Curriculum vitae

 

Proposed role in the project: Database expert

 

1.     Family name:               Weir

2.     First names:                  Alexander

3.     Date of birth:                 4 January 1949

4.     Nationality:                    UK

5.     Civil status:                   Married

6.     Education:    

Institution (Date from - Date to)

Degree(s) or Diploma(s) obtained:

University Edinburgh GB, 1970–1972

Mphil–Appropriate Technologies for Less Developed Countries (1979)

UMIST Manchester GB–1967–1970

BSc (Hons 2.1) Mechanical Engineering

 

7.     Language skills:  Indicate competence on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 - excellent; 5 - basic)

Language

Reading

Speaking

Writing

English

1

1

1

French

2

2

2

German

2

2

2

Russian

5

5

5

Swahili

5

5

5

 

8.     Membership of professional bodies: none

 

9.     Other skills:  (e.g. Computer literacy, etc.): Programmer, Expert data base, Expert Programming, System Architect, Management Consultant, Mechanical Engineer. 20 years of experience database, front-end and web programming.

 

10.   Present position:          Freelance IT expert

 

11.    Years within the firm: 20 years

 

12.    Key qualifications:  (Relevant to the project):

 

Resident in Zimbabwe, Contract Computer Software Developer, Senior Analyst/ Programmer, Business Analyst, Systems Analyst.  Also Mechanical Engineering, Agricultural Engineering, Industrial Management, Education (University Lecturer), Training, Sales, Export Promotion and Management Consultancy experience.  Experience in both Public and Private Sector, in UK, Europe, Eastern Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia, and South America (I have worked in 19 countries).

 

In Computer Software, I specialise in very high-quality and very high-speed building of greenfield systems or debugging, maintaining and fixing of existing systems, regardless of their original build quality. Rapid learner, intuitive grasp of new tools and technology.

 

Expert in all kinds of software system design, development, programming, installation, training, business and systems analysis. Several projects designing and creating MIS (Management Information Systems)

 

13.    Specific experience in the region:

Country

Date from - Date to

Zimbabwe

Since 1992

Guinea Conakry

06 – 12/2007

Kenya

02 – 03/2007

Tunisia

11/2004 – 03/2005

Uganda

09/2003 – 06/2004, 04/2004 – 06/2005

Rwanda

10/2000, 11 – 12/2003, 02, 07/2004

Tanzania

09 – 10/1994


14.   Professional experience

Date from – Date to

Location

Company

Position

Description

03-07/2009

Gaborone, Botswana

EC/Danish Management Group

Team Leader and Software Developer

Oracle 10g and ASP.NET (C#) – Design, build, install, train an online web database system for coordination of Donors and Recipient Government (Botswana).  A Management Information System with Tabular and Graphic reporting and many advanced features. Done to high quality in record time to tight deadlines.  Incorporated into the Project the creation of a Program Generator in the mould of Ironspeed or CodeCharge.  Referee: Vincent Vire, European Commission, Gaborone. Vincent.vire@ec.europa.eu

 

 

06 – 12/2007

Conakry, Guinea

Rio Tinto Iron Ore

SQL Database Programmer

ASP.NET 2.0 (C#), Sql Server 2000.  Business analysis, systems analysis, database design, programming, and configuration - creating web database systems for use on 2-3 sites with relatively low bandwidth and slow response times – Health and Safety database, Employee Database, Flights control database, Capital Expenditure Authorization and Monitoring System (Capex), plus design of an Integrated Purchasing and Stock Control System (IPIS). Created and used innovative techniques to enhance standard Microsoft capability to produce RAD Applications.  Refereee: Adriaan Riksen - adriaan.riksen@gmail.com and Gustavo Gomez (gus.gomes@riotinto.com)

02 – 03/2007

Nairobi, Kenya

www.prideafrica.com

System Analyst and Programmer

Designing and building system for mobile phone structured sms interaction with robot system for management of 20,000 small scale farmers growing sunflower in Western Kenya. Sms gateway, interface with e-banking systems. In Postgresql functions pglsql torun under Linux with Java front-end (note that Postgressql functions programming is very much l ike Oracle). Referee – Jonathan Campaign, Prideafrica.com - jfc@prideafrica.com

07 – 09/2005

Baghdad, Iraq

IFES, Washington DC, USA

Database Adviser

Control the migration of the SQL data base Server 2000 from Austria to Iraq, cleaning of data, printing of the Register of the Voting. In charge of IT component of Voter Registration Exercise August 2005. Programming in Visual Basic 6, C # and Sql Server 2000. Referee- Darren Nance, IFES - darren@nance.net

