James F. Nicholson
301-639-4293 Jfredn1@aol.com
Frederick, MD 21701
Professional Overview:
I have long experience in technical writing, computer programming and engineering. I have written
documents for technical and non-technical audiences. I have experience in interviewing Subject Matter
Experts (SME’s) and researching complex technical documents to acquire the information necessary to
write clear, concise, accurate and easy to read technical documents in correct English grammar and
punctuation, using appropriate styles, guidelines, and terminology.
I have developed software for manufacturing control systems used by General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford.
I have also developed software for meteorological monitoring systems for nuclear sites.
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Writes, edits, and proofreads: design requirements, user manuals, operational procedures, maintenance
manuals, RFP’s, technical descriptions, and proposal documents.
Writes clear, concise, well formatted, correctly punctuated and easy to read text in correct English
grammar.
Experience in the telecommunications environment including landline telephone systems, wireless
technology, and satellite technologies. Familiar with communications protocols such as X.25 and SS-7.
Have contracted with: AT&T, MCI, Cable &Wireless, HNS, CIT-Alcatel, Raytheon, and Winstar
Telecomm.
Have experience in researching and analyzing technical information and interviewing engineering and
technical personnel to gather resource information to write technical documentation.
Wrote test procedures for verifying the compliance of X.25 networks within ITU standards.
Familiar with Chicago Style (CMOS).
Edits, analyzes, and proofreads technical documents and drawings written by others for consistency
and accuracy.
Have good verbal and written communications abilities and ability to work independently.
Creates illustrative drawings, flow charts, and diagrams to explain information in the text.
Collaborates with managers, stakeholders, and developers in planning work and resolving problems.
Writes operating procedures and instructions and maintenance and installation manuals.
Holds technical review meetings to collect information for requirements to confirm accuracy of work.
Ensures that the project under development reflects the business needs of the client.
Wrote test procedures and tested the satellite system developed by HNS for Chrysler’s inventory
control system.
Have knowledge of the operation and design of mechanical and hydraulic systems and equipment.
Have experience in writing test procedures and testing wireless systems such as CDMA (IS-95).
Familiar with SDLC software development life cycle and concepts.
Technical instructor experience in electronics and preparation of training materials and lesson plans.
Tools and Technologies:
Productivity Tools: Windows NP/2000, XP, MS Office 2003/ 2007, MS PowerPoint, Excel
Authoring and publishing solutions: MS Word, Visio
Wireless: CDMA, GSM, and GPRS wireless technology, IS-95
Telecom: Alcatel E10-FIVE telephone switch, AT&T 5ESS switch, X.25, Network Provisioning
Operating Systems: UNIX, Oracle, Rationale Rose, worked with Clearcase version control
General: Knowledge of SharePoint, Snagit
Specialized: Knowledge manufacturing, machine tools, hydraulics, electronics
Work History:
Cranfield Associates Frederick, MD
Consultant/Technical Writer
Jan-2008 - Present
 Uses Microsoft Word to write and edit technical, business, and contractual documents in response
to RFP’s for client on state government contracts regarding technical and IT projects.
 Proofreads and edits proposals and contracts for client to ensure accuracy and aptness of content.
Updates and changes documents via SharePoint.
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James F. Nicholson
301-639-4293 Jfredn1@aol.com
Frederick, MD 21701
Cranfield Associates Frederick, MD
Writer/Marketing/Sales
Jul-2004 – Dec-2007
 Wrote marketing literature for a computer controlled precision Laser Measurement system, using
Microsoft Word and Visio. These documents described the technical operational features and
advantages of the BlockQualifierTM Laser system. This effort resulted in sales in the US, Canada,
and the UK.
 Used PowerPoint to generate sales presentations for clients which described the operational
features of the Laser system.
BancFinancial Frederick, MD Document Processing
May-2003 – Jun-2004
 Gathered and verified information and prepared financial documents for submittal to the Calyx
automatic online processing software.
