Hired as a contractor to maintain and support their critical business application on an IBM Mainframe running CICS TS 2.3, Enterprise COBOL for z/OS 3.3.1, CA-IDMS 16.0, CLOAS, Xpediter 7.7, ABEND-AID 5.1, ACF2 8.0, etc.

Responsible to work in a team maintaining and developing CICA’s business critical Accident and Healthcare database system through change management lifecycles (UAT, performance and regression). Sole responsibility for a successful project to cleanse CICA’s customer addresses, initially employing the external services of GEOPLAN, then installing and configuring, in house, QAS (Mainframe Batch API), for ongoing address cleansing. Also Windows QA Pro.

Through in-depth UNIX scripting and Micro Focus Server Express experience, assisting SSE to map their IBM Mainframe OPC scheduled payroll package onto AIX.

Responsible for creating new solutions to extend the Cyborg product both in response to continual ideas that occur in supporting it and to feedback from the customer base in the UK and the US.

• With primary emphasis on the IBM Mainframe version (as largest revenue provider) continually developing CICS extensions to the application: e.g. Batch suite to make EXCI calls, CICS routines to perform CEMT functions, etc.
• Researching alternative interoperability for the Legacy CICS Application through SOA: CORBA, CTG, etc. Or via CICS Universal Clients.
• Trained in Java and used J2EE to produce routines to access CTG and capture the legacy COMMAREA; well versed in Object Oriented concepts: Class, Inheritance, and their formalization in UML.
• Extremely skilful with Mainframe diagnostics from CEDF, Xpediter, to COBOL dump analysis (Batch and Transaction).
• Continually fixing sometimes exquisitely complicated bugs in the critical COBOL applications on a daily basis, and investigating anomalous behaviour of application due to OS differences
• Researching and implementing such Micro Focus extensions as Fileshare under Net and Server Express; expert in Micro Focus Animator
• Providing in-house tools for consultants to greatly increase their productivity
• Daily advising on all technical aspects of the HR product and providing PTFs.

• Worked closely with IBM at Hursley to port a character-based mainframe version of the Cyborg system to a three-tier SOA design architecture. Collaborated with CORBA and Java specialists to skilfully wrap the character-based code. Providing high ROI for this product upgrade, particularly in the US (e.g. SONY.)
• Through polite but dogged persistence secured IBM facilities for a similar porting exercise with the character-based AS/400 product.
• In both exercises building excellent relationships with IBM Hursley staff.
• Sent as sole representative to Unilever in the UK to adapt the MVS version of the product to run under VM/CMS. Under extreme pressure produced a solution which secured the business of that prestigious firm.
In all these tasks, meeting with a great deal of complex and unfamiliar computer architecture, but able to take them in stride, and draw upon the experience of experts in diverse technical fields.

An international geophysical consultancy

Responsible for maintaining all technical aspects of the Peterborough Software (Rebus) HR package and KCS COBOL accounts package.
• Installing and completely testing re-releases of the Peterborough System.
• Fully specify and write stand alone CICS/COBOL suite for multi-user enquiry, update and calculation of BUPA contributions in a VSAM based solution. It also interfaced with the Peterborough System via CICS calls to the Peterborough Programs.
• Continual advice to users on all aspects of the Systems supported.

Produces electronic components from its factory in Kent.

Trained in IBM CICS, Peterborough Software (Rebus) and occupying a general programming role.