04 – 12/2005

Vilnius, Lithuania

Icon, Cologne, Germany

IT Expert

Consultancy  for program of electronic Questionnaires, automation of statistical processes.  EU Project – referee – Barbara Schott, Icon - barbara.schott@icon-institute.de

11/2004 – 03/2005

Tunis, Tunisia

Icon, Cologne, Germany

Programmer

Automation of the Processes of data capture from insurance companies. Sql Server 2000 with Visual Basic 6. EU Project. MIS System to assist insurance sector regulatory body – automation of data capture, ETL, RDBMS data storage, automatic reporting to HTML reporting files.  Sole programmer with 80% role in system architecture and design. System in VB6 with Sql Server 2000 Database, IIS Intranet, VPN network. Trilingual System - Data storage, display and input in Arabic script, French and English. Referee: Mike Pfister - pfistermike@hotmail.com

09/2003 – 06/2004

Kampala, Uganda

Petroleum Development Consultants, London

Analyst - programmer

Conception and design of a Management Information System (MIS) for the oil sector of Uganda. In Visual Basic 6 with Access Database. World Bank Project. An MIS system with 6 business areas; among other work, created innovative database-driven automatic charting system, with  automatic production of 250+ dynamic MIS Charts and 350+ reports. Referee – David Aron, PDC - davidaron@pdc.uk.com

08 – 10/2004

Zimbabwe

Cyberplex

 Consultant

Business and Technical Advice to the leading Zimbabwean Web Design, Web Database and E-Commerce Company

07/2004

Kigali, Rwanda

Alphasoft srl, Kigali,

Analyst - programmer

Design of Medical Insurance System for Rwanda Military

02/2004

Kigali, Rwanda

Alphasoft srl, Kigali,

Analyst - programmer

Conception and design of a system for Sql Server 2000 to avoid ‘insider fraud ' with the data base for the Military Savings Bank of Rwanda.

05/2004

Zimbabwe

Iplex Technologies

IT Consultant

Developed tool for automatic production of screens from underlying database, plus database table-driven screen positions, labels etc..  Used for a PC Maintenance system in VB6 and Access database. Technique can be used equally easily with SQL Server, Oracle etc

11 – 12/2003

Kigali, Rwanda

USAID/IESC/Geekcorps USA

Trainer and Programmer

Creation of a GUI interface for the Rwandan electoral database, and teaching of programming in VB6 and Sql Server 2000 to 3 officers of the Commission National Electoral Rwanda. In 6 weeks built complete system in VB6 and Sql Server 2000, with 500k Stored procedures, 200k VB classes, and 200k VB forms, 31 menu options plus 45 reports. System has many smart features, including DTP-standard printing and instant user-controlled reporting without programming. 

10/2003

UK

Unisys Milton Keynes

Contract Operator

Global PC Discovery Project. In addition to normal operational duties, conceived, programmed and implemented reporting system in VB6 and Access Database on progress of discovery activities. 

12/2002 – 01/2003

Chamonix, France

UptoYou.com

Analyst - programmer

Programming ASP 3.0, VB6 and Sql Server 2000 for an on-line system of booking for the ski industry.

01 – 05/2001

Copenhagen, Denmark

Maersk Sealand

Technical Architect

MIS design and creation.  Conception, design and programming of a global system for the intranet reporting of 8 mainframe exception reports for Maersk Sealand. Complete in 17 weeks, in spite of several complications. In VB6 with Oracle 8 (Windows). Extensive use of PL/SQL Stored Procedures

11 – 12/2000

Belgium

Telecom Company

Analyst – programmer

Work on the construction of system (SQL Server 6.5 on Dec Alpha) with VB6 programs. Some development work involved in the porting of data to a Sybase system and in MIS reporting

10/2000

Kigali, Rwanda

Empower Dynamics Consulting

Programming Consultant

DFID (UK Government) programme “Rwandese Government Integrated Payroll and Human Relations System Project”: assessing competence of system under construction, recommending improvements in programming techniques, and supplying and working in of sample code segments. VB6 and Sql Server 7

01 – 07/2000

Germany

Compaq computers

Analyst – programmer

VB6 and Sql Server 6.5, Client/Server. Programming of NT - Admin-type system for the diffusion of 55 Applications comprising 2.5 gigabytes on 130 servers on the whole of Compaq Europe, of Middle East and Africa which in turn feed applications to 20000 desktop PCs. Operational methodology remodelled to reduce to the minimum the required bandwidth. Extended use of fault-tolerant and OOD programming techniques to produce an industrial – strength application.

