ivanti

Role	Senior Technical Writer
Type	Full-time
Period	Nov 2013 – Sep 2017

Background

I came to ivanti with no experience in mobile app documentation, device management, or supporting more than one product at a time. By the end, I was documenting 18 enterprise software modules across mobile enterprise applications, mobile device management, software licensing, and hardware asset management. The learning curve was steep and continuous, and I never quite reached the top because they kept adding products.

The role was pitched as circulating between applications on their release cycles, which turned out to be accurate and slightly understated. I spent nearly four years moving between products, interviewing developers, and translating complex enterprise features into documentation that actually explained why a user would want to use a feature--not just what the feature did. That distinction sounds obvious, but in enterprise software documentation it's surprisingly rare. Prior to this, I'd mostly been describing steps. Here, I learned to describe purpose.

The cross-functional work was where the scope expanded well beyond writing. I was the first technical writer at the company to document in-house APIs, which meant building the templates, documentation standards, and publishing strategies that software engineers would follow. I also established relationships with marketing, sales, support, and training--departments that no other technical writer had ever communicated with directly. Whether that says more about the company culture or about my inability to stay in my lane is a question I'll leave open.

I integrated daily with nine development teams spread across the US, Poland, China, and India. I coordinated with localization teams on quarterly word counts and HTML5 output. I scripted and recorded tutorial videos using Adobe Captivate and then trained the entire 14-person writing team on the video standards I'd established. And when ivanti rebranded, I standardized the online help libraries with responsive web design, new templates, and consistent branding across the board.

What I Did

Documentation & Content

• Documented 18 enterprise software modules and apps spanning mobile device management (MDM), unified endpoint management (laptops, tablets, desktops), software licensing, hardware asset management, and IT security. Samples: Agent Settings, TE Host Profile, Upgrading Avalanche.
• Authored all documentation in MadCap Flare, using single-source publishing to produce responsive HTML5 online help, PDF, and print outputs from a shared content base. Managed source files with TortoiseSVN for version control.
• Documented IT security and network infrastructure features including configuration payloads, firewall policies, VPN, Wi-Fi, certificate management, network access control, and security auditing and compliance. Samples: Restrictions Payload, Software Payload.
• Wrote end-to-end documentation for a secure enterprise email application and remote control software (Splashtop integration).
• Developed technical documentation addressing real-world customer use cases, focusing on explaining why users would use a feature rather than just describing the steps.
• Created process overviews that linked help files across multiple applications into cohesive workflows (e.g., License Optimizer cross-application documentation).
• Initiated documentation efforts for a new IaaS product.

API Documentation & Standards

• First technical writer at ivanti to document in-house APIs, developing templates, documentation standards, and publishing strategies for engineers to follow. Samples: Action Launch, Device Beep, Error Beep, Send Keys, Voice Properties.
• Standardized online help libraries with responsive web design, new page templates, condensed topic structure, and consistent branding to support the ivanti rebrand.

Video & Training

• Scripted, storyboarded, and recorded tutorial videos for multiple products using Adobe Captivate in collaboration with the training department.
• Established video production standards and trained a team of 14 technical writers on best practices.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Integrated and communicated daily with 9 development teams across the US, Poland, China, and India.
• Coordinated with localization and translation teams on quarterly word count estimates, HTML5 output formatting, and full-topic translation verification.
• Communicated with product owners and project managers on features in development through Atlassian Jira, including UX design discussions and terminology consistency.
• Established working relationships with marketing, sales, support, and training departments to ensure technically accurate content across all channels--the first technical writer at the company to do so.
• Collaborated with marketing to ensure consistent representation of product features in external marketing resources.

Key Skills

Adobe Captivate · Adobe Creative Suite · Adobe Illustrator · API Documentation · Adobe Photoshop · MadCap Flare · iOS · Windows · CSS · HTML · Code Samples · Technical Writing · Release Notes · SCRUM · Agile & Scrum · REST APIs · Atlassian Jira · Atlassian Confluence · Asset Management · Documentation · Enterprise Applications · Configuration Payloads · Quick-Start Guides · Mobile Device Management (MDM) · UI/UX Writing · Microcopy · Tooltips · Hover Text · Process Improvement · SaaS · Source Control · Version Control · Sprint Planning · Sprint Retrospective · Post-Mortem · SSH · Style Guides · User Content · Topic-Based Writing · Training & E-Learning · Video Tutorials · Virtual Machines (VMs) · JSON · PowerShell · Editing · Adobe InDesign · Copyediting · Proofreading · Content Management · Engineering Documentation · Task Management · Collaboration · Adobe Acrobat · License Management · Device Provisioning · SDLC · Installation Guides · Deliverables · Managing Deadlines · SME Interview · Daily Stand-up · Help Authoring Software · Online Help · User Guides · Diagrams · Workflow Processes · Research · Reference Guides · Microsoft Edge · Google Chrome · Mozilla Firefox · Content Roadmap · Wiki · Web Design · Slack · Web Content · Markdown · XML · DITA · Git · MySQL · Specifications · Microsoft Office · Microsoft Word · Android · iPadOS · Software Development · Subversion · SnagIt · Programming