Ralph G. Zbrog 

I've been a computer professional since 1974, working with Software AG products since 1981.  I am available for short and long-term contracts involving project management, systems analysis, technical design, data base administration, programming, training, performance evaluation, and performance improvement.  I offer Ntural training, most notably a three-day seminar, Advanced Natural Techniques, which concentrates on improving the performance of application systems and their developers.  If you're interested, contact me.

I distribute ZZUtils, a collection of Natural utilities, through my company, LEN Consulting LLC. Take a look.  If what interests you is Natural tips and techniques, I have a Web page for that.

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Contact Information

LEN Consulting LLC
16439 Lazare Lane
Huntington Beach, CA 92649-1862
(562) 208-5470
rgzbrog@ZZUtils.com

Client List

BAX Global
Electronic Data Systems
KPMG Peat Marwick LLP
Los Angeles County
MCI Systemhouse

Summary

Extensive experience in the design, development, implementation, and support of complex applications, especially those based on the Natural/Adabas product set.  Excellent training, mentoring, and communication skills.  Results-oriented, focused on reducing development cycles and improving quality through project management and control experience, organizational skills, and technical abilities.

• performance and tuning
• training
• programming support
• system design
• technical architecture
• project management
• product installation
• data base management

Bachelor of Science, Computer Science
University of Manitoba, Canada, 1974

          Natural Programmer  (Master level)
          ADABAS Database Administrator
          Project Manager
          Written English (Master level)

Experience and Accomplishments

Cap Gemini Ernst & Young, Irvine, CA Present

Technical Specialist supporting the design, development, implementation, and enhancement of telecommunications Customer Information Systems applications at US Sprint.  Mainframe development environment based on Software AG’s Natural and Adabas. June 2000 - Present

Created a software utility to eliminate a labor-intensive and error-prone manual process of producing technical code walk-through documentation, resulting in a projected annual client saving of $1 million.

Led a team of 8 to modify 1200 application modules to use a generated client ID, completing the project two months ahead of schedule, thus avoiding the client’s projected revenue loss of $200,000, based on its estimate of a 6-month project duration.

Formed a technical quality assurance group, initiated QA processes, and implemented a training curriculum, creating and presenting technical courses, such as a Natural boot camp for mainframe developers.  This improved the productivity and quality of a relatively inexperienced staff, and substantially increased client satisfaction.

Strengthened the integration between Natural and COBOL by creating utilities to convert COBOL copybooks to Natural data areas and vice versa, improving developer productivity by eliminating manual processes without incurring system and maintenance overhead associated with the existing procedures.

Specifically requested by client to support the ADABAS Change Extract system, requiring a high level of technical knowledge in the areas of ADABAS, TRIM, protection logs, JCL, and scheduling, allowing 4 client employees to be re-deployed to strategic applications.

Project Manager, supporting the design, development, implementation, and enhancement of e-commerce web sites for multiple, concurrent clients.  Development environment based on IBM’s Websphere Commerce Suite and Websphere Commerce Suite Service Provider Editions.  January 2000 - May 2000

Brought maturity and stability to bear on e-commerce projects developed by inexperienced staff, by initiating standard processes and procedures which reduced the volume of bug fixes, allowing developers to concentrate on new development, simultaneously improving corporate profitability and client satisfaction.

Technical Consultant to BAX Global, supporting the operation and enhancement of their US Freight Imports, Linehaul Management, and Freight Manifesting systems.  July 1997 - September 1999
 
• Implemented enhancements to Line-haul Management and Freight Manifesting systems to improve customer satisfaction and expand revenue streams, resulting in streamlined operations and improved profitability.
• Implemented system enhancements to integrate Import and Export operations, resulting in streamlined processes and increased revenues.


Consultant to MCI Systemhouse, providing technical recommendations to a team planning the propagation of MVS/ADABAS data to a Unix/Oracle platform.  August 1998

Data Analyst for KPMG Peat Marwick LLP, assisting their millenium team in a Year 2000 impact analysis for a global distribution company.  June 1997

Technical Consultant to Electronic Data Systems Corporation, supporting the operation of the GAIN Employment Activity and Reporting System (GEARS) for the County of Los Angeles, Department of Public Social Services, running in an ADABAS/Natural mainframe environment, supporting over 550 online users.  April 1994 - September 1997
 
• Through redesign, reduced the run time of numerous batch processes by up to 80%,  improving the availability of on-line systems, and guaranteeing the on-time delivery of month-end reports.
• Supplemented vendor staff, providing fixed-price cost estimates for design and development of client enhancements, satisfying client’s goal of budgeted staff hours while remaining within vendor’s profit margin.
• Mentored staff of 12 Natural developers and Adabas DBAs, reducing reliance on off-site support staff.
• Created an implementation plan for Year 2000 compliance.