10/1999 – 01/2000

Zimbabwe

Home office in Zimbabwe

 

Development of programming tools and self-training. The main production was a version advanced from VB6 Wizard using disconnected ADO appropriate for a fast prototype system and the construction of Server Sql, Oracle or Access Client/Server or Multi - Tier System. Selective display of menu items, sorting, filters, obligatory fields, automatic totals, etc… - all strictly OOD–a true Access - Beater.  Additionally, migrated a few old system of Clipper programming language to Visual Basic with Sql Server

07 – 09/1999

Germany

RWE/Mitoc Consulting

Analyst - programmer

VB6 & Sql Server 7 - Data Warehousing project thru German Consulting Firm (RWE/Mitoc) for the client, an international telecoms company.  Importing data to 50 Sql Server 7 tables and 44 shadow tables from 3 families of 45 different data format text files, exports from 3 different computer systems (Ingres and Oracle).  Formats were too complex for use of simple Sql Server DTS methods.  Complete with audit trail triggers for update and delete. Set up for weekly/periodic incremental imports.  Automatic allocation of industry sector to 70% of companies by automatic processing of company name.  Part of a 3 man team, other team members handling reporting and editing using Access 97 with the Sql Server tables.  Done in 490 man-hours over 9 weeks to tight deadlines.  3.5 Meg VB6 Code, including 75 classes; 3.3 Meg Sql Script; extensive use of server side stored procedures, OOD, automatic code generation, error trapping and logging, and thin client techniques. Working Language – German.

01 – 03/1999

Germany

DASA (Daimler Chrysler Aerospace)

Analyst - programmer

VB6, Sql Server 7, VB5, Oracle 8 (under Unix), ADO and RDO for DASA (Daimler Chrysler Aerospace) Munich Germany. Working in team of one permanent programmer plus 2 contractors to produce some modules for an EDI system (Interchange of Data Electronic) to automate data interchange with their suppliers. Use of automatic email and automatic FTP. Use of Sybase Data Architect.  Working Language – German.

08 - 10/1998

Frankfurt/Darmstadt Germany

Cambridge Technology Partners Inc

Analyst/Programmer (A/P)

VB5, ADO, Access database. Working as part of a team of 8 perm + 4 temp programmers producing a business system for Deutsche Post with 100 screens for the selling of Financial Products in 1300 branches throughout Germany.  With 3-tier architecture, an Oracle backend and utilsing ICL Riposte middleware.  Heavily OOD with 60 Active X dll’s.   In a QA environment with coding standard adherence

02 – 07/1998

Netherlands

Digital/Compaq Nimegen Netherlands

Analyst - programmer

A/P VB5, RDO, server 6.5 of SQL for Digital/Compaq. To replace a RDB system on the DEC Vax. Utilized client-server Architecture with extensive use of OOD and VB Classes, and also a high use of the Thin Client techniques - namely Server-side Stored Procedures, called with parameters passed by VB5 RDO, to provide the solidity, reliability and high data throughput.

Use of SQL Server 6.5, MAPI, VB5, RDO, MS Exchange, and Access local Database.

01/1998

Zimbabwe

Adore Gold Harare Zimbabwe

Analyst – programmer

To replace the original system writes in COBOL. In VB5 with Access Database. Project including the import of information.

10 – 12/1997

Belgium

LANT NV, LEUVEN, Belgium

Analyst - programmer

A/P VB5, RDO, ACCESS DATABASE. Maintenance and improvement of the existing VB5/Access database application.

10/1997

Zimbabwe

Trustserve Software

Analyst - programmer

A/P VB5 ENTERPRISE, RDO, MS SQL SERVER 6.5

09/1997

Harare Zimbabwe

Adore Gold

Analyst - programmer

Designed and created a system in VB5, DAO, Access Database for management of 1300 savings accounts for a Building Society Operation

08/1997

Zimbabwe

Mashonaland Holding companies

Analyst - programmer

A/P with Mashonaland Holding companies, Harare Zimbabwe - VB5 Enterprise, RDO, MS SQL Server 6.5, Win - CGI VB routines - project of Internet data base (Reilly Website) for the sale of the electric motors. Wrote 4 VB modules and documented - Internet exe, control panel, sales module, and exe for the automatic import of data from Tetra (a Unix system)

06 – 08/1997

Harare Zimbabwe

Software Associates

Analyst - programmer

VB5 Enterprise, RDO, SQL Server 6.5 job creating automated search system for credit checking of individuals and companies.  I was technical team leader of 3 other programmers.  Wrote most of programs for searching, data entry and for the data translation of very dirty data from an existing Database system. Created innovative search algorithms using fuzzy logic and soundalike technology.  Technically a very interesting project

12/1996

Zimbabwe

Andrew Cranswick Ltd / Boka Holding companies

Analyst - programmer

A  learn-and-teach project to enable a team of programmers to create a system for tobacco sales from zero while using VB4 Enterprise, RDO, MS SQL Server 6.5.

