Kurt W. Conrad
2025 West 10th Avenue, Kennewick, WA, 99336
conrad@sagebrushgroup.com
www.SagebrushGroup.com
Updated 2001.12
Contents
Qualifications
Over 16 years of IT experience, comprising course development and training; hardware and software configuration, troubleshooting, and support; full lifecycle development and deployment of small and large-scale systems; configuration control; project management; change management; and both operational and strategic information and management consulting
Over 8 years of experience developing theoretical and operational foundations for the fields of Knowledge Management and Knowledge Engineering.
Over 6 years of experience in commercial consulting. Clients include Cisco, Sun, Bombardier, Frank Russell Company, Gale Publishing, Microsoft, SmithKline Beecham, and the World Trade Center.
Developed and deployed numerous document management solutions, serving hundreds and thousands of users since 1986. Recognized expert in enterprise-wide document management and the emerging fine-grained, semantically-rich knowledge architectures needed to support personalization and other dynamic delivery methods.
Worked with SGML and XML since 1992. Recognized within community for work dealing with the organizational and policy implications of markup languages.
Analytical, architectural, and design competence in a wide variety of disciplines.
Invited speaker and published author. Excel at communicating technical information to individuals with widely varying backgrounds.
Skills
- Leadership of multi-disciplinary teams
- Mentoring and organizational therapy.
- Licensed AtStake facilitator. Skilled in a wide range of negotiation, facilitation, modeling, and instructional methods
- Development of custom methodologies and protocols
- Troubleshooting, diagnostics, and systems analysis
- Semantic analysis and ontology development
- AWK, Perl, C, Pascal, and a variety of system-specific scripting languages
- SGML, XML, and related standards
Consulting Experience
Sun Microsystems, Inc. – Bay Area, CA
2000.10 to 2001.12
Provide XML and XSLT training through Sun University. Contribute to the design, development, and implementation of XML infrastructures. Assist various operational units with conceptualization, requirements gathering, and political feasibility analysis to support project launch. Assessed risks and provided mitigations to support the roll-out of a global component management authoring and publishing system.
Clarisity, Inc. – Bellmont, CA
2000.06 to 2001.04
Interim CTO to a startup targeted at providing commercialization services tothe inkjet printing industry. Primary contributions in the areas of:
- Documentation of functionality targets (contributing documentation methods and specific articulations)
- Recommendation of technical and knowledge architectures
- Mediation of communications between founder and development teams
Cisco Systems, Inc. – Bay Area, CA
1997.07 to 1999.11
Brought in as Program/Project Architect to guide corporate-wide SGML and XML-based document management initiative. Expanded services to provide strategic and operational consulting to groups responsible for Cisco Connection Online (CCO) and associated software infrastructures. Helped launch corporate ontology project to improve navigation and retrieval on CCO and serve as the basis for enterprise-wide metadata standards.
Highlights:
- Contributed to organizational integration, prioritization, and budget planning.
- Valued for proficiency at brokering consensus, given the title "Organizational Therapist" by clients.
- Helped select and mentor Cisco staff.
- Developed an array of custom document analysis methodologies and a series processes, methods, and tools for standardizing terminology and associated semantics.
- Developed a KM-based architectural framework to provide integrated view of the organization’s programs, processes, technology infrastructures, and associated capability development initiatives.
The Sagebrush Group – Pasco, WA
1995.02 to 1997.07
Provided training, consulting, and DTD development services aimed at transitioning organizations to leading-edge information and document management practices, for example:
- Assisted major pharmaceutical company with internal audit of SGML-based document management system. Identified high-risk practices and recommended corrective actions.
- Structured negotiations for two high-technology firms to restore their collaborative relationship and expand revenue base.
- Defined Information Resource Management requirements and performance measures for five year, $5B Request for Proposal.
- Identified and resolved policy development disputes that hampered health services organization’s progress on strategic information system for nearly two years.
Boeing Computer Services – Richland, WA
1984.10 -1995.02
Held variety of consulting, project management, and training positions for company providing ADP services to Department of Energy’s Hanford site, comprising approximately 16,000 employees. Primary architect for site-wide document production standards. Designed SGML and HyTime-based performance management solutions for nuclear industry.
Boeing Computer Services – Richland, WA
1984.10 -1995.02
Held variety of consulting, project management, and training positions for company providing ADP services to Department of Energy’s Hanford site, comprising approximately 16,000 employees. Primary architect for site-wide document production standards. Designed SGML and HyTime-based performance management solutions for nuclear industry.
