FlairMakers

Role: Tech Lead / Mobile Developer

Team: 4 Developers + 1 UX Designer

Timeline: 2023-2024

Description:

FlairMakers is a platform connecting hospitality businesses in the UK with skilled talent, focusing on the gig economy. It uses Node.js for the backend, ReactJS for the web frontend, and React Native for the mobile application.

More information can be found here: FlairMakers.

Responsibilities:

• Managed technical aspects of the project.
• Consulted on product and operational strategies.
• Contributed to mobile app development as part of the team.

Gemma Vet

Role: Product Manager / Backend Developer

Team: Product Manager + 1-3 Developers + 1 UX Designer + 1-3 Marketing Specialists

Timeline: 2020

Description:

The product supports veterinarian practices and hospitals by enabling communication with pet owners during pet hospitalizations, especially during the pandemic.

Detailed information and links to the app stores can be found here: Gemma Vet.

The MVP was developed as a mobile-first PWA using React and Firebase. The current implementation includes a Java Spring Boot backend hosted on Heroku with MongoDB, and the mobile app is developed in Flutter.

Responsibilities:

• Product definition in collaboration with UX and Marketing teams
• Project development management and server-side implementation
• Marketing tasks such as data gathering, user interviews, and defining/planning strategies
• Negotiating the product roadmap

SafeSphere

Role: Algorithm Researcher / Senior Software Developer

Team: Product Owner + 1-3 Developers + 1-2 Marketing Analysts + UX Designer

Timeline: 2019

Description:

The product aimed to measure the distance between phones using (near) ultrasound signals to facilitate social distancing during the pandemic.

The project involved significant prototyping and technology exploration, including a Bluetooth beacon approach. The initial prototype was developed in Java for Android, while the MVP was implemented using Flutter. It relied on a third-party library for data transmission via sound signals, eliminating the need for a backend.

More details can be found here: SafeSphere.

Responsibilities:

• Research and development of algorithms for accurate distance measurement
• Collaboration with team members and consultants

Ambassador and Embassy / Dynex

Role: Project Manager

Team: Project Manager + 2 Developers + 1 QA Engineer

Timeline: 2018 – 2019

Description:

This middleware module connects the client’s laboratory instrument to third-party Laboratory Information Systems (LIS). It also manages test orders and results. Communication is implemented using the LIS0102 industry standard over an RS232 connection.

The project is developed in C#, utilizing WPF for the UI and WCF for integration with the instrument’s SOA architecture. A simulator for third-party LIS was also implemented for testing and validation.

Responsibilities:

• Defining specifications and acquiring domain knowledge
• Planning and task assignment
• Acting as Scrum Master
• Backend development, particularly protocol implementation
• Documentation

TotalFlow Prep

Role: Project Manager / Development Community Lead / Product Owner Proxy

Team: Development Community Lead + 5-18 Developers / 1-2 Scrum Masters + QA Community Lead + 3-12 QA Engineers

Timeline: 2013 – 2018

Description:

The product prepares jobs for printing, including editing PDFs, DOCs, and images, and configuring printing features like stapling, folding, punching, and trimming based on printer capabilities.

Initially developed using Flex, Air, and Tomcat, the product was later re-implemented with an HTML5 UI. For the desktop application, NW.js was used alongside AngularJS for the UI and web functionalities.

More information can be found here: TotalFlow Prep.

The team size varied between 5 and 18 members, and the team was split into two Scrum teams for better feature planning and management.

Responsibilities:

• Negotiating and managing specifications
• Project management
• Resolving technical and organizational issues
• Contributing to server-side development and architectural decision-making

Printer Connector 

Role: Team Lead / Scrum Master / Senior Software Developer

Team: Team Lead + 3 Developers

Timeline: 2013

Description:

The project consists of a module used by various products to send jobs to RICOH supported printers and retrieve from the printer information regarding printer and job status and printer capabilities.

