James Prescott

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Resume prepared 2020-September-03

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Overview

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Project Leadership, Planning, and Problem-Solving

Demonstrated effective leadership on ten major projects. They ranged from graphical mainframe configuration management, digital audio research, and real-time signal processing, through geological and engineering applications, to production accounting.
Estimated, scheduled, and monitored progress on nine major projects. Eight of the nine were on time and on budget, and the ninth required a single reschedule. The largest project involved ten persons and eight effort years.
Supervisory and assistant manager experience, including hiring.
Demonstrates calm and competent planning and leadership in hobby activities.

Software Engineering

Analysed, designed, and programmed extensively on all major projects.
Designed and programmed dozens of smaller projects ranging from a Lisp interpreter through custom data base applications to seismic routines and encryption modules.
Wrote documentation for all projects.
Collaborated with electronics engineers to design and test custom hardware.

Data Base Analysis and Development

Conducted the data analysis, design, and development for nine major projects and a number of minor projects. Created three proprietary data storage designs.
Served occasionally as data base administrator.
Developed a data base guidelines manual for programmers and analysts.

Management Analysis

Recommended action to management for four existing engineering and production accounting systems.
Conducted an organisation and data flow analysis of the Production Department of a major oil and gas company.
Worked on a major proposal for a computer game start-up.
Completed several small feasibility studies.

Communication Skills

Excellent oral and written skills, including listening and public speaking.
Instructed in project estimating and scheduling, data base analysis and design, systems analysis, and programming.

Work History Summary

1983 - Present System and Software Consultant
- (clients include U of C Sport Medicine, DartCart, Beta Systems Canada, Thorntree Software, Archer Communications, Canterra Energy, Alberta Wheat Pool, and Teknica Resource Development)
2000 - 2002 Game Designer / Architect
- (created a board game; wrote scenario material for a role playing game; was a principal in a potential online computer game start-up venture)
1976 - 1982 Union Oil Company

Background

EDUCATION

B.Sc. with Distinction in Physics and Mathematics (University of Calgary).
Graduate Studies in Artificial Intelligence and Linguistics (University of Essex, England).
Additional courses in systems analysis, data bases, supervising, project planning and control, technical writing, joint application design, computer security, software engineering, CASE tools, expert systems, and structured analysis, design, and programming.

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Methodologies: Project estimating and scheduling, Yourdon analysis and design, structured programming, basic object oriented analysis, design, and programming.
Data Bases: SQL Server, MySQL, Access, Adabas, SQL/DS, IDMS, Oracle, others.
Languages: C++, SQL, C, Visual Basic, Java, LUA, XML, DSP56000 assembler, PL/I, Natural, Pascal, Lisp, Scheme, Prograph, HTML, CSS, Perl, PDP-11 assembler, FORTRAN, others.
Environments: Windows ASP.NET; Macintosh OS X, OS 7; IBM VM/CMS; IBM MVS/TSO/ISPF; Unix/Ubuntu; others.
Other: Word processors, spreadsheets, data bases, GANTT charting, version control systems, Quicken.
Member: ACM and IEEE Computer Society.

INTERESTS

History, folk dancing, archery, traditional folk music, backpacking, reading, gardening, cross-country skiing, scuba diving, and (until recently) field hockey.
Instructor in folk dancing (two kinds), archery, mediaeval history, and (long ago) dinghy sailing.
Translated a mediaeval French cookbook into English (published 1987). Translated a French cookbook of 1604 into English (not yet published). Did a rough translation of a Dutch cookbook of 1593, since handed over to another person for completion.
Formerly membership secretary for the Canadian Society for Traditional Music from 1985 to 2009 (including data base design); and treasurer from 1999 to 2007 (taking the group from financial crisis to financial health and predictability).
Formerly treasurer for the Calgary Saracens Field Hockey Club for three years (taking the group from marginal to healthy financial status).
Formerly troubleshooter for the Society for Creative Anachronism (mediaeval historical re-creation) running the local group during a difficult change of leadership; formerly leader of the local group for three years; regional officer; and member of the organising committee for a major gathering attended by 5500 people.
Formerly volunteer for the Great Divide Trail Association (constructing a backpacking trail).
Maintained and developed an add-on for the online game World of Warcraft for over a decade.
Enhanced a data base for Planned Parenthood Alberta.
Have visited Alaska, Australia, Easter Island, Ecuador, England, France, Galapagos, Greece, Hawaii, Hong Kong, India, Italy (as a small child), Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Rarotonga, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tahiti, the United States, Wales.