Strategic Planning Division / Technology Planning Process
Contributed to various site-level and complex-wide information architecture initiatives. Worked with other contractors to develop collaborative processes and shared initiatives for implementing new IT infrastructures. Helped define DOE-wide web standards and spearheaded the use of SGML within Department of Energy. Directed SGML piloting effort involving dozens of individuals from numerous organizations. Recruited, supervised, and trained core team.
Multimedia Services Division
Integrated media services (publications, graphics, photo, video, and printing) through independently managed projects and by advising individual departments and production centers. Developed and adapted various organizational modeling and analysis techniques to drive process improvements:
- Combined a variety of methods to develop process modeling standards for the division.
- Introduced the use of Activity-Based Costing to prioritize process improvement opportunities.
- Led a process reengineering effort that provided the roadmap for more than $10,000,000 in cost savings over two years.
End User Computing Organization
Manned help desk. Resolved end user’s computer problems, supporting over 100 software applications, operating systems, and programming languages. Reviewed software and associated deployment plans for functionality, usability, and supportability. Technical Editor for Hanford’s internal Computing Times newsletter, with more than 30 articles published.
Developed reusable software tools to implement advanced document management services, automating system deployment, configuration control, and support functions. Selected, developed, and deployed site hardware and software standards for enterprise-wide document production systems. Migrated production centers from proprietary, single-vendor systems to standard PC-based hardware and software, while maintaining continuity of service and reliability.
ADP Training Department
Company's first full-time instructor. Developed and taught computer courses, including Boeing’s first WordPerfect course. Certified Boeing and Hanford instructor. Certified new instructors. Recognized as company’s most effective instructor, based on student evaluations.
Employment History
Chief Technology Officer
WAYDAI Corporation – Richland, WA
2000.10 to 2001.08
Co-founder of a startup targeted at developing and marketing infrastructures to manage XML components and their associated knowledge flows. Set company's technical strategy. Instrumental to market analysis and the development of product concepts, technical roadmaps, supporting architectures, and development plans.
Key technical resource on executive team and board of directors. Drove technical infrastructure decisions. Recruited and negotiated strategic relationships with business and technology partners. Spearheaded marketing into and joint development negotiations with Sun Microsystems. Principle generator of billable operating revenues.
Director of Knowledge and Information Architecture
Tomorrow Farm LLC – San Francisco, CA
2000.05 to 2000.06
Worked with clients to design and reeingineer their web site's information architecture. Internal duties emphasized staff selection, process normalization, and project management standards.
Senior Knowledge Management Consultant
Calian Technology Ltd – Kanada, Ontario
1999.06 to 2000.04
Brought in to help set up Knowledge Management Practice for staffing and professional services firm. Assisted with recruiting, marketing, business development, proposal development, and other pre-sales activities.
Staff Consultant
Documentum, Inc. – Pleasanton, CA
1998.01 to 1999.06
Joined document management software vendor's consulting organization through acquisition of WMI. Led Documentum teams on Cisco project, holding together troubled client/contractor relationship by providing needed interpretations and acting as a balanced advocate for all interests. Supported various client engagements and associated pre-sales activities. Worked with Marketing personnel to add component management capabilities to product line – analyzing market forces to distill functional requirements and leading focus groups.
Senior Consultant
Workgroup Management, Inc. (WMI) – Oakland, CA
1997.07 to 1997.12
Recruited to land SGML and structured document management services contract at Cisco Systems for a company specializing in enterprise integration. Led WMI staff on Cisco project.
Independent Consultant
The Sagebrush Group – Pasco, WA
1995.02 to 1997.07
Sole proprietor of consulting company that specialized in SGML transition services. Developed consulting model that targeted organizations with complex information and management needs – integrating policy, process, and technology changes to improve organizational performance. Provided marketing and proposal development umbrella for network of independent consultants.
Advanced Software Engineer
Boeing Computer Services – Richland, WA
1984.10 to 1995.02
Advanced rapidly through a variety of training, consulting, and project management positions:
- Technical Instructor (1984 – 1986)
- Software Engineer (1986 – 1990)
- Advanced Software Engineer (1990 – 1995)
Engineering Technician
Westinghouse Hanford Company – Richland, WA
1977.12 to 1981.06
Operated, tested, diagnosed, and retrofitted nuclear reactor systems at sodium-cooled research reactor (Fast Flux Test Facility). Supervised teams of operators and craftsmen. Authored and approved changes to technical procedures. Modified plant’s airlock mechanisms to increase reliability and reduce unscheduled maintenance. Retrofit delayed mechanism replacement for over 20 years.
