kbell

Drupal

Drupal contributions

I participate on IRC (most often on the general channel and the UI and Consultant channels as well, and often check in on the themer channel as well), answer (and ask) questions in Groups, and am a co-maintainer of the new GoogleWave module.

In my position as Director of Digital Strategy for Melity Consulting, I consult with C-level executives about technical solutions for their business needs, present a recommendations portfolio and then execute on those recommendations. I almost always manage (with a very high level of technical involvement) these projects myself. Drupal is my Swiss Army Knife of Choice, and I manage small- to -medium-sized teams of developers and designers to accomplish these goals, usually in a virtual team environment. These highly-skilled professionals are people with whom I've perfected a rock-solid working relationship over several years and many successful projects, and who are equally dedicated to contributing to the Open Source community.

My process is atypical compared to most PMs. Like other PMs, I write all the business requirements and analysis docs (if any) as well as any technical/architecture documentation, and work with all stakeholders to obtain buy-in. Unlike most PMs however, I usually execute the UX (prototypes, wireframes, IA and user testing) and early graphic design myself, bringing in other team members as needed. I also usually do all the "webmastering" -- environment setup, Drupal Core and contrib installs and configs, server scripts and initial themeing, relying on additional team members to polish or contribute various custom aspects as needed. I love Drupal. While I am in theory and mostly in practice tool-agnostic in my recommendations, Drupal has caused me to break this rule - I am really a stone cold evangelist when it comes to Drupal. When something else comes along to knock it off its pedestal for me, I'll change my mind, but until that happens (and I don't think it will be soon, after playing with my D7 dev install), I'm Drupal's biggest fan.

I bring all this up only because working with Drupal has actually enabled this process, as I am able to basically use Drupal itself as a wireframing and prototyping system in early days, exploring technical solutions at at a point in the project inconceivable in any other environment. This whole process allows for maximum flexibility and for highly effective production schedules; also minimum risk of last-minute nasty surprises.

I build a lot of Community and Social Networking sites, and am always looking to the future to see what kinds of nifty new integration opportunities are coming; what new technologies are emerging. I am always looking for opportunities to help companies realize their vision by utilizing Drupal to its fullest potential and to break new ground in functionality, elegance and user experience while employing best practices and standards wherever practical and useful.

Recent sites:
http://www.healthcaregoesmobile.com
http://www.bulldogsolutions.com
http://www.brittanylundpark.com
http://www.giftandhomechannel.com
http://www.ercot.com
http://nodal.ercot.com

I contributed Drupal documentation

I provide Drupal-related services

I help in the Drupal support forums

I give support on IRC

Work

Job title

Director of Digital Strategy, Melity Consulting, NYC

Industries worked in

digital strategy, cause marketing, online community development, healthcare, BtoB, BtoC, marketing, advertising, IT, financial services, nonprofit

Companies worked for

Melity Consulting, Practice Consulting, Retailer Networks, Gift and Home Channel, Bulldog Solutions, ERCOT, KPMG Consulting, Apple Computer, Chariot Communications, Interrobang! Productions, Dark Horse Comics, Visa, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley, American College of Rheumatology, University of Washington, Target, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M), Pfizer, Norwest Bank, Gardenburger

Personal information

Full name

Kelly Bell

Languages spoken

English

My Drupal site

http://www.healthcaregoesmobile.com

Interests

Drupal 7, Drupal 6, Google Wave, integration, mashups, user experience, interaction design, happy users, books, film, music, social networking, information architecture, Google API, rich internet appliations, usability testing, simpletest

Gender

female

Country

United States

IRC nick

kbell

History

Member for

1 year 27 weeks