# John Noble – résumé, August 2022 > john\[at\]coruscade\[.\]com  |  [+61 415 658 257](tel:+61415658257)  |  [version 2304.01](https://github.com/johnnydecimal/resume/) ## Who I am My first computer was a [ZX Spectrum+][zx] and computers are all I’ve ever known. I was always destined to be a data nerd: the first programs I wrote were databases cataloguing the contents of my room[^tape]. You may know me on the internet as **[Johnny.Decimal][jd]**. My system is recognised as one of the foremost [PKM][pkm] methodologies. It was invented out of a common frustration: messy file systems. It winds me up when I see people wasting time because they don’t know where things are. Originally British, I moved to Australia by accident in 2003. I’ve worked all over the world: Colombia, Nigeria, Ukraine; I’ve been evacuated from war zones and met Prime Ministers. I received an award for bravery from the UK’s Royal Humane Society. I’m flexible, inventive, and calm in a crisis. I live in Canberra. ## Where I’ve worked > As of October 2022 I have a new job. I'll update this section at some point (i.e. when I need the *next* job). Since **2015** I have worked at **Leidos** (formerly **Lockheed Martin**). I am currently **Head of Data & Interfaces** within the team that manages the **Department of Defence Centralised Processing (CP)** contract. My team’s role is to find ways to optimise our data, and the interfaces between the systems that store it. Most recently we dissected the business processes by which we plan, procure, and install data centre hardware. We did this using **[formal state charts][wikisc]**, and built a mock database and PMP-inspired project management tool using **[Airtable][at]**. Before that I was a **business process architect** on our **ATO** account, where I designed the process that became the ‘software factory’. Developing a state machine directly in **TypeScript** using the **[XState][xstate]** library enabled the Jira team to implement our custom instance in half a day. The software team refreshed hundreds of applications, on schedule. In 2018 I **developed a custom module in ServiceNow** and ingested, from unstructured data in MS Word[^word], thousands of pages of the CP contract. The module allows linking of work packages to specific contract line items, supporting continuous improvement projects. I started as the **technical project manager** for the deployment of data centre hardware to support the CP platform. We built and executed a detailed schedule and delivered on time. We passed our physical audits for the first time thanks to my processes and attention to detail. I racked and patched many of the data centres myself, including those in the UK, USA, and Malaysia. I know my way around your typical **three-tier data centre infrastructure** (Cisco, NetApp) and have experience with **HCI architecture** (Nutanix) as part of a recent refresh programme. While I *could* find my way around a Microsoft or VMware console, it’s been more than a decade since I held an admin account and it probably wouldn’t be a good idea to give me one. My skills are now best used managing the teams who do that sort of thing. ### Before Leidos From **2011-2014** I worked in **service delivery** for **IBM** in **Bangalore, India**. IBM won the **NAB support contract** from Telstra and had offshored many of the functions. They approached me directly for help as the contract wasn’t going well. Previously I had **coached the 1st-level support desk** in Ballarat, VIC. I had written many of the knowledge base articles that the staff were using, and had an intimate knowledge of the environment and the behaviour of its users. In **2010** I worked outside IT for the first time as a **contemporary dance producer**. We started a company to handle all commercial production: venue booking, marketing, ticketing, and personnel. The production—[Suite Synergy][ss]—was created by Graeme Murphy and debuted at Melbourne’s State Theatre to a sold-out crowd before touring to Sydney’s Star City. From **2006-2010** I was in the **National Australia Bank** above-the-line **3rd-level infrastructure** team. We built, and then managed, the new XP/2003 platform. While at the NAB I **managed the 2nd-level desktop support team**, which introduced me to **ITIL** and gave me my love of solid business process. Prior to that I worked as a **technical consultant** for the **Department of Justice Victoria** and for a small consulting firm in Melbourne. ### Before Australia Before I left the UK I had deployed systems overseas (back when you took the CD-ROM with you) for the **British Council**, **EDS**, and **Xerox**. I started a **BSc in Computer Science** at the **University of York**. But my third year was in industry working for Xerox and I was enticed away from returning to uni by a job offer in Düsseldorf. Which was just as well, because I had failed my second year and they had kicked me out. ## Miscellanea I enjoy teaching, and have created an online course with my partner. In [Learn with Lucy][lwl], I teach her how to use MS Excel. To support Johnny.Decimal, I taught myself TypeScript and React. I maintain my own Linux servers. I prefer a command line to a mouse. These extracurricular endeavours take time, which is why I am available to you for **four days a week**, those days being **Tuesday to Friday**. I really dislike Microsoft products and am vastly more productive on a Mac. I have thoughts on how Microsoft has ruined modern productivity, but we’re running out of space. Ask me when we meet. [at]: https://airtable.com [jd]: https://johnnydecimal.com [lwl]: https://www.learnwithlucy.rocks/courses/excel [pkm]: https://www.reddit.com/r/PKMS/comments/nfef59/list_of_personal_knowledge_management_systems/ [ss]: https://www.broadsheet.com.au/melbourne/event/suite-synergy [wikisc]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_diagram#Harel_statechart [xstate]: https://xstate.js.org/docs/ [zx]: http://www.retro8bitcomputers.co.uk/Sinclair/ZXSpectrumPlus [^tape]: Mostly Cyndi Lauper cassette tapes. [^word]: There are few things I can legitimately claim to hate. MS Word tops the list.