Portfolio of Steve Ingram

Leadership: The key to leadership is recognizing that a leader serves others. I have been very fortunate to serve as a leader for many outstanding individuals. I enjoy embarking on challenging initiatives, applying the knowledge I have acquired, and motivating others to achieve greatness. Nothing is more rewarding than working through issues to a successful solution and lifting those around you in the process.

Project Management: I am a certified Project Management Professional (PMP), as recognized by the internationally known Project Management Institute (PMI). I have over 10,000 hours experience managing software development projects and programs. Most of the projects that I managed have budgets in excess of $10M and involve the coordination of multiple disparate organizations addressing enterprise-wide needs. I have a proven track record of effectively managing project scope, time, budget, and quality.

Rational Unified Process: The Rational Unified Process (RUP) is a Software Development Lifecycle framework. It promotes the use of proven software engineering practices and methodologies. I have been an advocate and practitioner of the Rational Unified Process since 2000. I frequently mentor technical and business stakeholders through the application of RUP for their projects. I have specialized expertise in the Inception and Elaboration phases, with focus on the Business Modeling, Requirements, and Analysis & Design disciplines.

Communication: Effective communication skills are critical to establishing and maintaining solid working relationships and conveying comprehensive understanding. Unfortunately, many people lack these verbal and written skills. I like to call it the "lost art". I have the unique ability to listen to what someone's saying, assimulate it into cohesive concepts, and validate it verbally or in writing.

Negotiation: Through all aspects of our lives, we find ourselves in situations of conflict. When handled correctly, these conflicts can serve as opportunities to establishing joint initiatives and mutual understanding. I believe in principle-based negotiation, which focuses on addressing the interests of all parties involved. I emphasize a work environment that is "hard on the issues, but soft on the people".

Facilitation: I frequently facilitate meetings with partcipation ranging from 6 to 30 individuals. In most cases, these are Joint Application Development (JAD) meetings focused on gathering requirements. While written documentation is the end result of many of these meetings, I truely believe the synergy and consensus developed in working groups is far more valuable.

Technical Writing: The written word can be a powerful tool to help people understand concepts and plans. Much of the effort of Technical Writing involves conveying a perception through a combination of words, graphics, and sequence. I frequently utilize standardized notations, such as the Unified Modeling Language (UML). UML is a standard for creating software engineering diagrams.

Software Architecture: As a former programmer, I am well versed in the pitfalls and challenges of designing software systems that function well, are easily changed, and promote reuse. I use common Object Oriented Analysis and Design (OOAD) techniques including abstraction, inheritence, and encapsulation. I supplement documentation with Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams, such as Class Diagrams, Sequence Diagrams, etc. I work closely with Software Architects to design solutions. I am very familiar with Java, Web Services, Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), and many other supporting technologies.

Mentoring / Coaching: I believe that a good leader is responsible for advancing their staff to their full potential. I value spending time with subordinates and peers to share knowledge or meet challenges. I have had many situations where I have had the need to coach staff regarding their performance. I welcome these opportunities and firmly believe in open and honest communicatation. It is important to let people when they are doing well and when they are not.