Education
Coursework in Computer Science, Mechanical and Chemical Engineering, Economics, Political Science, and Organizational Theory from 1979 to 1985
Professional Associations
Articles, Papers, and Presentations
A narrative overview of the papers available at SagebrushGroup.com can also be found in the Archives section.
- "Knowledge Management and XML," Documation 2000, June 2000.
- "Characterizing Knowledge Management Tools," Documation 2000, June 2000.
- "Integrating KM Tools into Your Existing IT Infrastructure," Dynamic Content 2000, May 2000.
- "Dynamic Integration," Dynamic Content 2000, May 2000.
- "Emerging Information and Management Strategies: It's a Question of Balance," XML World, September 1999.
- "A Framework for Characterizing Knowledge Management Methods, Practices, and Technologies," Documation '99, February 1999. Republished in "The Data Administration Newsletter," April 2000.
- "Introduction to Document Management Tutorial,"Documation '97, February 1997;Documation '97 East, October 1997;Documation '98, February 1998
- "People, Process, Policy, and Politics," SGML '96, November 1996.
- "Document Delivery, Text Retrieval, and CD-ROM Publishing Tools for Implementing SGML-Based Information Systems (Updated)," SGML '96, November 1996.
- "What's Neat and New in Pano Two," Third International Conference on the Application of HyTime, August 1996.
- "Corel WordPerfect 7: Daisyware," <TAG>, August 1996.
- "Organic Information Management — A Better Way to Reengineer Information Systems," The Gilbane Report, February 1996.
- "Technology Developments in the Electronic Publishing Industry," Electronic Document Symposium for the Commercial Air Transport Industry, sponsored by Arinc and United Airlines, February 1996.
- "Document Delivery, Text Retrieval, and CD-ROM Publishing Tools for Implementing SGML-Based Information Systems," SGML '95, December 1995.
- "The Impacts of Standardized Information Management Processes on NDA and NDE Waste Characterization Systems," Fourth Nondestructive Assay and Nondestructive Examination Waste Characterization Conference, October 1995.
- "High Time for Some Humor," Second International Conference on the Application of HyTime, August 1995.
- "SGML, HyTime, and Organic Information Management Models," Second International Conference on the Application of HyTime, August 1995.
- "SGML: It's Not Just for Documents Anymore," SGML '94, November 1994. Republished in the Knowledge Management Metazine, 1996.
- "Measuring the Strategic Value of Information Technology Investments," 11th DOE Office Information Technology Conference, August 1994.
- "SGML: A History of One Site's Quiet Revolution — How to change nearly everything everybody thinks and knows about documents and still remain friends with them," 11th DOE Office Information Technology Conference, August 1994.
- "Selling the Quiet Revolution: A Communications Analysis of 'SGML: The Quiet Revolution'," Ninth Forum on Documentation and Publishing Technologies, April 1994.
- "Activity-Based Costing and Return-On-Management Calculations," Ninth Forum on Documentation and Publishing Technologies, April 1994.
- "SGML: The Quiet Revolution — An Introduction to Concepts and Vocabulary," presented to more than 600 people at the DOE Hanford site from 1993 to 1995.
- "SGML Implementation Strategies," Eighth Forum on Computer Systems for Documentation, August 1992.
Keywords
Activity-Based Costing – business development – change management – collaborative decisionmaking – conceptmodeling – conceptualization – configuration control – cultural change – data and metadata standards – dispute resolution –document analysis – document management – DTD development – dynamic content – electronic publishing – electronic delivery – end user computing – facilitation – full lifecycle software development – governance – help desk – HyTime – information architectures – information policy – integration – knowledge architectures – knowledge engineering – knowledge flows – knowledge management – knowledge representation standards – language design – marketing – mediation –methodology development
– navigation –office automation – ontology development –open standards – organizational analysis – organizational development – organizational modeling – organizational therapy – paradigm lifecycles – performance management – personalization – practice development – prioritization – process analysis – process definition – process reengineering – product definition – product positioning – product strategy –program definition – program management – programming – project definition – project planning – project management – recruiting – requirements analysis – resourcing – retrieval – risk analysis – semantic modeling – SGML – software development lifecycle – software engineering – staff selection – stakeholder alignment – standards development – strategic planning – structured authoring – technical architectures – technology planning – Topic Maps – training and course development – values-based decision making – XML – XSLT