Full-stack Agile Developer with +14 years of experience writing Ruby and Java using TDD. Customer focused and detail-oriented, I coach teams to utilise software craftsmanship and domain driven design to iteratively deliver products to a budget.
The ideal engineer is a composite... he is not a scientist, he is not a mathematician, he is not a sociologist, or a writer; but he may use the knowledge and techniques of any or all of these disciplines in solving engineering problems. - N. W. Dougherty
Building and maintaining a fully automated auto-repair service that matches motorists with mechanics and provides instant fixed prices for repairs, services and inspections.
Responsible for a large React/Redux JavaScript Web application which serves as a frontend for a big-data financial analysis service.
UK Agile Development Lead
Conduent Next-Generation Customer Care, formerly WDS, a Xerox Company
October 2001 - June 2017
Accountabilities include agile process coach (Extreme Programming), technical leadership, TDD mentor, code quality review, sales support, dev-ops, line management of team of 27, project management and outsourcing (~50 developers).
Virtual Agent an AI chat-bot trained using the call-logs of our best performing call centre agents. Using machine learning to build a diagnostic model of the customer's domain, it can troubleshoot technical problems by asking a series of refining questions. When the bot became certain that it understood the problem, it delivers a solution tailored to the context of the end-user.
Advanced Device Management (ADM) combining several protocols into an extensible mobile-device remote management platform.
Device Assist: interactive 360 degree mobile phone explorer, simulation and tutorial system with tools to enable technical authors to create content.
The Study Room interactive animated e-learning tool with crosswords, quizzes and tutorials explaining mobile telecoms technologies.
Agent Framework providing mobile support agents with instant access to a wide variety of support knowledge and tools.
My development skills evolved from programmer to software craftsman during this employment, largely from working closely with very highly skilled agile teams.
New Media Developer
Media Focus (Reading)
2000-2001
Cyberquarium Developed a 3D interactive children's entertainment kiosk cluster at Kowloon Station, Hong Kong
GE and other customers Created 3D marketing animations
Contract Kiosk Developer
Self Employed
1999-2000
Grand Princess and Radar Interactive Kiosks at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.
Designed, built and managed corporate loyalty-scheme Web sites for high profile customer oriented UK brands, including British Airways, Sainsbury's, Ernst & Young and Cable & Wireless.
Website Manager
Indie-culture.com
1996-1997
Music magazine and e-commerce Web site.
Graphics Specialist
Animated Marketing Ltd. (Cippenham)
1995-1996
Educational and marketing multimedia kiosks for The Natural History Museum, Royal Marines, Army and TI-Group.
Earthquake Monitor Live updated wall sized map of earthquakes around the world.
Royal Marines Recruitment CDROM Interactive game and career exploration tool.
Screen-savers for 3-Com, Christie Electronics and Thrust SSC successful world land speed record.
Floppy disk based interactive brochures for Guinness, Rockwell Telecommunications, TNT Express and United Biscuits.
Accomplishments
Father of 10 year old twins
Backpacked around South Africa.
Driven and camped throughout Western Europe.
42km, 2 day Kowie River Canoe Trail.
Sailed across the English Channel (Solent to Cherbourg and back).
Spoke at XPDay 2006 on "Rails 4 Real".
Spoke to the Multimedia Association on "Potted Multimedia".
Running development dojos, coding workshops and retrospectives.
Some French language ability
Played the lead role (Algernon) in Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest"