Laura Planting

Experience

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  Nortel (Northern Telecom)

  Jan 1988 - Jan 1998

  Technical Documentation Design Manager, Product Manager

  Increasingly responsible positions, including Technical Publications Manager, User Interface; Served as lead for Corporate VP Communication Task Group Managed Nortel's first user interface design and development team Acted as liaison between Canadian publications and training development, and Global customers (South American, Asian, US) Managed writers, test engineers, graphic designers, and production personnel in multiple countries (and time zones) Managed and streamlined processes for in-country translations in South America, Asia, and Europe Developed processes for external World Wide Web document distribution and sales Eliminated information redundancy and writers' duplicated efforts by utilizing single sourcing Worked with Program and Product Line Managers to get Technical Publications team involved from very early program planning Show less

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  Nortel Networks

  Jun 1988 - Jun 1998

  Sr. Manager, Information Products

  Increasingly responsible positions, including Technical Publications Manager, User Interface Design Manager, Documentation Product Manager- Created and led Nortel's first user interface design and development team- Awarded for leading a Corporate Vice Presidential initiative for improving internal corporate communications- Product Manager for Technical Documentation overseeing all localization, production, schedules, interlocks, etc, for all Nortel technical publications around the world- Developed processes to streamline in-country translations in South America, Asia, and Europe- Developed processes for external World Wide Web document distribution and sales - Eliminated information redundancy and writers' duplicated efforts by utilizing single sourcing Show less

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  AlphaBlox (DB2 AlphaBlox)

  Jan 1998 - Jan 1999

  Senior Technical Writer

  Developed new templates and tool sets for delivering cutting edge context-sensitive content.- Created interactive and context-sensitive on-line documentation tools in support of software development- Wrote and tested customer documentation for complex on-line marketing and database management software- Oversaw delivery and integration of information products with code- Worked with other team members to establish development procedures and processes

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  Aspect Communications

  Jan 1999 - Jan 2001

  Senior Manager, Technical Publications

  Led team in improving content quality and usability across all Aspect products, increasing Customer Satisfaction by 80%.- Member of divisional and corporate teams to develop corporate strategies for team building, corporate values, and strategies.- Worked directly with customers to improve documentation delivery and usability- Improved customer satisfaction by implementing internal document verification processes, including establishing the dedicated documentation test labs (at no cost to companies)- Eliminated information redundancy and writers' duplicated efforts by utilizing single sourcing - Facilitated better on-line information development by implementing HTML template development Show less

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  Wind River Systems

  Jan 2001 - Jan 2003

  Manager, Technical Publications

  Reduced document development times and improved quality by 75% by implementing internal document verification processes.- Worked with executive teams to establish priorities for fast-track products, and to establish base-line information set to support Alpha and Beta customer sites - Reduced the time required for writer/engineer meetings by working with other managers to establish documentation review and input processes- Increased employee satisfaction through team building, enhanced training opportunities, and rewards and recognition programs - Improved writer training and hands-on experiences by establishing documentation test labs Show less

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  SS8 Networks

  Jan 2005 - Jan 2006

  Manager, Technical Publications and Educational Services

  Built new teams that created and delivered technical publications and education; managed delivery of 1st web-based content (HTML) and training courses (WBT).- Successfully created and delivered the first WBT classes in the company, 2 courses on hardware troubleshooting.- Introduced product cross-training for writers to enhance writer product knowledge- Collaborated with Program Managers to participate in early program planning- Brought structured content development into the writing team, which allowed for reusability and organization improvements Show less

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  Dell EMC

  Feb 2008 - Jun 2018

  Senior Manager, Global Information Development

  Built and led a global team that developed, maintained, and delivered highly technical customer information.- Multiple awards for team development and improvement; highest internal scores for people skills, team collaboration, communication, and team cohesion- Collaborated closely with diverse cross-functional teams for planning, process development and innovation- Led teams to innovative solutions for increased efficiency, documentation accuracy, and customer usability, created and implemented SEO strategies for improved search results- Developed new customer-facing technical content to better support the businesses, as defined through Competitive Business Analysis and Customer interactions- Introduced the use of DITA to the Networking and Service Provider Documentation teams, increasing customer usability and reuse, thus reducing costs by increasing efficiencies.- Created and supported global initiatives across entire organization- Established customer documentation as integral and equal member of Agile software development process Show less

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  Centrify Corporation

  Jun 2018 - Aug 2018

  Director, Technical Publications

  (position eliminated due to company buy-out and reorganization)Created a new customer information experience for all Centrify products, including cloud and on-premise content.- Led growing team into new era of customer satisfaction by introducing new deliverable methods, new tool sets and new information development and delivery solutions- Collaborated with Technical Support and Customer Success organizations to develop best-in-class customer content- Worked directly with key customers to understand content needs and address usability concerns. Show less

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  Abbott

  Mar 2019 - Dec 2020

  Director of Technical Publications

  Led team of 50+ people that included technical writers, illustrators, editors, and translation experts. Worked with multiple cross-functional teams to introduce new and upgraded technology to improve both team member and customer experience. Enhanced team morale through expanded recognition and rewards programs, skip-level meetings and better involvement with program management teams.

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  Fivetran

  Jun 2022 - Mar 2024

  Director, Technical Communications