Winstar Telecommunications: Reston, VA
Manager, Writer
Feb-1999 – May-2002
 As manager of software QA, attended manager’s design review meetings to keep abreast of new
telephone billing system design requirements and to update testing documents accordingly.
 Analyzed the telephone billing requirements and wrote a comprehensive test plan to verify that the
telephone billing data captured, which included usage records, call detail records, and traffic
measuring data, was in compliance with AMA standards and compatible with the Kenan biller.
 Created flow diagrams and charts to graphically depict the billing processing flow as a reference
for the testing operations and to focus the developers in an SDLC environment.
Hughes Network Systems: Germantown, MD
Writer/Tester
Mar-1996-Jan-1999
 Analyzed the HNS wireless system technology and wrote detailed test procedures to verify that the
Qualcomm based CDMA wireless system operation was in compliance with IS-95 requirements,
including call processing, hand-offs and power control.
 Wrote test procedures for verifying the operation of the HLR, VLR, MSC, AUC and the mobile
handsets
MCI Metro: Tysons Corners, VA Network Provisioning
June-1995-Feb-1996
 Tested and verified a network provisioning system for automatically provisioning telephone Local
Area Networks. This system automatically configured the subscriber services within the network
and verified the operation of the services.
 Used SQL commands to test the automatic provisioning system.
Cable and Wireless Telecom: Tysons, VA Manager/Writer
1993-1995
 Researched the landline telephone network Signaling System 7 (SS-7) operation and wrote
functional test requirements for the ATS automatic call processing test system.
 Wrote test procedures for validating the IXC switching system call processing functions, including
call setup and teardown, CDR generation, and telephone features such as Call Forwarding, Call
Waiting, and Conference Calling.
 Developed templates of basic calls to enable easy creation of new test cases as required.
 Managed the software development of the ATS System and wrote progress reports for
management.
MCI Telephone: Reston, VA
Business Process Analyst/Tech Writer
1991-1993
 As Business Process Analyst, wrote system design requirements for the TAMS automatic test
system. Created diagrams and flow charts to describe the system operation.
 Worked with design and development personnel and held peer review meetings with managers
and developers to review design specifications, as part of the software development life cycle
(SDLC). Wrote and distributed progress reports to management regarding the development effort.
Digital Equipment Corp. Lanham, MD Technical Writer/RFP’s
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1990 – 1991
James F. Nicholson
301-639-4293 Jfredn1@aol.com
Frederick, MD 21701
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Researched and collected information on the MCI Telecom landline telephone networks and wrote
the technical requirements for the TAMS test system in response to an RFP from MCI Telecom.
Conducted internal and external technical reviews of RFP content prior to submittal to client.
(This effort was successful in winning a multi-million dollar contract with MCI Telecom Co.)
Previous Positions:
 Project Engineer:
 Engineer/Programmer:
 Programmer/Writer:
 Technical Writer:
 Systems Engineering:
 Technical Instructor:
Missile Systems and Doppler RADAR, Raytheon Co.
Developed software to control machine tool operations,Landis Tool Co.
Developed Software (Meteorological, for nuclear plant), NUS Corp.
RADAR and electronics Raytheon Co.
Installation and test of SONAR on Nuclear submarine, Raytheon Co.
Electronics/RADAR U. S. Air Force
Education and Certificates: (total education equivalent to a Bachelors’ degree)
 Qualcomm Wireless Systems Institute, San Diego
 Attended Northeast University, electrical engineering, Boston, MA
 CIT-Alcatel Course, Telephone Networks, Reston VA
 Computer Programmer Courses: (DEC PDP-11, RSX-11M, FORTRAN.)
 Air Force Electronics Course (1 year)
 Winstar Co. Course on Telephone Billing, Rockville, MD
 HNS UNIX Course
 New York Institute of Finance, New York
 IBM Internet Security Systems Mastery Certification, M50, May, 2008
 IBM Software Top Gun Training, Oct, 2008
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