Chris Peterson

# Work History and Experience

# ABOUT

Customer and team success-driven writer who able to builds solid relationships with coworkers, SMEs, and product stakeholders. Inquisitive, hands-on, and research-driven able to quickly learn new and challenging concepts. Active participant in team discussions, product meetings, and daily stand-ups.

Authored documentation for Poly (Plantronics/Polycom) phone and video products, HPE composable infrastructure products, individual server hardware components. Worked on various internal teams including, information architecture and customer call case analysis.

Familiar with various authoring methodologies including, DocBook and DITA XML structured authoring, Markdown, and every writer's favorite, Word. Worked documentation platforms and tools including SDL, Author-it, Vasont, Arbortext, XMetaL, and Oxygen.

# EXPERIENCE

# Senior Technical Writer

# Poly, Austin, TX - 10/2019 - Present

Documentation project manager and UX writer for Poly embedded software products. Plan and complete project milestones, including compliance, alpha, beta, and localization schedules. Participate in core team meetings and daily stand-ups. Mentor junior writers, interview new hires, and serve on the information architecture team.

Manage front-end planning of documentation initiatives - Create formal documentation plans for new products. Partner with program and product managers, developers, solution architects, and other stakeholders to plan the feature work for each release. Work with prototype hardware and firmware installing and testing developer builds. Attend daily stand-ups and weekly core team meetings.

Solve customer satisfaction issues - Assigned by management to handle customer satisfaction issues in the department. Set up and use Poly products acting as a customer advocate identifying documentation gaps and proposing new documentation strategies. In one instance, customers were returning a product due to their inability to properly set up and configure it. In another, a customer required a quick tips guide for their staff before committing a purchase.

Participate in new hire interviews, onboarding, and training - As a trusted team leader, conduct new hire and contractor interviews, onboarding, and training. Establish strong working relationships through ongoing coaching and assistance.

Deliver an updated taxonomy and metadata strategy - As a member of the information architecture team, participated in restructuring the documentation taxonomy to better align with the overall company taxonomy. Updated the product documentation library XML subjectscheme file and Oxygen profiling attributes. Created an XSL transform to convert metadata in legacy documents to match the new model. Supported the team by conducting department-wide metadata training.

Increase the team's technology knowledge - Help colleagues better understand telephony and conferencing technology for voice and video products. Trained coworkers to set up SIP IP phones for documentation development and product testing. Provided the team with written and video instructions for setting up a provisioning server in their home lab using a Linux-based virtual machine.

Convert legacy documentation to user-friendly task-based guides - Worked with voice colleagues to convert concept and reference topic-based administrator guides to task-based. The new task-based administrator guides include parameter sample code for configuring various phone features. Created parameter reference guides as a separate deliverable for advanced level customers and partners.

Research new processes and tools - Assist management in adopting the best tools and practices by evaluating trials and researching developments in information delivery. Tasked with evaluating CCMS, publishing tools, API documentation tools, and design software.

Recognized as an innovator and leader - Received multiple Poly WoW awards for leadership and innovation.

# Information Developer

# Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Houston, TX — 6/2013 – 10/2019

Documentation lead for HPE Synergy, a composable infrastructure frame components. Serve on information architecture and customer escalation teams. Assisted with new hire training and intern project management.

  • Enhanced documentation usability by creating an interactive firmware comparison tool using DITA/XML and JQuery.
  • Assisted in migrating HPE knowledge management to a single DITA XML-based content management system.
  • Member of the knowledge management Information Architecture team evaluating and defining HPE DITA/XML standards.
  • Provide training and support to new hires and contingent workers on the use of content and graphics creation tools.
  • Created an augmented reality template tool to address cabling and airflow issues in rack servers.
  • Awarded multiple HPE All-Star awards for innovation and collaboration.

# Communications Assistant

# Texas Learning & Computational Center (UH), Houston, TX —11/2010 to 4/2014

Part-time position concurrent with full-time study of industrial design. Support communications manager in creating t-shirts, posters, banners, event collateral, and social media broadcasts. Responsible for maintaining research poster printing service available to all University of Houston students. Generate center usage reports and calculate costs for materials and services.

  • Created community outreach collateral for non-profit research staff.
  • Designed promotional and learning materials for the annual Mars Rover Celebration STEM event.
  • Delivered a competitive analysis study supporting additional funding and expansion of the center.

# Administrative Assistant

# Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts — 3/2009 to 1/2010

Responsible for state warrant (check) distributions, stock inventory, and agency requests. In a high-security environment. Managed state warrant stock levels and orders ensuring gapless payments from the State of Texas to agencies and payees.

  • Created a database to streamline the distribution of payee letters.
  • Enhanced management of warrant (check) stock utilizing Excel automation.

# Document Service Manager

# Guy Carpenter & Company, New York, NY — 8/2003 to 11/2008

Managed a team of sixteen associates in multiple locations performing back-office functions including: print, mail, records, and imaging. Responsible for vendor management including negotiating and managing equipment leases and service contracts.

  • Started a program to cross-train staff on all functions in the department.
  • Fostered staff development for promotional opportunities within the corporate service department.
  • Enhanced services and quality by cross-training staff on all department functions and fostering personal development initiatives.
  • Created opportunities for staff to attend on and off site training for office and creative programs.

# EDUCATION

# BS Industrial Design

University of Houston | 2014

# BA English / Minor Studio Arts

University of Houston | 1999

# SKILLS AND TOOLS

Content development, Customer advocacy, Design thinking, Problem solving, Project management, Topic authoring, Training Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, XD), Agile, Confluence, DITA/XML, Github, Jira, Markdown, Microsoft Office and Microsoft Teams, Oxygen XML, SDL, Visual Studio Code, and XMetaL.