Technical Consultant to the County of Los Angeles, California, Information Technology Service.  Supported several application teams maintaining subsystems within the Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS): Adult Probation System (APS), Defense Management System (DMS), and Own Recognizance Management System (ORMS).  ADABAS/Natural mainframe environment.  October 1992 - August 1994
 

• Redesigned and rewrote an Adabas user charge-back report, reducing cost from $2,000 per week to $68 ($100,000 annual saving).
• Created a fault-tolerant Natural Connection script, requiring no user intervention, to replace an error-prone daily download process which required excessive user monitoring, allowing user to concentrate on strategic tasks.
• Created and presented a 3-day training class on Adabas and Natural, improving developer productivity.

Senior Technical Architect/Project Manager, supporting the operation and enhancement of the GEARS application on behalf of the County of Los Angeles.  ADABAS/Natural mainframe environment.  September 1991 - October 1992
 
• Concurrent project manager for a staff of seven, data base administrator (ADABAS), and technical architect (Natural), managing and prioritizing user requests, performing staff reviews, training technical staff, and writing SAS reports to track system and hardware outages.
• Through the redesign of batch processes, reduced nightly run time by 4 hours and monthly run time by 30 hours, substantially reducing operating costs.


Data Analyst, supporting the migration of an IDMS-based parts distribution system to CICS/Telon/DB2 for Marshall Industries, El Monte, CA.  March 1991 - August 1991

Senior Technical Architect, developing and implementing the County-Wide Timekeeping and Payroll Personnel System (CWTAPPS) for the County of Los Angeles.  Development team of ten; mainframe ADABAS/Natural. January 1990 - February 1991
 

• Assumed technical leadership in the development and implementation of the floundering and over-budget County-Wide Timekeeping and Payroll Personnel System (CWTAPPS) project, cutting losses and completing it to users’ satisfaction.


Technical Architect, providing technical leadership to application teams in the development and implementation of several Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) applications for the County of Los Angeles.  .  July 1988 - December 1989
 

• Contributed to the development of a mainframe system development environment, enforcing standards and improving developer productivity on all Natural/ADABAS projects.

Staff Consultant, providing project and technical leadership to several teams  implementing a parts distribution system, under mainframe ADABAS/Natural, at Nissan Motor Corp.

• Improved productivity of inexperienced developers by creating model Natural programs for use as templates.

• Conceived, designed and developed an on-line help subsystem for the Nissan Motor Parts System, interfacing the mainframe application with documentation residing on a mid-range IBM platform, reducing the end-user training effort and improving user satisfaction.

Manager, Computer Services Group (CSG), providing accounting applications under mainframe Natural/Adabas.

• To eliminate the dependence upon multiple off-site data centers which resulted in management issues and uncontrolled costs, centralized all corporate business and scientific computing by designing and overseeing construction of an in-house data center, configuring and acquiring hardware and software, recruiting and training staff, and designing and implementing a suite of accounting applications, thereby reducing computing costs, speeding application delivery, and improving user satisfaction.

        Senior Programmer/Analyst

• Designed and coded financial applications in COBOL for Air Canada.
• Implemented Computer Output Microfiche (COM) software for Air Canada Cargo.

        Systems Analyst

• Progressed from Computer Operator to Systems Analyst.  Provided customer, pre-sales, post-sales, and technical software support of NCR Computer Output Microfiche (COM) software systems in western Canada.  Supported interfaces between NCR hardware and IBM, UNIVAC, Burroughs, and Honeywell.

Project Management

• feasibility studies
• system architecture
• requirements definition
• system analysis and design
• testing and implementation
• project planning and control
• documentation and training
• disaster recovery planning
• site preparation/facilities planning

• accounts payable
• accounts receivable
• charitable contributions
• criminal justice
• fixed assets
• general ledger
• human resources
• inventory
• mass mailings
• on-line documentation/help
• parts distribution
• project control
• project costing
• satellite photo-imagery
• social services
• telecommunications
• transportation

• Software AG
• ADABAS
• Natural
• Natural OS/2
• Predict
• Natural Security
• Natural Connection
• SuperNatural
• Con-nect
• Review
• Com-plete
• Natural/AF
• IBM
• MVS
• VM/CMS
• PC-DOS
• OS/2
• TSO/ISPF
• COBOL
• 360/370 Assembler
• PL/1
• FORTRAN
• APL
• Miscellaneous
• WordPerfect Suite
• Microsoft Office
• PLEU (Computer Associates)
• TRIM
• Auditre (Treehouse)
• SAS
• Computer Output Microfiche

• Systemhouse  (SILC - Systems Integration Life Cycle)
• SILC Technical Architecture
• SILC Systems Analysis
• SILC Systems Design (trainer)
• SILC Systems Development (trainer)
• IBM
• CICS Command Level Coding
• DB2 Database Administration Workshop
• Disaster Recovery Planning
• Software AG
• Natural Advanced Techniques
• DBA Skills Workshop
• Natural Internals
• Attended International Users' Conferences in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1989, 1992
• Attended Natural Conferences in 2000, 2001
• Miscellaneous
• Essentials of Management (American Management Systems)
• Project Management (Data Processing Management Association)
• Operating System Internals (University of Manitoba)
• System Architecture (University of Manitoba)
• Taught semester of "Advanced COBOL" at community college level

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Last updated March 4, 2002, by Ralph G. Zbrog.