Steve Murphy
Parker,Colorado
Summary
Accomplished technical writer with extensive expertise in creating comprehensive documentation, including API documentation, developer references, and user guides. Proficient in agile development methodologies such as Scrum and Kanban, utilising tools like EasyRetro and PlanITPoker to enhance team collaboration. Skilled in using a variety of authoring environments and languages, including MadCap Flare, Readme.io, CSS, HTML, and Markdown. Demonstrates strong development skills with experience in C#, Java, Python, and JavaScript. Adept at working with repositories and issue trackers like GitHub and Bitbucket to streamline project workflows. Career goals include advancing the quality of technical communication to bridge the gap between complex technologies and end-users.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
Work history
Contract Senior Technical Writer
SiriusXM
2023.08 - 2026.01
- Author internal user-centric REST API documentation by using the Charles Web Debugging Proxy, examining the code base, and receiving information from software engineers.
- Authored API documentation in SiriusXM’s proprietary JSON format.
- Author technical articles in Confluence detailing software capabilities by analyzing Java and Scala code, incorporating sequence diagrams to illustrate system processes.
- Collaborate with Product and Engineering teams to create accurate documentation. Team locations span US time zones.
- Manage projects that include stakeholders across Architecture, Product, Engineering, and Quality Assurance teams.
- Mentored new writers, providing training on proprietary documentation formats and online documentation systems.
- Contribute to technical writer onboarding documentation.
- Enhanced documentation scripts by fixing bugs, introduced new styles, such as nested bullet levels and code formatting.
- Developed a Java application to extract dependencies from Scala and Maven projects, facilitating easier data analysis.
- Created a JavaScript/HTML tool to generate tables in SiriusXM’s proprietary JSON format, streamlining documentation processes.
- Produce sequence diagrams using PlantUML and Lucidchart.
- Use GitHub, Bitbucket and the Git version control system.
- Participate in agile development processes and ceremonies, originally using scrum before transitioning to Kanban.
Contract Senior Technical Writer
Netspend
2022.12 - 2023.05
- Created Netspend REST APIs user-centric documentation and developed the Developer Getting Started Guide.
- Authored content in Google Docs before transitioning to ReadMe.io
- Adhered content to the department style guide
- Reviewed and revised the Open API specification that describes Netspend’s API capabilities.
- Collaborated with Product and Engineering teams to create accurate documentation and align documentation with the Product Roadmap.
- Teams spanned the United States and India.
- Co-authored the department style guide and best practices documentation.
- Provided Git workflow training to colleagues.
- Engineered a JQuery/HTML tool to produce complex tables in readme.io format, enhancing documentation workflow efficiency.
- Participated in agile development processes and ceremonies.
- Used Bitbucket and the Git version control system.
- Notable achievement: Wrote internal “how-to” procedures that saved time by preventing writers from researching solutions on their own.
Contract Senior Technical Writer
Amazon
2022.07 - 2022.12
- Documented the Analyze, Index, Script, and Snapshot APIs for Amazon’s OpenSearch project.
- Adhered content to the style guide.
- Authored content in Markdown, published content using the Jekyll static-site generator.
- Created reusable configuration data for API operations.
- Ensured documentation accuracy by executing API calls in a Docker environment.
- Notable achievement: There was little existing information on the snapshot API, so I used my own AWS account to experiment with the API and understand how to use it.
Technical Writer
Edgio
2014.04 - 2022.07
- Developed and maintained user-centric API, SDK, and user guides, adhering to the department style guide.
- Collaborated with Product, Engineering, and Quality Assurance teams to create accurate documentation.
- Teams spanned the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, and Eastern Europe.
- Validated documentation by executing API calls and running sample scripts.
- Wrote UI user guides based on actual product use.
- Revised documentation based on user feedback via customer forums and tier-1 support.
- Participated in the creation of documentation style guides, processes, and best practices.
- Created sample scripts in cURL, Python, and Java.
- Developed a Python SDK to document Edgio’s Log Delivery Service, including a base class, client class, and client demo application.
- Mentored new writers in MadCap Flare and documentation publishing processes.
- Authored content originally in MadCap Flare before transitioning to Markdown.
Technical Writer
Comverse
2005.01 - 2014.04
- Created user guides, administrator guides, database references, API references, and SDK references for an enterprise customer care and billing system.
- Lead writer for the API reference guide.
- Partnered with the Engineering Architect to standardize the API Guide structure.
- Authored and managed the development of the API reference guide as the lead writer.
- Key accomplishments:
- Managed the effort to document 600 Java classes, directing the activities of three other writers.
- Designed and developed a Java/iText software system that produces a summary of Java classes per release.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - French
University of Colorado at Boulder
Computer Science Certificates - Software Development Fundamentals, Data Structures and Software Design, Programming for the Web
University of Pennsylvania
Skills
- Documentation
- API Documentation
- Developer References
- Release Notes
- User References
- Developer Guides
- SDK Guides
- Tutorials, User Guides
- Command-Line Guides
- Processes
- Agile Development
- Scrum and Kanban
- Agile Ceremonies
- EasyRetro, PlanITPoker
- Development Skills
- Sample Code
- Documentation Tools
- Sample Applications
- Object-Oriented Skills
- Operating Systems
- Linux/Unix
- Windows
- Repositories and Issue Trackers
- GitHub, GitHub CLI, Bitbucket
- Confluence, Jira
- Authoring Environments/Languages
- CSS, HTML
- MadCap Flare
- Readmeio
- YAML (beginner level)
- Jekyll
- Markdown
- VS Code
- Web/Network Technologies/Tools
- GraphQL
- RESTful APIs
- JSON-RPC
- Splunk
- Languages/IDEs/Tools
- C#, Java
- Python
- IntelliJ IDEA
- CURL Command
- JavaScript
- Eclipse IDE
- PyCharm
Accomplishments
- Engineered documentation automation tools. All reduced writing time by about 25% and eliminated copy/paste errors.
- A C#.net application that creates release notes files from Jira item. The application retrieves data from the Jira server, parses the data and outputs an HTML file that can be added to a MadCap Flare project.
- A JQuery application embedded in a Confluence page that creates Confluence project startup and tracking pages.
- An HTML/JQuery application that parses content copied/pasted from a Google Doc and creates a system of elements that can be copied/pasted into a custom HTML block on a Readme.io page.
- A Google Apps Script that converts a Google Doc to Readme.io raw format.
- A Google Apps Script that converts SiriusXM’s proprietary JSON format to a Google doc. The proprietary format is difficult to read and edit, so the conversion tool is excellent for reviewing and updating content.
- Wrote internal “how-to” procedures (example: Git command line for interacting with a Bitbucket repo). Procedures could save up to an estimated hour of time.
Languages
French
Advanced
Affiliations
- Longsword play focused on Armizare, a tradition recorded in the early 15th century by master Fiore dei Liberi.
- Piano. I am a skilled pianist currently taking lessons to improve my technique.
Timeline
Contract Senior Technical Writer
SiriusXM
2023.08 - 2026.01
Contract Senior Technical Writer
Netspend
2022.12 - 2023.05
Contract Senior Technical Writer
Amazon
2022.07 - 2022.12
Technical Writer
Edgio
2014.04 - 2022.07
Technical Writer
Comverse
2005.01 - 2014.04
Computer Science Certificates - Software Development Fundamentals, Data Structures and Software Design, Programming for the Web
University of Pennsylvania
Bachelor of Arts - French
University of Colorado at Boulder