Senior Consultant/Technical Architect 13 years
Responsibilities included case tool implementation , development tool
evaluation/procurement and upgrade (mainframe, Unix & PC based) , technical support ,
client-server design , technical architecture design and prototyping, production of
development standards and contribution to invitations to tender. In addition, more
specific assignments as shown below (latest first):
- Developed a Java utility to register publish and
subscribe subscriptions in IBM’s Websphere MQI broker from an XML based configuration
file in order to simplify and tighten the deployment process with the relevant deployment
team. The technology used native WMQ API’s (not JMS) to construct command messages
that were sent to the broker. Apache Xerces technology was used to handle the XML
configuration file.
- Developed Conceptual System Design templates based on Information
Engineering principles to improve the interface with the company’s key customer
(SSADM compatible).
- Solution Architect for a major Customer Management work programme. This
included closing any design gaps, identifying the need for further design activity,
documenting high-level solutions and filling in implementation gaps. This role presided
over the implementation of various application interfaces of varying styles.
- Assisted in EAI resource recruitment activities.
- Responsible for the end-to-end solution design of an EAI integration
project that involved two key customer applications. Exercised design authority over the
technical designs produced by several designers and provided technical leadership during
construction and implementation. Influenced the design of various components (e.g.
adapters). Contributed to Websphere MQI broker flow development and delivered a deployment
guide which included the MQ topology, configuration of the various J2EE adapters and
supporting scripts (MQ runmqsc commands, broker topic subscriptions etc). The technology
architecture included both DB2 and Oracle databases, Tuxedo TPM, IBM Websphere AS (hosting
both message and session beans).
- Reviewed/Approved application designs.
- Built an EAI Service Catalogue application to track EAI service usage
across the application estate. Initially built in Java put ported to VB.NET and the
XML/XSLT API’s in the .NET framework. Data stored in XML format and generated in html
for distribution.
- Built an empirical model for estimating EAI work
and achieved its acceptance by an external benchmarking company (COMPASS).
- Developed and delivered several internal education briefings on the subject of
Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) development using IBM Websphere MQ/MQI (broker)
technologies. Also reviewed/enhanced internal EAI standards and guidelines and reviewed a
number of EAI designs.
- Designed and developed an automated J2EE Deployment facility using Websphere 5.0 Java
Management Extension API’s (JMX). Facility ran as a standard Windows service and used
FTP to source EAR files and Windows resource kit to provide remote service management
capabilities.
- Ported a large IIS/JRUN based web application to an IBM HTTP Server/IBM Websphere
Application Server v5 environment for a Midlands based automotive industry customer.
Developed a full set of documentation including a porting checklist, porting issues list,
porting report and various Powerpoint presentations.
- Modified and enhanced a set of database connection pooling Java classes into a form
where they would work in an IBM Websphere v5 J2EE environment using the latter’s
built-in connection pooling facility. The classes were originally supporting a JRUN
targeted J2EE web application.
- Designed and built a transaction management Java class framework to standardise the
introduction of proper transaction management into a J2EE web application that had
previously failed to implement the transaction concept.
- Designed a way in which customers could customise server functionality in a key package
without intrusion into package code. This was achieved using callable shareable COBOL
objects using MicroFocus ServerExpress.
- Undertook a consultancy assignment with a company looking to outsource a J2EE
application. This involved to assessing the feasibility of porting the application from
Jrun to IBM’s Websphere Application Server and from Oracle 7.3.3 to Oracle 9I, as
well as discovering as much information about the application as possible to support a
subsequent hosting proposal. Nigel directed on-site activity, designed the structure of
the assignment report and made a significant contribution to its content.
- Built a web site for a new organisation that represented a collaborative venture between
four West midlands based councils (Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton) and who
were tasked with finding adoptive parents for children aged between 5 and 11. Nigel had a
personal interest in the activity which was fully supported by his employer who provided
promotional support support to the scheme as well as Nigel's skills.
- Contributed to the Conceptual System Design of a Solicitor's Searches application. Also
included some prototype work on a result template technology that allowed the results of
searches (including images) to be merged into word documents (using .rtf templates).
- Built a general purpose file to XML translation facility (Xmaker). From an XML
specification of a file this technology generates, compiles and builds a set of Java
classes capable of translating instances of the specified file into XML. The technology
also generated a base XSLT stylesheet that would automatically render XML documents
translated from the specified file in a browser as html. The generated XSLT stylesheet
served as a starting point for content builders faced with rendering the content in a more
presentable form. The technology was created to avoid the need to build expensive one-off
programs to translate customer files into the XML format required by the company's secure
email billing service.
- Carried out a Technical audit of a proposed group company system.
- Authored a Customer Relationship Management white paper for customers (follow up to an
Australian user group conference).
- Developed mechanism for delivering complex bill information to customers in the form of
a Microsoft Access Database that included pre-written analysis graphs and reports. The
database was built from an XML source that was parsed and converted into files suitable
for importing into Access using a Visual Basic script.
- Defined the technical platform for release 6 of the CIS/OV product (third-party software
release analysis).
- Acted in the role of BEA and MicroFocus Vendor Champion.
- Designed a simple encryption algorithm that could be used to encrypt user passwords in
an application database in support of customer attempts to gain BS7799 accreditation. The
algorithm was demonstrated in Java and eventually implemented in COBOL to match the
technical infrastructure of the CIS product.
- Designed a facility to support the port of the CIS/OV product to the HP platform along
with the necessary capital and revenue costings.
- Built an XML translation facility that converted the CIS/OV product’s bill stream
output into a set of XML documents (bills/Invoices) for subsequent processing by a secure
email delivery technology. Technology was aimed at sending bills/Invoices to commercial
customers via email and email attachment. Bill structure complex with over 30 record
types. Included the creation of XSLT scripts to render selected Invoice data into Html for
diagnostic purposes.
- Managed the acquisition and implementation of a Sun Workstation to support a Solaris 8
build & certification environment for the CIS/OV product. The author was Instrumental
in the choice of a Workstation instead of a server.
- Assignment to scope a migration project in Adelaide (Australia) involving cross-platform
issues.
- Built a technology to assist in the replacement of ‘English’ based hard-coded
COBOL literals with other foreign language equivalents as part of an internationalisation
effort.
- Conceived, designed and built a Html client framework that used Java Server Pages (JSP)
and a set of tag libraries to reduce developer client coding with sensitivity towards
field-level security access, internationalisation of input/output.
- Conceived, designed and built an EJB framework consisting of some 70 Java classes aimed
at simplifying EJB programming with support for an enhanced security model incorporating
field-level access control. The framework used an event paradigm to invoke services
without clients necessarily knowing they were dealing with a back-end EJB server. The
framework also provided support for internationalisation and catered for EJB Session
methods invoking Tuxedo transactions to leverage existing codebase.
- Built a license manager to secure the company’s CIS Intranet client product.
Written in Java, it uses XML to hold license details and Java cryptographic API’s to
guard against license tampering. (Public/private key encryption).
- Developed the technical architecture for an Intranet client add-on to the company’s
CIS product. Replaces Powerbuilder client with html/Java servlet solution with server
API’s presented as EJB components. Integration to Tuxedo via Jolt to reuse existing
server code. Built a sample application to prove Tuxedo integration from an Enterprise
Bean.
- Provided customer guidelines for mapping database files to physical storage. Discussed
the use of RAID devices for resilience and easier management whilst still maintaining
optimised disk access.
- Developed a batch run-time calculator to enable customers to estimate their batch window
run-times on different platforms and with varying workloads. It was based on a reference
platform and used standard benchmark results to extrapolate platform power factors.
- Production of 2000/2001 Product Technical Strategy.
- Built a unix script for customers to use to capture CIS product server Tuxedo service
statistics for analysis by our company. Also built the necessary analysis tool to present
the results. The ultimate goal was to improve the packaging of software components to
improve operational efficiency.
- Built an SQL ‘Explain’ utility to bulk audit every SQL statement in library of
COBOL modules to enable product teams to identify bad performing SQL before it was
packaged into a customer release. Utility was written in Java.
- Built a persistence engine to reduce Bean-Managed persistence developer effort in an EJB
environment and promote easier database portability. Developed in anticipation of future
EJB development to remove dependencies on further third-party products. Class/Rdbms
mapping data described in XML configuration file.
- Expanded Java experience into J2EE arena. EJB proof-of-concept application built to
access Work Management product database (Session & Entity beans using Bean-Managed
persistence). Html/Servlet user interface.
- Contribution to the technical design of Utility de-regulation CIS product interfaces
planned by one of the company’s Australian customers.
- Development of concurrent on-line/batch processing strategy in a 7 * 24 environment.
- Built a rudimentary SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) adapter for the company’s
CIS product. A simple Java SOAP client was built to test the adapter (http/XML). Would
allow customers to invoke any CIS product server API using SOAP protocols. Experimental
only to prove concept.
- Selecting third-party software dependency combinations for product technology upgrades
(e.g. Oracle 7.x.x to Oracle 8.x.x, Solaris 2.6 to Solaris 7 and 8, Windows version
migration).
- Built and demonstrated WAP access to the e-commerce product, leveraging existing web
technology and a trial WAP gateway. (Proof-of-concept only). Demonstrated customer access
to account balance from WAP enabled mobile phone.
- On-site implementation of the new e-commerce product (beta implementation) for Bermudan
based customer.
