• Worked on data migration related to Connecting for Health (National Programme for IT). Target systems were IDX Carecast and Cerner Millennium. Intermediate data storage was in MS SQL Server. Some exposure to HL7.
• Automated several aspects of their processes, specifically document generation merging, boilerplate with stored procedure output. This involved devising the approach and implementing using VBA.

• Designed the first draft of the Secondary Use Services (SUS) staging database for the CDS records using ERWin in the context of Connecting for Health
• Specified mappings from the XML variants of the CDS messages to the database
• Devised and built an automated checker to ensure accuracy of mappings
• Provided internal consultancy (mostly informal) on XML, CDS, the NHS and the NPfIT programme

• Researched, specified, built and demonstrated to a Junior Health Minister a pilot application for handling outpatient appointment bookings integrated with a permanent health record using a browser/server architecture. Started work on extending this pilot to cover electronic prescribing. This involved an in depth appreciation of the National Programme for IT and assorted related topics such as e-GIF, the existing e-bookings pilots, HL7, CT, SNOMED etc. It also involved many interviews with staff at all levels - primarily clinical staff. The pilot was developed using sophisticated in-house generation tools and featured a highly secure and resilient server coded in C, and a front end generated into ASP from an XML-based meta-language.
• Started work on extending this pilot to cover electronic prescribing.
• Worked as part of a team authoring specifications for a distributed rule-based case review system for use in the financial services industry.
• Used company generation tools as part of a team creating this product. This involved both creation of software server components (generated in C and SQL) and web-based UI generated into ASP and PHP.
• Personally reviewed and modified most UI elements in the case review product following a later update to ensure look and feel consistency.
• Facilitated specification workshops (and documented outcomes) for a larger scale e-commerce product for an external client
• Used company generation tools as part of a team creating this product
• Took primary development responsibility for translating the e-commerce application into 10 locales (language-country combinations), including definition of the overall procedure. This involved extracting the en-GB language strings as XML, liaising with our customer over the preparation of foreign language files, re-formatting the XML, reloading it into our tools, checking and test generation.
• Took primary development responsibility for defining and applying capitalisation rules for en-GB language strings appearing on the User interface.

• Solved a sticky problem for a computer research organisation by re-writing a paper which had been rejected by one of their clients.
• Took a central role in the specification of a business-to-business e-commerce software product. This included interpolation of the business processes surrounding the product.

• Led process to help a major financial institution decide how to deliver group pensions via an extranet. This took into account the needs of the end-users, the constraints of legacy computer systems and the capacity of the Customer Service department. It also included delivery of a functional specification and a range of briefings and briefing documents.
• Assisted the same financial institution break a deadlock over the way in which a new flexible pension product would work, by leading a workshop for high level staff from two UK sites
• Helped the UK marketing department of a major printer company decide how to computerise two facets of their work. Ran workshops attended by staff at all levels from the UK Marketing Director to front-line clerical staff.
• Led a number of other organisational/IT projects in a variety of sectors, including a major area of the health service, a quasi-governmental training board, a charity and small businesses. Output was either a functional specification, or proposals for a new way of working or both.
• Helped plan and implement an Internet-based Sales campaign.
• Represented KISS at trade shows, seminars etc.
• Devised, prepared and presented components of KISS training courses for commercial and academic audiences.
• Devised and operated graduate recruitment process which produced 20:1 applicant-to-vacancy ratio in 1998.
• Managed relationships between Universities and KISS.
• Carried out a number of software development tasks in a range of 3rd and 4th generation languages.

• Fulfilled or exceeded both client expectations and contractual obligations to a major bank by producing a functional specification of high standard within challenging constraints. We ended up coaching the bank's staff in how to use their own tools.
• Turned a situation around from a probable lawsuit to a satisfied customer by co-leading a team to build the software in seven weeks elapsed, when the team originally responsible for the software development failed to deliver.
• Met or surpassed the expectations of a number of blue chip clients by specifying and co-specifying a number of major systems. Presented specification work back to clients in order to validate the work and obtain agreement to proceed.
• Broke a long-standing log-jam for one client by helping them form a clearer view of their management reporting requirements.
• Took a leading role in a team formed around an innovative business model. This team was tasked with researching, specifying, building and marketing a major process industry ERP product for AT&T ISTEL acting as a single multi-disciplinary team working under one roof.
• Project managed, specified and part-built myself a second generation CASE tool. Made four incremental deliveries to specification, and on time to within 24 hours in a 1 year + project.
• Improved the standards of systems analysis by delivering company-wide training/awareness seminars on Soft Systems Methodology (SSM).
• Provided internal consultancy for an AT&T effort to initiate a multi-vendor loyalty scheme.
• Helped specify new functionality for telesales staff of a major financial institution selling foreign exchange. Worked with colleagues from another part of AT&T doing a parallel BPR project. Personally facilitated two key workshops with up to 40 participants from both AT&T and the client.
• Helped specify new functionality for one of the big supermarket chains. Learned organisational and software elements of store check-out and back-office operations.

• Sorted out an all-but-failed first attempt at computerisation, thus probably saving the organisation from disaster. Restored shattered user morale and confidence in the system. Negotiated with supplier to secure delivery of software which had been paid for, but not even written at the time of initial installation. Troubleshot and fixed problems as they occurred until the software did the job intended.

(The main UNIX system served the organisation for 10 years thereafter, with only part time system management throughout)

Director of Flight Safety and Training (dual role 1983-1984. See below)

• Specified and ran orientation courses for new pilots coming into the organisation. Chose a suitable training aircraft in the USA. Negotiated its purchase and ferry. Prepared and presented training material on the ground and carried out training in the air. Established appropriate training facilities at Glenrothes in Scotland. Organised all necessary collateral for the training such as accommodation for all concerned.
• Represented the training effort at Glenrothes to the media (it featured on ITV breakfast TV, on a Scottish radio station and in one of the Scottish editions of a national newspaper)

(Towards the end my period of tenure, MAF were awarded the Lennox-Boyd training award)

• Ran MAF operations in three/four African countries. Represented operational concerns on the Board.

Programme Manager, Tanzania

• Set up a new programme from almost nothing to 4-5 aircraft and 8 expatriate families in several sub-bases, operating to public transport standards. Negotiated operating permissions etc. with the local authorities.

Programme Pilot/Mechanic, East Africa

• Re-established appropriate maintenance and stock-keeping controls in a programme which had not had an engineer for several years.
• Wrote up recommendations for crash protection drawing on my work in Birmingham (see below).

• Investigated and wrote up accidents ("crashes" in recent parlance) involving current model cars. This was for a civilian NATO project. Radically improved the photography and documentation of vehicles damaged in accidents.
• Wrote and presented in Amsterdam a paper drawing on the NATO work, calling for extensions to the crash testing regime then in use. Many of the key recommendations of this paper have since been implemented, although I cannot claim that this is solely in response to the paper.

Other

COURSES

PUBLICATIONS

• Numerous magazine articles, mostly in non-work related areas.
• Principal author of 'Field Accident Damage as a Basis for Crash Tests' [International Conference on the Biokinetics of Impact - IRCOBI, Amsterdam 1973].

PERSONAL DETAILS

INTERESTS AND ACTIVITIES

APPENDIX A: CHRONOLOGICAL COMPUTER SYSTEMS SUMMARY