Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Additional Credentials
Personal Information
Volunteer Experience
References
Timeline
Generic
Orlando Gafford

Orlando Gafford

Cypress,TX

Summary

Senior Organizational Change Management, Systems Training and Change Communication Specialist. Prosci Certified in the ADKAR method of people and organizational change leadership. Results-driven Change Manager accomplished in driving successful updates at department- or business-wide level. Expert in relevant tools and strategies to achieve targets and control risks associated with implemented changes. Decisive in planning implementations and articulate in communicating updates. Accomplished digital change management specialist with over 15 years of experience in achieving program/project efficiency, increasing change acceptance, and developing organizational change readiness strategies.

Overview

22
22
years of professional experience

Work History

Senior Change Management Consultant

Gafford Consulting
Cypress, TX
01.2015 - Current
  • As an independent IT Organizational Change Management Consultant, I work with organizations to create and deliver change and communication solutions that maximize IT project effectiveness, acceptance and return on investment.

Senior IT Change Manager

Quanta Services
Houston, TX
04.2023 - Current

IT Systems Supported: Microsoft Teams, OneStream, IPM Hyperion

  • Identified areas in need of improvement and recommended solutions for increasing efficiency.
  • Created content for training programs related to change management best practices.
  • Developed and implemented change management plans to ensure successful transition of business processes, systems, and teams.
  • Analyzed business performance data and forecasted business results for upper management.
  • Created training programs to support organizational changes involving employees' day-to-day operations.
  • Organized team activities to build camaraderie and foster pleasant workplace culture.
  • Collaborated with stakeholders to assess the impact of proposed changes across departments.
  • Conducted regular reviews of existing processes and procedures to ensure alignment with goals.
  • Designed measurement tools to track progress toward achieving desired outcomes from changes.
  • Built cohesive messaging and executed plans with consistent voice, processes and tools to achieve targets.
  • Delegated work to staff, setting priorities and goals.
  • Developed change management plans minimizing employee resistance and accelerating adoption.

Senior Change Management Consultant

Medtronic
02.2018 - 04.2023

IT Systems Supported: SAP, Salesforce.com, Financial Force, SharePoint Online, Microsoft 365 Stack, Blue Yonder, DART and SAP Hana

  • Business Supported: Enterprise (Global)
  • Stakeholder Engagement and Management
  • Recruited and trained new employees to meet job requirements.
  • Designed measurement tools to track progress toward achieving desired outcomes from changes.
  • Built relationships with key leaders throughout organization to foster a culture of collaboration.
  • Built cohesive messaging and executed plans with consistent voice, processes and tools to achieve targets.
  • Provided guidance on how to manage resistance from staff during times of transition.
  • Collaborated with cross-functional team to define features and build powerful and easy-to-use products and customer-facing workflow tools.
  • Maintained open communication with team members and stakeholders, resulting in successful project outcomes.
  • Planned and completed group projects, working smoothly with others.
  • Advised project managers on ways they can incorporate change management principles into their workflows.
  • Proposed or approved modifications to project plans.
  • Planned and delivered training sessions to improve employee effectiveness and address areas of weakness.
  • Provided guidance on creating an environment where people are motivated by the benefits of change rather than resisting it.
  • Role Mapping and End User Readiness
  • Created content for training programs related to change management best practices.
  • Interviewed prospective employees and provided input to HR on hiring decisions.
  • Developed and implemented change management plans to ensure successful transition of business processes, systems, and teams.
  • Created training programs to support organizational changes involving employees' day-to-day operations.
  • Organized team activities to build camaraderie and foster pleasant workplace culture.
  • Communication Planning
  • SharePoint Site Development
  • Leadership Engagement and Communications
  • Training Planning and Development
  • Change Impacts, Readiness Assessment and Mitigation Strategy
  • Identified areas in need of improvement and recommended solutions for increasing efficiency.

Organizational Change Manager

Cargill
07.2017 - 02.2018

IT Systems Supported: Salesforce.com and CPQ

  • Business Supported: Sales and Pricing
  • Sponsor Roadmap
  • Communication and Marketing Plan
  • Training Plan
  • Training Development (WalkMe and uPerform)
  • Integrated Change Plan and Activities with Existing Project Plans
  • Resistance Assessment and Mitigation Plan
  • Coached/Taught ADKAR framework to select stakeholders
  • Conducted stakeholder analysis to identify key influencers, assess their impact on the change process, and develop tailored strategies for each group.
  • Provided guidance on how best to handle resistance or pushback from stakeholders regarding proposed changes.
  • Created training programs to support organizational changes involving employees' day-to-day operations.
  • Developed metrics to measure effectiveness of organizational changes.

