Created a grade book system for school districts, a surprisingly complex challenge. I helped write the contract, worked (alone) with the client to understand the problem and design a solution, learned .NET and made a prototype, designed the database schema, ran a small implementing team and wrote an extremely complex single page app for the user.

Successfully fulfilled my boss’ request to, “solve data integration”. I found a place to start, wrote a series of tools to replace unreliable functions, built a collaboration system for coworkers to manage and debug ongoing data issues, recruited and taught people to use it. I reduced the amount of person hours by something like ninety percent while increasing client data freshness from an update every week or ten days to daily.

Added a feature representing a fundamental change to a big, complex program that I had never before seen, I worked with a client to understand the problem, devised a technical strategy (it was hard), analyzed the structure of the program (insanely hard) and wrote the code (also hard).

For a project big enough to last a year, I helped sell the job, understood the requirements, worked with the client to get good wire frames, architected an API and database schema, wrote both the server/api back end and a complex single page app that thrilled the customer. Also, it was done in the time I promised.

Ran a group and did the main work to create a formal data model for a complex domain called ‘individualized education plan’. Joined an international standards group, learned the ropes, formed a workgroup and did the main work to create the schema and wrote/implement the XML. Having left the member company, the organization asked me to remain as an emeritus member of the national technical board of directors.

Mentor for the company’s apprentice program. Frequent group and one-on-one meetings to convey programming skills and lore, discuss work priorities and implementation strategies, help solve problems and help young people to become good programmers.