Craig H. Laurence

Summary of Qualifications

I am a professional communicator with an M.A. in English and experience writing technical and marketing documentation for diverse audiences in high performance computing, semiconductor (FPGA), and document management markets. I presently work in an Agile software development environment with subject matter experts to create and deliver polished and appropriate information for quality user education. I currently manage a team of four other technical writers and produce documentation for numerous products. I also have over fifteen years of experience instructing advanced writing students at Brigham Young University.

Professional Skills

Related Work Experience

Director of Technical Documentation, Adaptive Computing Enterprises, Inc.
Provo, Utah, September 2007–present

• Manage technical documentation team and projects; implement Scrum model of development.
• Develop and maintain online documentation for the flagship product, Moab Workload Manager; also document and maintain Viewpoint, TORQUE, and numerous other products.

Technical Writer, Fast Search and Transfer, Inc.
Draper, Utah, January 2005–August 2007

• Authored end-user documentation in XML, HTML, and Word for many applications developed throughout the world. Deliverables tended to be PDF, HTML, or compiled Help, some requiring localization.
• Worked remotely as a lone writer on projects developed in Norway and Australia; collaboratively documented projects developed in Oslo, Norway and Boston, Massachusetts; exclusively documented all applications developed in Salt Lake City.

Project Manager, Documentation, Starbridge Systems, Inc.
Midvale, Utah, April 2003–January 2005

• Wrote and maintained documentation for corporate products, including manuals, training material, online help, and in-product documentation. Such work included website design and maintenance and computer-based training development.
• Performed market research and wrote, edited, and updated marketing collateral, including press releases, articles, product specifications, white papers, company backgrounders, and box/packaging copy.

Documentation Project Lead, NextPage, Inc.
Draper, Utah, June 1999–October 2002

• Researched, designed, and implemented an end-to-end solution for publishing programmer guides, a process that allowed subject matter experts to document programming concepts and procedures. Trained developers on writing practices, established corporate styles and enforced compliance, facilitated content management, and generated guides worthy of publication.
• Wrote over 500 pages of task-related and referential content for an online help system. Restructured the corporate documentation strategy to ease the end-user burden of finding help solutions. Completed the projected nine-month project in six months.
• Updated help documentation for software releases. Regularly wrote readme files; quick reference cards; installation procedures; style guides; topical essays; administrator, programmer, and user guides; and some white papers. Edited all significant engineering documentation. Supervised writing projects.
• Hired contractually April–May 2005 and September–October 2006 to document NextPage 1.5 and NextPage 2.

Advanced Technical Writer, Altera Corporation
San Jose, California, September 1996–April 1999

• Provided context-sensitive online help for two Electronic Design Automation (EDA) applications—MAX-PLUS II and Quartus. Designed, wrote, illustrated, and edited interface manuals for partner EDA tools.
• Converted a help system from WinHelp to HTML. Maintained database of over 400 glossary terms, and links to terms, within help. Wrote readme files, revised installation procedures, updated Getting Started content, and ensured accuracy of information for field-programmable gate array (FPGA) pin configurations.

Other Work Experience

Brokerage Remunerator, Fidelity Investments
Salt Lake City, Utah; Luxembourg; and London, England, July 1993–September 1994

• Invested customer moneys in specified securities, sometimes transacting in German. Provided customer service, brokerage account maintenance, and resolved customer concerns. Paid or withheld commission to or from European brokers and trained new employees.

Education

MA, English—Rhetoric and Composition, August 1999
Thesis: A Critical Analysis of Hypertext with a Recommendation for the Implementation of Pseudostructure
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah

BA, English, April 1993
Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah

Positions:   Research Assistant, Dr. B. Zimmerman and Dr. K. Hansen, BYU, April-September 1996
                  Writing Tutor, Brigham Young University Writing Center, August 1994-April 1996

Awards:     - Won the English Department’s Writer’s Portfolio Contest (highest honor for undergraduate writing).
                  - Recognized for exemplary service by the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies.
                  - Commended by the BYU Student Service Association for contributions to international community.

Teaching Experience

Adjunct Faculty, Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah, August 1994–April 1996; August 1999–present

• Have taught over 60 sections of English 316 (Technical Communication) and continue to teach the course on a regular basis. Also taught several sections of English 115 (Freshman English), English 150 (Writing and Rhetoric), and English 315 (Writing in the Social Sciences).
• Prepare and present lectures on subjects such as workplace correspondence, process description, technical description, data interpretation, proposal writing, research, oral presentation, critical analysis, and so forth.
• Guide students through assignments that help develop and strengthen writing and oral communication skills; provide tutoring and counseling, create and administer tests and quizzes, and evaluate student performance.

Professional Membership

Association for Teachers of Technical Writing
Society for Technical Communication

Volunteer Experience

• Missionary for two years for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Frankfurt, Germany.
• Appointed by Lehi City mayor to a committee to investigate a change in the form of government; documented research and conclusions (pp. 28–44).
• Youth sports director at summer camp for multinational children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for two summers. Commended by the United States Department of Defense for war-time civilian service.
• Merit badge counselor for local scouts in the Boy Scouts of America.
• Mentor to students interested in the field of technical writing; work through the BYU Alumni Association.
• Elected multiple times to be political party precinct chairman and county delegate; two-time city council candidate.

Additional Resources

• LinkedIn profile (includes recommendations)
• BYU adjunct faculty profile
• Facebook page