The project was initially a module of the TotalFlow Prep product and was refactored for reuse by other products. We used JTAPI, JMFAPI and SNMP protocol to gather information from the printers. The team was tasked to implement support for new printers and provide support for third party printers.

Responsibilities:

• Project management
• Software development

JTAPI

Role: Team Lead / Scrum Master / Senior Software Developer

Team: Team Lead + 3 Developers + 1 Intern

Timeline: 2010 – 2013

Description:

The project consists in the development and maintenance of API libraries for job ticketing (JTAPI) device capabilities (DevCapAPI) and messaging (JMFAPI). The libraries are available for Windows, Linux, Mac and Java.

The APIs generate CIP4 v.1.4 compatible XMLs based on feature oriented input.

JTAPI is an API for generating/loading job tickets – used to specify detailed information for printing a job.

JMFAPI is used to generate/load messages for communicating between various components/apps in a standard way.

DevCapAPI is used to specify the printing capabilities of a printer. We use C and C++ and supported Windows, Linux and Mac OS.

Responsibilities:

• Project management
• Software development

Printer Driver

Role: Technical Lead for Windows Driver

Team: Team Lead + 6 Developers + Technical Lead + 1 Intern

Timeline: 2009 – 2010

Description:

The team developed printer drivers for Linux, Mac, and Windows operating systems for the Infoprint Pro C900 printer. The Mac and Windows drivers integrated a job ticketing editor, created by another team using Adobe Air, to provide enhanced job customization capabilities.

A common library was shared across all drivers to streamline development and maintenance of shared functionalities. The Windows driver was implemented as a plug-in for the default Windows driver, using C++ and the Windows Driver Kit (WDK). The common library was developed in C to ensure compatibility and performance across platforms.

Responsibilities:

• Provided technical expertise and resolved issues related to the Windows driver and common library.
• Implemented the common library and contributed to the development of various features.

NetObjects Fusion

Role: Senior Software Developer / Project Manager

Team: Team Lead + 5 developers + 1 Intern + 1 Architect

Timeline: 2003 – 2009

Description:

NetObjects Fusion is a WYSIWYG site builder designed to generate HTML, PHP, and ASP websites, incorporating advanced features like AJAX integration, JavaScript, database support, and more. The application was developed in C++ using MFC and offered multiple views for editing pages, managing assets, and customizing styles.

With a codebase exceeding 1,000,000 lines of code and no formal technical documentation, developers were challenged to build strong code comprehension and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities:

• Led the C++ development group, overseeing the implementation of core features and enhancements.
• Contributed to high-level specification synthesis based on market research and user feedback from beta testers and end-users.
• Participated in candidate assessments and recruitment activities, including job shop events.

Comp-u-Craft

Role: Software Developer

Team: 2 – 3 Developers

Timeline: 1998 – 2003

Description:

The project is the software solution for CD Nelson Manufacturing hardware, creating a proprietary entry-level CAM/CAD system.

The system comprised three main components:

• CAD Software: Included several specialized applications for various design purposes.

• CAM Software (CDN Commander): Imported outputs from the CAD applications, managed machine and tool specifications, and generated control signals for the milling machine.

• Milling Machine: Operated using stepper motors and lacked built-in command logic, requiring the CAM software to generate signals directly for the stepper motor drivers connected via parallel ports.

Earlier versions of the software directly addressed port addresses, compatible with Windows 95 and Millennium editions. For Windows XP, a kernel-mode driver was developed to maintain compatibility.

The applications were built in C++ using MFC, leveraging a common library. Over time, a framework was developed with features like reference counting, a unified base interface for garbage collection, and interface querying.

Responsibilities:

• Developed an early plotting engine to control the machine’s axes by directly writing to the parallel port addresses.
• Designed and implemented CDN Assembler, a tool for composing project files from CAD applications.
• Contributed to the development of CDN Draw, which introduced plug-in-based file import parsers and design tools (still work in progress when I left the company).
• Created smaller utility applications, such as CDN Calculator and CDN Converter.