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Letter of Recommendation from Marthinus Botha
1. Technical Abilities
Applicant’s Name: Greg Steele
Company: Woolworths, Ltd. - Australia
Estimated Time Period: 04/01/08 - 22/12/08
Your title: Marthinus Botha, V.P. Global Financial Service (GFS)
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Please Elaborate
Quality:
How was their Quality of work?
What made it high/low?
Was their work turned in correct the first time?
The work quality was great, but due to customer requirements
change(s), some tasks had to be redone. Greg’s strength is his
personality, leadership abilities and willingness to adapt to change.
The quality of his workmanship was always top-notch.
Quantity:
Were they able to meet set timelines/deadlines?
Greg always met his deadlines - even if change was required –
considering he managed the Operations Staff and performed
NonStop SME roles concurrently (and, seemingly, with ease).
Initiative:
What did they do to show initiative? Did they take
the tough projects? Did they have to be told or did
they pursue additional work?
Did they present new ideas?
The company is very strict in the phase of constructing to the
detailed design and does not cater for initiatives. Greg did show
leadership when the project turned tough, and took charge of the
project – mainly on the subject of backup strategy with new ideas
and scripting skills. He also led in the development of new
QA/Test and Operations teams while performing his assigned
tasks. We still use the Procedural runbook he created for the
Operations Analysts.
Cooperation:
Can you tell me how they interacted with everyone
(team and management)?
What was their role on the team (lead or individual
contributor)?
His role was technical lead (SME) for two new NONSTOP active-
active mission-critical servers – onsite in Bella Vista, NSW and
Parramatta, NSW. There were some disagreements between
Greg and the Supplier (HP) on equipment sold and supplied
(Thanks, Greg). His working relationship here was great and we
still miss him.
Ability:
Please rank their ability (according to the req.)
What level were they at when hired and what
did they leave at?
He does rank well against the other NonStop engineers on site,
and started with high level of expertise, but left with Australian
accent. Greg’s role was HP NonStop SME #1 (of 3).
Attendance:
Did you find them to be a dependable person?
If not, explain.
What was their work schedule?
Were they willing to put in extra hours?
Yes, I don’t believe Greg missed a single day. He put in a lot of
extra hours as a result of customer change(s) in requirements. He
was very dependable and worked from 8 am to 6 pm or longer,
including many nights and weekends, in order to complete the
project on-time.