Experience

WORK HISTORY DETAILS

1983 - Present Consultant

University of Calgary Sport Medicine. Worked on the data base design and programming for various projects to present research and medical questionnaires online. Another project, to present medical clinic triage and history questionnaires online, automatically book these patients for initial and follow-up appointments, and allow them to reschedule their own appointments. Modified these projects to work with a new Electronic Medical Records system.
- Environment Windows Vista to Windows 10, SQL Server, Visual Basic, ASP.NET, WebForms with dynamic controls, Javascript, CSS
- Duration 11 years part time
University of Calgary Sport Medicine. Developed software to transfer all data from one Electronic Medical Records system to another. Developed a set of code files for the new system to handle medical billing for Alberta, and made other local modifications to the new system.
- Environment Windows 10, SQL Server, MySQL, Visual Basic, ASP.NET, Ubuntu/Eclipse, Java, JSP/HTML, Javascript
- Duration 1 year
University of Calgary Kinesiology. Developed software to support experiment presentation and data capture for a 3-D motion research project.
- Environment Windows 2000, Visual Basic
- Duration 1 month
DartCart. Completed the data base analysis, design, and programming for a data base to support an e-business web application. Added encryption modules, software licensing module, and packaging support. Provided general project advice.
- Environment Windows 2000, XP & ME, Linux, Access, Visual Basic, C++, HTML, Perl; some client/server communication; Crypto++, CrypKey, gInstall
- Duration 26 months part time
New Game Venture. As one of six principals in a potential online computer game start-up venture created game elements, prepared the game specification outline, designed the system architecture, and prepared project estimates, staffing plans, and schedules.
- Intended environment Windows 2000, C++, SQL Server
- Duration 10 months part time unpaid
Beta Systems Canada (formerly Tantia Technologies and Harbor Systems). Completed the data base analysis, design, and programming for several data base and data management components of a major new backup and restore product hosted on distributed Windows NT servers.
- Environment Windows NT, C++, SQL, SQL Server, ODBC, ISA (a proprietary client/server technology), some Oracle
- Duration 1 year 5 months
MPB Technologies. Wrote a feasibility study on the cost of developing test sequencing software, and test data gathering, archiving and reporting software for testing electronic equipment.
- Duration 3 weeks
Harbor Systems (now Beta Systems Canada). Helped design and program two demonstration GUI projects to act as front ends for an existing command line oriented backup and restore software product; one to be used by a bank, and one to be used by a service bureau providing backup and restore services to small offices.
- Environment Windows 95 & NT, Visual Basic, Access
- Duration 5 months
Sports Active. Management consulting. Evaluated the status and dollar value of a software development project, and recommended future software development actions.
- Environment OS/2
- Duration 3 months
Thorntree Software. Helped develop a major (eight effort year) revision for a graphics-based system for managing mainframe hardware configurations, now marketed by IBM as their Hardware Configuration Manager. Acted as assistant manager. Estimated, scheduled, and monitored the project. Advised on all hiring. Reengineered the proprietary data storage. Designed and developed other key portions of the system. Earlier, developed a significant enhancement for the product.
- Environment Windows 3.11, C++, proprietary data base, MVS
- Duration 2 years 2 months
Qsound. In a peer group setting, developed two major systems for acoustic research; one for experimental data capture and analysis (including proprietary data storage), and one for audio signal processing and analysis. Developed an encryption routine. Collaborated on the design and testing of custom hardware. Developed a prototype real-time audio signal processing system. Collaborated on a major object-oriented production version.
- Environment Environment MS-DOS, C++, C, proprietary GUI, proprietary data base, proprietary hardware, DSP 56000 assembler, HP 3000, Basic
- Duration 3 years 1 month
Teknica Resource Development. Designed a resource project data base.
- Environment VM/CMS, PL/I, SQL, SQL/DS, Rexx
- Duration 2 months
Canterra Energy. Developed a major multi-component product disposition and banking system for a solvent flood oil field.
- Environment MVS, VM/CMS, PL/I, IDMS, Rexx, VSAM, IBM 360 assembler, IBM JCL
- Duration 7 months
Computrex Centres. Advised on an image scanning and storage project.
- Environment Unix
- Duration 3 months part time
Alberta Wheat Pool. Served as data base administrator. Designed data bases for inventory management and other systems. Developed a data base manual. Enhanced the on-line programming environment. Provided internal consultation and instruction.
- Environment MVS, VM/CMS, Natural, Adabas, PL/I, DB2
- Duration 10 months and 3 months
Teknica Resource Development. Designed proprietary data base storage and management software for geophysical and geological data.
- Environment VM/CMS, PL/I, Rexx, FORTRAN
- Duration 5 months
Canterra Energy. Conducted a business analysis of the Production Department for the Vice-President. Enhanced a gas plant product allocation system. Conducted management analyses of four existing systems (production allocation, well site data distribution, gas plant accounting, and reserves). Developed a "new well" data base.
- Environment MVS, VM/CMS, VMS, MS-DOS, PL/I, dBase III, FORTRAN, COBOL
- Durations 6 months, 3 months, 1 month, 2 months, 1 months, 3 months, and 1 month

1976 - 1982 Union Oil Company

Developed a major geological data base with an advanced front end.
Contributed actively to a DBMS evaluation and selection committee.
Supervised small application units and handled liaison with users.
Developed four major systems (heavy oil, well production history, reserves, and production accounting).
Programmed for a stratigraphic retrieval system that was later sold to two other companies.
- Environment DOS/VSE, VM/DOS, CICS, PL/I, Adabas, Natural, DL/1 Entry, ISAM & VSAM, FORTRAN, IBM 360 assembler, IBM JCL
- Duration 6 years 5 months