david braasch technical communication portfolio · pdf filedaid raasch technical writin...

DAVID BRAASCHTechnical communicaTion PorTfolio

[email protected]

David Braasch Technical Writing Portfolio

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ContentsPreface ��3

Resume ��4

Software Administration Guide ��6Skills: Writing, Single Sourcing, Topic-Based Authoring, and Project Management

Hardware Product Guide ��8Skills: Writing, Graphics, Topic-Based Authoring, and Project Management

Software Installation Guide ��10Skills: Writing, Topic-Based Authoring, and Project Management

Hardware Installation Guide ��12Skills: Writing, Graphics, Topic-Based Authoring, and Project Management

Release Notes ��14Skills: Writing, Editing, Topic-Based Authoring, and Project Management

Online Help ��16Skills: Writing, Single Sourcing, Topic-Based Authoring, and Project Management

Quick Start Guide ��18Skills: Writing, Graphics, Topic-Based Authoring, and Project Management

Flashcards ��20Skills: Writing, Editing, Graphics, and Document Design

Preface

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PrefaceI am a technical writer in the Minneapolis/St� Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota� In my current job, I write technical documentation for enterprise-class storage products� In my previous job, I wrote documentation for enterprise security products�

I create various forms technical documentation, including administration guides, installation guides, release notes, and online help� I have experience authoring both unstructured and structured (XML) content�

ContextThis portfolio contains samples of work that I created for three different organizations� I created the McAfee and Dell documents while working as a professional technical writer� I created the battleship flashcards for my Advanced Document Design course in the Master of Science in Technical Communications program at Metropolitan State University�

Where to View the Complete DocumentsThe full versions of the documents excerpted in this portfolio are available on my website at davidbraasch�wordpress�com�

Scan a QR code to be taken directly to the full document on my website�

http://davidbraasch.wordpress.com


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Resume

David Braasch (651) 271-1154 6701 Ashton Ave NE, Fridley, MN 55432 [email protected]

Professional Profile

I create documentation for enterprise-class technology products Author single-source documentation

for online documents, printed documents, and online help

Manage single- and multi-writer documentation projects

Plan documentation projects and create documentation plans

Create documentation using Adobe FrameMaker, XMetaL Author, and Microsoft Word

Create online help using WebWorks ePublisher

Adhere to the company style guide Edit peers’ writing for accuracy, style,

and structural issues Administer the Technical Publications

lab environment Create original graphics Convert FrameMaker content to DITA Identify bugs and usability issues Create Technical Publications process

documentation Provide guidance and instruction to

junior technical writers

Professional Accomplishments

Reinvented the Documentation for Dell Compellent Enterprise Manager Planned and created documentation for a new version of the product with a

completely redesigned user interface Restructured the documentation set into deliverables that better fits users’ needs:

Installation Guide, Administrator’s Guide, Online Help, and Release Notes Migrated the documentation to DITA-style structure, with discrete concept, task,

and reference information Added missing concept and reference information Designed a new online help format that matched the look and feel of the product

user interface Coordinated McAfee Firewall Enterprise Documentation Projects Planned the documentation project for each product release Developed printed documents and online help with Adobe FrameMaker and

WebWorks ePublisher Pro Assisted other writers with technical, process, and style questions Restructured content to prepare for a migration to DITA Reviewed all documents created by peer writers Coordinated all release and publishing activities Created documentation for a new product called McAfee Network Threat Response Interviewed development team members to ascertain documentation needs Planned the project and created a documentation plan Developed deployment scenarios with graphics Authored a Product Guide, Quick Start Guide, Release Notes, Port Identification

Guide, and a regulatory document Created hardware documentation for multiple firewall product lines Represented Technical Publications department at hardware meetings Planned and delivered documentation to meet hardware requirements Created new hardware diagrams in Adobe Illustrator and Microsoft Visio Created all documentation for a new line of appliances

Resume

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Work History August 2011 to Present Technical Writer Advisor, Dell Inc., Eden Prairie, MN September 2007 to August 2011 Technical Writer, McAfee, Inc. (formerly Secure Computing), St. Paul, MN June 2006 to September 2007 Technical Support Engineer, Secure Computing, St. Paul, MN October 2002 to May 2006 Computer Repair Student Worker and Supervisor, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN

Tools Content Creation Adobe FrameMaker Adobe InDesign Adobe Illustrator XMetaL Author Microsoft Word, Visio, Excel, Publisher, and PowerPoint Adobe Acrobat Pro WebWorks ePublisher Operating Systems Microsoft Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, 8, Server 2003, Server 2008, and Server 2012 Mac OS X Linux (Ubuntu and Redhat) FreeBSD Bug Tracking Bugzilla BMC Remedy Action Request System IBM Rational ClearQuest Revision Control Git Concurrent Versions System (CVS) Apache Subversion (SVN) IBM Rational ClearCase

Education MS in Technical Communication Metropolitan State University St. Paul, MN December 2013 BA Computer Science and BA Music St. Olaf College Northfield, MN May 2006


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Software Administration GuideTitle: Dell Compellent Enterprise Manager Version 6.2 Administrator’s Guide

Purpose: Describe how to use Enterprise Manager to manage and monitor Dell Compellent storage infrastructure.

Audience: Customers who want to use Enterprise Manager centrally manage and monitor multiple Dell Compellent Storage Center SANs.

