The following images cover the last eight years of technical documentation and no technical documentation is complete without having screenshots of the programs being detailed. I have found that having a friendly voice in writing helps convey ideas more easily and this frequently creates documentation that is actually speaking to the person reading. Reading policies and procedures for a week puts people to sleep, but a document that speaks to you makes you remember it. To that end, this portfolio is written in a conversational voice.
Prior to these documents were forms for tracking data processing, time card entries, policies and procedures, user guides, templates, and a wide variety of documentation as needed for any particular employer. Frequently, documentation that has to be created in MSWord, PowerPoint, or Visio creates documents of length. This is alleviated by having web-based software with embedded links. At the time of these documents, the company did not have authorized access to this type of software. All images have been reviewed to ensure no proprietary or client information is shown. Snipping tool, SnagIt, and GIMP are go-to programs (Adobe Photoshop was not approved for general company usage). Forms are listed as most-recent first.
My favorite documents are here, the ones of which I am most proud or simply enjoyed creating the most.
And let me state for the record: I love Excel.
This is your "Don't Panic" reminder - the grid shows a list of a variety of documents created during various departmental positions. This portfolio will not showcase all of them.
Now JIRA...JIRA was an interesting time of things. Our department had no training, the only person in our department who knew anything about JIRA had left for better opportunities, and we were suddenly stepping on the toes of other departments who had been in JIRA for several months before we even knew we were going to use it. As I had the administrative background and was good with software, I worked with a supervisor of another department to help create a guide so our two departments could work together instead of inadvertently against one another.
NOW THIS. THIS IS MY PRIDE AND JOY. And it's why I'm currently learning Python.
This one, this tab, oh this was tricky. Previously, on the legacy form, the department had not been asked to provide an itemized inventory as such. This macro-coding pulled information from the data entered on the inventory page, which was separated into individual distribution frames (IDF) then tallied here, and the detailed information of each item from the inventory list page.
This also has the "Run Phased EIFs" button. Our projects could be phased out - it could be installed in sections over several months per the request of the property. This was frequently seen with properties under construction. To ensure all equipment was accounted for correctly and that no end-of-life equipment was installed, a phased inventory list was requested. However, IDF designations were not always in numeric order by phase (e.g., IDFs 1, 3-4, 6, 8-9 could be in Phase 1, where IDFs 2, 7, and 10 could be in Phase 2). The coding had to find the correct Phase and list only the equipment in the associated IDFs.
This was a very long process in the making and learning a lot about Visual Basic coding. It brings a smile to my face to know I accomplished this one, saving each Designer so much time, which then created a faster turn-around for all departments relying on this document. It had been a request to the previous owner of the form for years. There was a great deal of me thinking in Visual Basic throughout the day, at home, on the commute, even waking up in the middle of the night with code concepts.
Worth it.
Snapshots of various software manuals, programming manuals, as well as job descriptions and duties. Yes, I am fond of dark mode as it is far easier on the eyes.