03 – 06/1997

Frankfurt Germany

Hoechst AG thru InlineKpg agency

Analyst - programmer

Internet/ VB5 Enterprise , RDO, SQL Server 6.5, Macrofirm IdleYIsapi dll's for Microsoft Internet Server (IIS), Microsoft Index Server (MIS) - a text search internet project with Web Database logon and client billing incorporated. Had not worked with Microsoft Index Server or IdleYIsapi prior to this project. I completed the work inside 8 weeks, including business analysis

02/1997

Florida USA

Private

Analyst - programmer

Private project with a programmer colleague - Web Database creation.  Did literature search (web, textbooks, magazines), considered Cold Fusion, Visual Interdev, installed and tested Intrabuilder and Website Plus, finally, because packages gave insufficient power, wrote generic windows CGI program in Visual Basic to interact with any backend system (e.g. VB, Delphi, or any other Windows language) on any Windows NT  Server or Workstation with Website+ installed

12/1996

Harare Zimbabwe

Archangel Systems

 

Learn and teach project to enable programming team to build Tobacco Sales System from scratch using VB4 Enterprise, RDO, MS SQL Server 6.5.  Did literature search, studied 2 books on the techniques available, set up examples using RDO (Remote Data Objects) technique and Stored Procedures to effect add, modify, view and delete records in the various tables on SQL Server.  Designed sample tables.  Conducted training course and produced video for later reference.

09 – 12/1996

Harare Zimbabwe

Samara Systems

 

Design and build automated internet email search database system for identification of products and services, with searching and data updating done through standard-format emails.  In Delphi ver 1 and Visual Basic 3.  3 modules were built - email pop3 and smtp module utilising Devsoft Delphi dll's; database search and maintenance module in Delphi with Paradox 5 tables; plus a VB3 DDE module to drive Delrina Winfax Pro fax server.

09 – 10/1994

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Carl Bros/Danagro, Copenhagen

Systems Analyst

World Bank/African Development Bank - Tanzania Livestock Marketing Project. To improve physical data capture techniques, computer data capture, data processing and reporting for 3 major and additional cattle markets throughout Tanzania, in order to give cattle buyers and sellers better information on which to base their decision-making. Inherited 2 disparate systems in Lotus Symphony and Enable. Converted 5 years' data from 3 sites from spreadsheets and disconnected databases into a single database system in Clipper 87; analysed data using Harvard Graphics 2.3.  Discovered that despite daily and seasonal variations, prices and weights could be well correlated by a log-log relationship; wrote software to process best-fit, reporting, and storage; made extensive practical recommendations to reduce sample sizes required, increase accuracy, and present data in understandable format

03 – 07/1993 

Frankfurt Germany

Dell Computers

Analyst/Programmer

Performed most of the programming to integrate a new remote selling operation (Dellware) utilising EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) into the existing Product Selection and Sales System.  This linked the business partner's Dec Vax system with Dell's Clipper 87 system through an IBM VAN, PCExpedite and Perwill.  Dell recalled me after my success in 1992 on another project.  In Clipper 87 multiuser

12/1991 – 02/1992

Bulawayo Zimbabwe

Belina Computers

Analyst/Programmer

Design and create a payroll package from scratch in Clarion 2.1, a language in which I had not programmed before.  Work done in 12 weeks.  I designed the data structures to be future-proofed against any and all Domain changes to the payroll processing requirements without reprogramming.  An enhanced form of that product is still in use and still on sale in 2008

02/1987 – 11/1988

Various UK

Bain & Co Management Consultants and Ambrosetti Management Consultants

Analyst/Programmer

Various temporary/freelance data entry, data analysis, programming (in Clipper 87) and graphics production jobs.  Best job was a 4 week Harvard Graphics assignment (in colour) for a major Market Research company producing 300 graphs for a US$ 0.4 million study for one of the top 10 Global Pharma Companies

 

 

15.   Other relevant information (eg, Publications): More that 50 software projects 1989 through 2009