JAMES ALAN COBBAN

Phone: +1‑226‑504‑7603
Email: webmaster@jamescobban.net
Web: www.jamescobban.net
Linkedin: james alan cobban
GitHub: jcobban

911-500 Springbank Dr
London, ON, CANADA
N6J 4G6

 

OBJECTIVE

I am looking for an opportunity in software or application development, particularly as a project leader. My unique talents are for the rapid collection of relevant information leading to analysis and design of complex systems and products.

 

GENERAL SKILLS

TECHNICAL SKILLS

SELECTED ACHIEVEMENTS

Led major communications software product development projects for Nortel. Products delivered on time and within budget while designed for easy evolution.

Led project to define management and service delivery architecture for new product line for Nortel. This product line became the basis for all new data communications products.

Created and oversaw implementation of a major application system at Centennial College. Clear design avoided costly duplication of effort and facilitated a major product migration.

Developed operational support tools for complex data communications networks at Datacrown.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Self-Employed

  • Institute of Canadian Studies at the University of Ottawa project to transcribe the 1881 census of Canada.
  • National Archives of Canada/Ontario Genealogical Society joint project to transcribe the 1901 census. This included giving a presentation at Government on the Net on P3.
  • Phoenix Ltd., implemented help documentation for new release of disaster planning software.
  • Ottawa Foyers Partage, training staff in use of office software, editing newsletter.
  • Web development and consulting for a multi-level marketing company, ZipDandy, focusing on using SMS marketing

  • Web development and consulting for non-profit organizations.

MSWord, MSExcel, MSPowerPoint

MSAccess,

WordPerfect,

HTML, DHTML, CSS, XML, Javascript,

Java, J2EE, C++, SQL, JSP, Servlets, Tomcat, Apache, Windows, Linux

Senior Architect: Nortel Networks

  • Chief designer and principle architect of the financial telecommunications product line. That product line was directly responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue for Nortel.
  • Direct interaction with customers to collect, analyze, and prioritize requirements
  • Contributed to the standardization of X.25‑Frame‑Relay inter-working and multicast on Frame‑Relay at the Frame Relay Forum.
  • Recognized in industry forums such as the IBM users' group SHARE and the APPN Implementers' Workshop (AIW, the industry forum for SNA standardization) as a significant contributor to the evolution of IBM networking. Sole person ever recognized by the AIW as Most Valuable Participant, for contributions to the specification of APPN High Performance Routing
  • Mentoring internally and on discussion groups
  • Maintained internal web site of training material on data communications and object‑oriented programming techniques
  • Two patents issued in data communications

C++, Intel Assembler,

MsWord, MsExcel, MsPowerPoint,

FrameMaker,

MsWindows,

Solaris

Project Leader: Nortel Networks

  • Leader on $11M project to deploy support for IBM financial networking
  • Leader on project to define fundamental software design for next generation product
  • Liaison to project to design hardware for next generation product

Pascal, C++, Intel Assembler, MsWindows,

IBM VM, Solaris,

Macintosh,

FrameMaker,

MsWord, GML

Software developer: Nortel Networks

  • Member of major project to deploy basic support for IBM financial networking
  • Member of project to migrate inter-bank funds transfer (SWIFT) network to X.25
  • Designed protocol to support point-of-sale access to Visa network

Pascal, Intel Assembler,

IBM VM,

GML

Software developer: Datacrown

  • Developed session manager product for VTAM, sold commercially by Datacrown and Simware. It supports secure single stage logon to applications under TSO, CICS, and IMS/DC and Sysplex load balancing. It includes extensive help and news facilities.
  • CICS application programming for an office automation product line, including creation of a relational database server
  • Developed network operations support application for VTAM to improve operator productivity.
  • Designed IBM/SNA operator procedures, operator training
  • Network Control Program (NCP) generation and VTAM configuration for first commercial SNA timesharing network in the world

IBM S/390,

MVS,

S/390 Assembler,

JCL, VTAM, NCP, NetView, CICS, IMS, S2000, M204

 

Project Leader: Centennial Community College

  • Responsible for all systems analysis, application development and telecom services.
  • Technical lead on migration of consolidated library catalogue of all community colleges from UTLAS to DOBIS
  • In charge of documentation standards
  • Contributed to ANSI standard for PL/I
  • System programming

IBM S/390, DOS/VSE, OS/VS1, OS/MFT, BTAM, CICS, DMS, IMS,

PL/I, S/370 Assembler

Application Programmer: Centennial Community College

  • Developed report generator for DL/I database, permitting end users to perform their own reports and analysis, increasing admin productivity and reducing requirement for application programmers
  • Application programmer on student registration system

IBM S/390, DOS/VSE, BTAM, CICS, DMS, IMS,

PL/I, S/370 Assembler

EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT

BSc (Mathematics) University of Toronto

Creative Writing, Seneca College

Electronic Circuit Design, Seneca College

Archaeology, University of Toronto

Modern (Demotic) Greek, University of Toronto

Classical Greek, University of Toronto

Advanced Java Programming, Algonquin College

 

PERSONAL

Language Skills: Fluent in both French and English.

Community Work:

For 14 years I have participated in prison ministry.

I have taught advanced word processing to disabled young people.

Interests:

I was editor/publisher of the newsletter of the Toronto Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) for 6 years. For some time I contributed book reviews to the Journal of the RASC. I have contributed articles to a number of newsletters of organizations, including the Ontario Genealogical Society. Also interested in archaeology, modern and classical languages, history, and theology.

For over 20 years I have been singing with various choirs including the Ottawa Choral Society, which performs major classical works, principally at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, under the direction of major conductors. Enjoy baroque music and live theatre.

Maintain good physical condition by cycling, walking and swimming.

Enjoy traveling. Adjust well to new cultures. I have visited every continent except South America and Antarctica.


PROJECT EXPERIENCE

 

Financial Telecommunications Projects

 

General Telecommunications

Database

Other Application Development