February Interview New Phoenix STC President Alan Vickers Alan works at Cognizant. Q: What was your background and how did you first get into the field of technical communications? A: I was a Hostess Cake sales representative and supervisor until the year 2000, when I went back to school to become a teacher. One thing led to another, and I ended up in the Multimedia Writing and Technical Communication program at ASU East (that’s what it was called back then). I was one of the first five graduates of the program in 2003. I also earned a concurrent degree in Business Administration. Dr. Barry Maid taught two or three of my classes, and we only had one online class at the time. I was one of the founders of the STC ASU Student Chapter, which only lasted a year or two. We simply did not have the momentum and the student base to keep it going. After graduation, I started as a tech writer in the aerospace industry, moved on to telecommunication, and am now in the healthcare industry. Q: At Cognizant, what tools do you use? A: When I started (the company was called TriZetto then), we used FrameMaker and RoboHelp for our documentation deliverables. A few years ago, we imported all our documentation into Confluence wiki spaces, which is now where we develop and maintain all of our external-facing product. We also use Camtasia Studio to create and edit product overview and procedure videos. We create videos that are similar to YouTube videos: short, informative, and usually imperfect. We have found that our customers love our videos, even if they aren’t professionally recorded. We use Snagit for creating and manipulating images. Q: What is the process there? A: We follow the Agile method for developing and delivering software and documentation. It can be challenging at times, but we have found that it helps to ensure that the documentation is included in the product “definition of done.” Most writers are assigned to more than one Agile team. We work with several teams in India, which is culturally enlightening but presents communication challenges due to the time zone difference. They are usually heading home when we are arriving to work and vice versa. Late night and early morning meetings are common. For example, a few months ago, I had a meeting that started at 3:00 AM. Whatever it takes. Q: How do you see the local STC chapter currently and what would you like to accomplish during your time as president? A: When I joined STC in 2002, not only did I think it was something I needed to do to establish myself in the Phoenix tech comm community, but I was proud to be part of a professional organization that represented what I had worked so hard to achieve. I remember the thrill of hearing professionals talking about subjects that I was learning about at ASU when I attended the chapter meetings. The metropolitan Phoenix area has a multitude of technical communicators, managers, and students who develop and deliver ideas, deliverables, and the future of our profession. The STC Phoenix Chapter represents a very small percentage of those people, but I think the technical community and the chapter would benefit from a diverse and strong member base. Our chapter should serve to grow our educational opportunities, develop our networking opportunities, and build a strong community that benefits all of us. Seeing STC Phoenix Chapter on a resume still means something to hiring managers, and we should all strive to maintain that level of credibility. I am looking forward to the opportunity of serving as chapter president, and I hope to help our members and our chapter achieve wonderful things in the exciting world of technical communication. |