 1995
● FrameMaker editor on the 100,000-page set of end-user training manuals for the State of Florida
SIMPLY INTERNET SAN JOSE, CA
Contract 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
EDUCATION
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, Chico and Hayward--Bachelor's in Chemistry
Additional
classwork in UNIX system administration, Java for Android development, C#/.NET and
software QA for 21CFR Part8xx, Medical Devices
Rev. 2024A5-web-short