User:Alan S Koch

Author, speaker and consultant Alan S. Koch and his company ASK Process, Inc. are celebrating 15 years of Service to the IT community. They consult with IT organizations and train IT professionals to ensure dependable, smooth, cost-effective IT Services. When IT process needs have arisen, thousands of engineers and IT managers worldwide have turned to ASK Process.

Mr. Koch’s students and clients benefit from his more than 35 years of experience, his extensive education and training, and his certifications from and affiliation with industry-leading organizations.

As founder, President and Principle Consultant of ASK Process, Inc. for over a decade, Mr. Koch helps organizations and the professionals they employ to master the processes that are central to their success. These include:

o IT Service Management (ITIL®) – Mr. Koch is a Certified ITIL Expert who has extensive experience in managing IT services, and consults with and trains for dozens of organizations who need to improve their IT Strategy, Design, Transition, Operation and Improvement processes. Mr. Koch is an ITIL Accredited Trainer, and ASK Process is an ITIL Accredited Training Provider and Exam Center.

o Software Development Methodologies (CMMI®) – Mr. Koch has decades of experience developing software and managing various components of software projects. As a Member of the Technical Staff at the Software Engineering Institute for 13 years, Mr. Koch became expert in applying the original Software CMM and the newer CMMI to the needs of software development projects in a wide variety of industries including Department of Defense contractors, banks, hospitals, and commercial software vendors.

o Agile Methodologies (Scrum, Extreme Programming) – Mr. Koch is a Certified Scrum Master and a recognized expert in the emerging field of Agile software development. He authored the book Agile Software Development: Evaluating the Methods for your Organization, and has trained and consulted with hundreds of professionals on pragmatic implementation of Agile methodologies in their unique environments.

o Software Quality (Quality Assurance, Testing and Reviews) – Mr. Koch had the unique opportunity early in his career to be a software developer in a Quality Assurance department. He became an expert in economical high-value quality techniques and is a prolific e-author and sought-after speaker at quality conferences all over the United States. He was the Keynote speaker at the Second Annual Tianjin Software Quality Conference in Tianjin China.

o Software Project Management (PMBOK®) – Mr. Koch is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) who manages his own consulting engagement using the same high-value techniques that he trains other professionals to use.

Publications

Book: o Agile Software Development: Evaluating the Methods For Your Organization, 2005, Artech House Books (The technical publishing arm of Horizon House)

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles: o The QA Catchall: How Quality Conscious Is Your Organization?, May 2007, Better Software Magazine (The Print Companion to StickyMinds.com) o TSP Can Be Building Blocks for CMMI, Mar 2005, Crosstalk Magazine (The US Department of Defense Software Journal) o The Role of Testers in Agile Methods, Jun 2005, Software Quality Professional (Journal of the American Society for Quality)

Contributing Columnist: o Configuration Management Journal, The Road to Quality (http://www.cmcrossroads.com/the-road-to-quality/) o Project Connections, Connecting with Quality (http://blog.projectconnections.com/alan_koch/) o ASK Process, Free library of all of Mr. Koch’s articles (http://www.askprocess.com/resources/resources_articles.html)

Certifications and Recognition: • ITIL Expert – The highest-level certification in IT Service Management awarded thru the UK-OGC (Office of Government Commerce) • STC Award of Merit – Awarded by the Society for Technical Communication for “Consistently meets high standards and applies technical communication principles in a highly proficient manner” • PMP (Project Management Professional) – Awarded by the Project Management Institute (PMI) • Certified Scrum Master (CSM) – Awarded by Scrum Alliance • Senior Member status – Awarded by IEEE (The Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers) “in recognition of significant contributions to the industry” • Full NSA Member – Awarded by the National Speakers Association • Certified Toast Master (CTM) – Awarded by Toastmasters International.

Education: • Master of Science, Management Science/Business Administration, University of Dayton, Dayton OH • Bachelor of Science, Mathematics/Computer Science, Edinboro College, Edinboro, PA