Alden Erickson

1103 25th Avenue SE, Puyallup, WA, 98374

alden.erickson.iii.gmail.com (253)445-9953
SUMMARY
Highly capable IT professional with 14 years experience in fast paced software d
evelopment environments. Knowledgeable with all phases of the software developm
ent and support.
KEY STRENGTHS
- Adept leader with a background of building cohesive and effective teams
- Experienced manager who effectively provides direction and guidance for teams
with diverse skill sets, personality types, and areas of expertise
- Focused and highly motivated self-starter who requires limited guidance
- Articulate communicator and facilitator who effectively interacts with end-us
ers, technical teams, and business leaders
- Strong analytical, design, and strategic planning skill set
- Highly innovative and able to "think outside the box"
- Skilled at managing vendor relationships and setting business expectations
- Consistently integrates cost/benefit and risk analysis into decision making
- Able to manage and balance multiple projects or initiatives concurrently
- Committed to customer focus and aligned to business vision
- Experienced with Agile Development, ITIL, and Lean methodologies
WORK EXPERIENCE
Weyerhaeuser, Federal Way, Washington (1996-Present)
Strategic Systems Manager (2009-2010)
Managed the development and support of diverse business critical functions inclu
ding e-business, reporting, demand planning, ELP remanufacturing optimization an
d transportation routing/tendering
- Facilitated a cross functional team of business professionals in the 3 to 5 y
ear planning of IT initiatives for the iLevel sales team
- Led initiative to develop an innovative pricing interface for quickly updatin
g system prices which captures an estimated additional $20K in revenue per day d
uring market upswings
Test Lead for SAP Enterprise Project (2008)
Successfully led team of 25 business and system testers through the process of v
alidating the SAP application from a sales center perspective
- Developed new processes and procedures for the sales center test team to insu
re testing completed on time in compressed business review cycles
- Identified, mitigated, and communicated business risks to leadership
.NET Project Lead (2007-2008)
Designed, built, and integrated a strategic optimization engine for the Wood Pro
ducts business with SAP
- Delivered a $1.2 MM optimization software program for Engineered Lumber Produ
cts on time and budget which generates superior cutting recommendations and redu
ces waste by .2% or $630K annually
- Added an intuitive user interface which allows users to review and modify opt
imization recommendations before work orders are printed
- Provided strong business representation and leadership to a senior team of so
ftware developers and architects
Application Manager (2006-2007)
Led team of 17 through all aspects of enterprise application support including d
evelopment, quality assurance, and support
- "Go-to person" for all aspects of program support and development
- Accountable for the quality of all code and hot-fix releases while apprising
business leaders of risks for impending releases
- Insured quality support for our user community while utilizing an outsourced
support model
Deployment Manager (2006)
Planned and executed deployment of 73 sites in 6 months for .NET proprietary ent
erprise business application
Infrastructure Steward (2004-2005)
Proactively led technical team to effectively manage Odyssey system performance
and high availability
- Managed capacity planning, server replacement, server monitoring, disaster re
covery and asset strategy
- Played a pivotal role in application re-design and converted application from
a heavy client to a centralized .net architecture
- Reduced server environment from 120 Wintel servers to 34, significantly lower
ing support costs
Quality Assurance Lead (2003)
Developed release migration processes, QA standards, coordinated testing resourc
es, and maintained a testing environment
Implementation / Senior Trainer (2000-2002)
Trained and deployed a new enterprise application system to 35 sites
Reporting Lead (1999-2000)
Led a team of 5 in the design and creation of 400 reports; Clarified business re
porting requirements, modeled data, and created stored procedures
User Interface Lead (1998-1999)
Responsible for creating and promoting a united GUI vision for a large enterpris
e system which included developing usability standards, performing workflow anal
ysis, and providing design advice for over 100 screens
- Designed an innovative sales order entry interface loved by users which displ
ayed real-time pricing and inventory information
Computer Based Training (1996-1997)
Developed 2 innovative CBT programs for the wood products business
Media Masters (1994-1995)
Office Manager / Computer Based Training Developer (1994-1995)
Built 3D models of pulp digesters and computer based training programs
EDUCATION
BS in Mechanical Engineering, Washington State University, WA (1993)
TEAM MEMBER FEEDBACK
The first and most important area where you have strong skills is managing and w
orking with people. You care about their safety and personal circumstances and
are willing to put yourself on the line to support them and work through those i
ssues. - Rob Laishley (IT Manufacturing Manager)
You have a great, even-tempered personality and often seem to provide a calming,
logical perspective/influence to meetings. You also have a great ability to fo
cus on the positive and look towards solving problems versus dwelling on what is
wrong. - Darcy Hagedorn (IT Architect)
Alden is a natural leader... He inspires team members through example and it is
a very effective method. - Erica Skeen (Testing Lead)
Demonstrating a caring, positive, solutions-oriented attitude during good times
and not-so-good times - Jim Schott (Director of Specialty Products & Pricing)
Your ability to think outside the box yet in a collaborative manner to develop o
ur team's mission, vision and strategy was not only enjoyable but also very effe
ctive. - Rob Laishley (IT Manufacturing Manager)
I'd like to get it on the record that Alden Erickson is the most effective busin
ess analyst I've worked with over my 18 year career.- Mel Bartels (Application A
rchitect)
Alden provides effective leadership and steers conversations in such a way that
is non-threatening but challenges you to look at a situation from a different pe
rspective. It's an ideal situation where you have complete trust and confidence
in his ability to get the job done well. - Jennifer Philp (Project Manager)
Alden always kept the value for the customer in the forefront of everything he w
as working to deliver. - Erica Skeen (Testing Lead)
Along with the natural ability to lead and communicate you are also very persona
ble and I very much enjoyed working for you. - Hunter Wingfield (Transportation
Analyst)
Alden has done a fantastic job with ELP Reman, his requirements documentation is
so well thought out that the SFS group actually uses them as a model within the
ir group... We've never once had to go back after showing the business something
and re-work the optimizers because of changing requirements. He really nailed
them spot on right from the start.- Jennifer Beres (Project Manager)
Calm demeanor, measured response even under duress. Easy going personality puts
others at ease; as a result they are honest with you! - Robin Duguid (Pricing M
anager)
When working in a group, you are a very positive contributor, able to articulate
your thinking easily AND ...You are a very good listener. You never shut peopl
e down, but rather draw them out and seek to understand their point of view. -Gr
eta Beard (Lean Manager)