Consultant in software engineering, quality assurance, and software management.

Advice and reports can be provided on:

quality assurance
software project management and contract management
software standards
software reliability
software metrics
software safety
real time systems
embedded software
system software
requirements analysis
IT strategy studies
audits and reviews
project management
Web design
programming

summary of experience

1988 - now
Gordon Kirk Limited

Recent work includes:

member of the Audit Advisory Committee of a European agency;
projects manager in a start-up software house;
technical monitoring of a European telematics project: reviewing specifications and test strategies, and monitoring and reviewing acceptance tests;
setting up an internal web site for a company information system (including search and discussion forum features);
development of a software package for systems auditors, using Java and XML;
setting up the procedures for a company to carry out certification against BS 7799 (information security management);
reviewing the test processes for an IT department and devising an improved approach;
guidance to a government department IT team in putting systems in place to enable them to obtain ISO 9000 TickIT certification;
work for a research organisation to investigate how they could participate in the EU Framework IV Research Programme and exploit their own security research;
setting up a company to carry out accredited ISO 9000 certification;
evaluation of proposals made by bidders for software work;
monitoring of several safety-related projects for a government department;
advice as an expert witness;
requirements analysis and design of a large, multi-site, PC network;
the analysis and definition of the requirements for a unit to provide cost estimating metrics within a software company;
advice to a software company on implementing BS5750/ISO9001;
quality assurance auditing;
the definition of IT standards within a telecomms systems company;
work on software reliability and software metrics;
work on a training plan for the development staff in a service company;
a study into the scope, policy, and strategy for a company's management information system.

1971 - 1988
Logica plc

Manager of Software Engineering in Logica Space and Defence Systems Ltd. Responsible for specialist software engineering in: methods, languages, software reliability, quality assurance; standards for safety critical software, formal methods, and training.
Chairman of the Computing Services Association (CSA) Software Engineering Committee.
In 1982: Director of the Software Products Group, which developed Unix products and carried out ports of Unix for computer manufacturers. Over 25 ports were carried out, mostly of Xenix.
Between 1978 and 1981 was Manager of the Finance Division, and then of the Communications Group.
During 1977 was Manager responsible for Quality Assurance and Contracts. This was a new post within the company, to review and set up the standards used by the company for project management, quality assurance, design methods, and contracts. Culminated in Logica's being assessed for and approved to DefStan 05-21 (a precursor to BS5750 and ISO9001).
In 1975 and 1976 was Project Manager of a project for the European Space Agency being carried out by an international consortium to deliver the ground control and support software for Meteosat. The project team (of about 50 staff) was drawn from six European countries on a consortium and sub-contract basis; the work was carried out in France and Germany.
In 1974, was Personnel Manager during a period when the company's personnel policies were being developed and formulated.
During 1972, was Manager of the Basic Software Division.

1966 - 1971
CEIR Ltd (now the Scicon part of EDS-Scicon)

Worked on the Hubcap Air Defence system; later was Project Manager during the system integration and flight trials on site in Australia.
Project Leader of a Program Preparing System for a telex switching computer. The PPS was portable between OS and DOS on IBM360 series machines.

1965
Ferranti Ltd West Gorton (now part of ICL Ltd)

Programmer on the development of the Executive for the then new 1900 Series machines.

1964
Rolls Royce (Derby) Ltd

Programmer of the language processor for a machine tool control program.

education and qualifications

University of Manchester
BSc Honours Degree in Chemistry
Registered as a
Lead Software Quality Management Auditor (ie: TickIT)
by the IRCA (A014696)

examinations

Information Security Management System Auditor Conversion, 2005
PRINCE2 Foundation, 2005

affiliations

Fellow of the British Computer Society; Chartered Engineer
Chartered IT Professional

Go to a printable cv (including expert witness details).