Tools: Adobe FrameMaker 10 and Adobe Acrobat X

My Role: I completely rewrote and restructured this document for version 6.x, using the version 5.x document as a starting point. The user interface of the product changed drastically in version 6, so I reorganized the structure of the document. I also separated the content into discrete concept, task, and reference topics in the style of the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA). This content chunking revealed that many concept and reference topics were missing in the 5.x document, and I added these missing topics to the 6.x document.

Software Administration Guide

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Hardware Product GuideTitle: McAfee Firewall Enterprise Models S4016, S5032, S6032, and S7032 Hardware Product Guide

Purpose: Describe the features of the appliance and provide instructions on how to install hardware components, configure the management ports, re-image the appliances, and diagnose hardware problems�

Audience: Customers who purchased model S4016, S5032, S6032, or S7032 McAfee Firewall Enterprise appliances�

Tools: Adobe FrameMaker 8 and Adobe Acrobat 9

My Role: I created this document from scratch for the initial release of these appliance models� There were no formal documentation requirements or similar documents that I could use as models, so I conducted research and worked with the subject matter experts to develop the content�

Hardware Product Guide

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Software Installation GuideTitle: Dell Compellent Enterprise Manager Version 6�2 Installation Guide

Purpose: Describe how to install the Dell Compellent Enterprise Manager software on Windows clients and servers�

Audience: Customers who want to use Dell Compellent Enterprise Manager to centrally manage and monitor multiple Dell Compellent Storage Center SANs�

Tools: Adobe FrameMaker 10 and Adobe Acrobat X

My Role: I completely rewrote and restructured this document for version 6�x, using the version 5�x document as a starting point� The primary installation task originally had many branches because it covered three different database types, so I created three separate installation tasks to avoid confusion� I also moved the planning and preparation content into a dedicated chapter that appears before the installation steps�

Software Installation Guide

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Hardware Installation GuideTitle: McAfee Firewall Enterprise Hardware Kit for F Model Appliances Installation Guide

Purpose: Describe how to install upgrade hardware in McAfee Firewall Enterprise F model appliances�

Audience: Customers who purchased hardware upgrades for McAfee Firewall Enterprise F model appliances�

Tools: Adobe FrameMaker 8, Adobe Illustrator CS3, and Adobe Acrobat 9

My Role: I created this document from scratch for these appliance hardware upgrade kits� The McAfee Firewall Enterprise appliances were slightly customized x86 servers, so the PCI express upgrade cards could be physically installed in a large number of permutations even though only specific combinations had been tested and officially supported� The Installation Guide needed to communicate how to install the upgrades in a way that was valid and supported because we had no other mechanism to do so� To label the expansion slots for the appliances, I used Adobe Illustrator CS3 to create a rear diagram for each appliance� I added a corresponding table for each appliance that listed every supported combination of cards for each appliance model�

Hardware Installation Guide

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Release NotesTitle: McAfee Firewall Enterprise Version 8�1�0 Release Notes

Purpose: Communicate the new features, resolved issues, and known issues in the McAfee Firewall Enterprise 8�1�0 software release, and describe how to upgrade an existing firewall to version 8�1�0 or perform a new installation�

Audience: Customers who owned supported McAfee Firewall Enterprise appliances�

Tools: Adobe FrameMaker and Adobe Acrobat 9

My Role: I wrote the feature descriptions, requirements, and installation instructions for the 8�1�0 software release� I heavily edited the resolved issues text I received from Engineering and edited extensively to make sure it was relevant to customers, parallel, and grammatically consistent�

Release Notes

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Online HelpTitle: Dell Compellent Enterprise Manager Version 6�2 Online Help

Purpose: Provide context-sensitive reference information for the Dell Compellent Enterprise Manager user interface, including relevant concepts and tasks�

Audience: Customers who use Enterprise Manager to manage one or more Dell Compellent Storage Center SANs�

Tools: Adobe FrameMaker 10 and WebWorks ePublisher 2012

My Role: I completely rewrote and restructured the online help for version 6�x� The online help is single-sourced with the Administrator’s Guide, which allows the two deliverables to share the same content� I separated the content into discrete concept, task, and reference topics in the style of the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA)� In addition to the content development, I also customized the appearance of the help system to match the Enterprise Manager product interface by editing the CSS styles and related resources�

Online Help

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Quick Start GuideTitle: McAfee Firewall Enterprise Version 8�1�x Quick Start Guide

Purpose: Describe the high-level steps that must be followed to install and configure a new McAfee Firewall Enterprise appliance�

Audience: Customers who have purchased a new McAfee Firewall Enterprise appliance and need to install and configure it�

Tools: Adobe FrameMaker 8 and Adobe Acrobat 9

My Role: I created this Quick Start Guide for version 8�1�x, using the previous version as a guide� To emphasize the importance of planning, I added steps to download the Product Guide and plan the configuration beforehand by filling out the planning forms� I also added graphics to add visual appeal to the document�

Quick Start Guide

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FlashcardsTitle: Allied Battleships of World War II Flashcards

Purpose: Help readers to visually identify allied battleships of World War II and learn their specifications�

Audience: Anyone who is interested in ships and naval history�

Tools: Adobe InDesign CS6 and Adobe Acrobat X

My Role: I designed these flashcards from scratch for my Advanced Document Design course in Graduate School� The front of each flashcard contains the image of a particular battleship class with no identifying information, and the back of the flashcard contains the name of the class, the specifications of the class, and a second picture�

Flashcards

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