- Established a small e-commerce development capability in Houston, got the developers up
and running (Internet front-end to existing package). Involved recruitment. I subsequently
also established a similar facility in the UK.
- Built a Java based e-commerce development toolkit which incorporated Tuxedo integration,
cookie handling, dynamic html page support using a template mechanism, and a simple SMTP
email client API.
- Developed Java client interfaces to a key server application. The API's provided access
to server functionality using XML data streams. XML SAX parsing technologies from IBM and
Sun were explored and incorporated into the technology.
- Development of a java based intelligent data extract utility for Oracle databases.
- Published Java programming standards
- Production of 1998/99 Product Technical Strategy.
- Research and development of an Internet technical strategy which included the creation
of a proof-of-concept application to demonstrate the principles of Internet enabling an
existing n-tier package. Java Servlets were used to integrate browser access with existing
middleware.
- Contributed to a Sun benchmarking exercise that was designed to test the scalability of
a product technical architecture designed by Nigel.
- Managed his company's internal Gartner resources
- Produced OS/2 to NT CASE tool migration strategy (ADW to Sterling's Cool products)
- Provided monthly internal technical briefings
- Technical audit of a US technology company (potential acquisition)
- Ported a Digital Unix based product to the Sun Solaris platform and produced an
appropriate porting guide.
- Ported a Unix based product to NT and produced the porting guide to support subsequent
ports.
- Produced/maintained technical white papers, including those published on his company's
web site
- Proof-of-concepted the use of Cics (in addition to Tuxedo) as an alternative middleware
option in a strategic product's technical architecture. Subsequently ported a Tuxedo based
product to CICS for US based customer.
- Contributed to his Company’s ‘Best Practices’ initiative.
- Designed the architectural changes necessary to his company’s client-server
architecture to enable the use of Cics in preference to Tuxedo where preferred by
potential customers.
- Customer on-site visits
- Administration of Microsoft Solution Provider programme membership.
- Contributed to the procedures governing trans-atlantic development version control
Implementation.
- Delivery of internal & external client-server briefings.
- ITT’s/RFP’s various.
- Product build technical advice consultancy in both US and the UK.
- Negotiated licence deals with the key vendors contributing to his Company’s
client-server strategy
- Developed standards for new client-server architecture ( layered approach). Included
written documentation, code templates, make file samples etc.
- Developed a product Customisation and Integration strategy.
- Proof-of-concepted a client-server technical architecture for new strategic product
using best of breed products, including a leading OLTP monitor (n-tier).
- Performance prove-it exercise targeted at the Powerbuilder tool.
- Object Oriented analysis of large new Customer Information System product.
- Requirements analysis for a pre-payment meter management system.
- Project Managed a financial implementation out of trouble
- Consultancy role in USA , sizing of a case tool based analysis & design project
Project leader 2.0 years
- Piloted the use of CASE tools (IEW) and the Ernst Young Information Engineering
Methodology(EY/IEM) on system designed to manage training services.
Business Analysis 5.0 years
- Assisted in the formulation of a corporate data model and business plan.
- Structured analysis of a fixed asset management system resulting in the production of a
requirement specification.
- Member of a team assessing the impact of moving ICL based financial systems into an IBM
environment using a range of IBM technology based packages.
- Specificied a number of non-standard interfaces between a range of MSA packages to
satisfy user requirements and saw the successful implementation of such interfaces.
- Enhancement assessment of the above package environment to cater for multi-companies.
General Consultancy 0.5 years
- Formulating application development standards and providing technical consultancy.
- Production of a system requirements specification for a sub-system of a financial
information system. (Both of the above assignments took place in the health sector)
Analysis & Design 2.5 years
- Determination of a users payroll requirements resulting in a subsequent package
evaluation.
- Designed a component of an order entry and stock control system in the chemical
industry.
- Produced a distributed transaction processing prototype for ICL to demonstrate and
promote ICL software capability (ICL's IPA) . Culminated in the presentation of the
technology at an annual ICL computer users association event.
- Production of a system requirements specification for an enterprise-wide computer
solution for a largely manual procedure based air cargo company. Included the use of
extensive data analysis and modelling techniques.
Team Leader 1 year
- 1900 non IDMS database to 2900 IDMS database conversion of five financial systems.
- Design and running of systems tests.
- Writing production SCL.
- Scheduling and monitoring a team of programmers.
Programmer 3.5 years
- Maintenance and development of commercial business systems in Cobol and Plan.
- Development and implementation of G2 and G2+ production macros.
- Development of Cobol beads under Datadrive for a 2900/DME based system.
- VME/B : Applications programming in 2900 Cobol.
- 1900 to 2900 conversion of a Payroll system.
- Use of DCL for file conversion.
- Writing of production SCL
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