Organizational Change Manager

Vivint Smart Home
03.2016 - 07.2017

IT Systems Supported: SAP Hana

  • Business Supported: Supply Chain, and Finance
  • Stakeholder Analysis
  • Change Management Assessment, Plan and Execution
  • Risk and Resistance Assessment and Mitigation Plan/Execution
  • Training Plan, Training Development, and Execution (uPerform and Articulate)
  • Communication Plan and Execution
  • Provided coaching and training sessions on how to effectively manage change within the organization.
  • Delegated work to staff, setting priorities and goals.
  • Change Activity Project Plan with Benchmarks and Dependencies
  • Analyzed data from surveys and focus groups to understand employees' attitudes towards changes being made in the organization.
  • Monitored progress of the change initiative through regular meetings and check-ins with stakeholders.
  • Created communication plans to ensure stakeholders were informed of changes throughout the process.

Change Analyst

Johnson Controls
06.2015 - 03.2016

IT Systems Supported: SAP R/3 and Salesforce.com

  • Business Supported: Organization
  • Project Release Lead
  • Developed and Delivered Training
  • Managed Off Shore Creation of Training (Articulate, Captivate)
  • Risk Assessments
  • Communication Plan, Communication Standards, and Communication Archives
  • Sponsor Roadmap and Executive Summaries
  • Stakeholder Prioritization and Coaching
  • Coordinated user acceptance testing of new systems and software prior to deployment.
  • Provided consultation on the design and implementation of organizational change initiatives.
  • Developed change management plans and tracked progress against implementation goals.
  • Assessed employees through on-site observation and interviews to determine strengths and weaknesses in work performance, methods and team functions.
  • Managed training in regards to staff development, change management and technical operations and controls.

Organizational Learning and Change Manager

W.W. Grainger, Inc
Lake Forest, IL
01.2008 - 01.2015
  • Led change management activities for three major organizational change projects within the Human Resources organization
  • (Risk Assessment, Sponsor Roadmap, Communication Planning, Training Development, Resistance Mitigation Plan) Used ADKAR (Prosci) framework to plan and implement change initiatives
  • Led Organization Trainers in U.S., Canada, and Mexico in training design, development, and delivery
  • Developed and delivered Instructor Led Leadership courses to senior leaders
  • Designed and developed instructional materials for e-learning, virtual classroom, and instructor-led training
  • Implemented communication plans for three enterprise HR change projects
  • SharePoint admin and document governance lead
  • Created templates and redesigned pages to meet changing priorities
  • Created SharePoint document archival process and governance program.

Distribution Center Director

W.W. Grainger, Inc
Lake Forest, IL
01.2002 - 01.2008
  • Directed Distribution Centers in the Minneapolis, MN market
  • Led customer service, sales and warehouse branch teams
  • Project manager for real estate update initiative
  • Project manager for Minneapolis rebranding initiative
  • Led customer service, sales and warehouse branch teams
  • Managed 7 million dollar annual budget
  • Prepared and conducted performance appraisals for direct reports, coaching for leaders and succession plans
  • Led initiative to establish shrinkage control disciplines and improved the regional distribution center's shrinkage performance
  • Power User for SAP R/3 implementation
  • Delivered ongoing systems training to leaders and line employees in the Minneapolis market.

Education

Master of Science in Human Resources and Organizational Development -

University of Louisville

Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and Learning, magna cum laude -

University of Louisville

Bachelor of Science in Communications -

Northwestern State University

Skills

  • Communication Planning
  • Organizational Development
  • Schedule Management
  • Process Improvement
  • Project Planning
  • Employee Development
  • Staff Management
  • Training and Development
  • Team Development
  • Team Leadership
  • Needs Assessment
  • Customer Relationship Management
  • Teamwork and Collaboration
  • Performance Tracking and Evaluation
  • Computer Skills
  • Employee Coaching and Mentoring

Additional Credentials

  • PROSCI, ADKAR, Austin, TX: since 2015
  • CPLP - Certified Professional in Learning and Performance: since 2013
  • PMI: Contributor and Houston Chapter Member

Personal Information

Title: Senior Change Management Consultant

Volunteer Experience

  • American Red Cross: Trainer, Volunteer
  • Habitat for Humanity: Volunteer

References

Available Upon Request

Timeline

Senior IT Change Manager

Quanta Services
04.2023 - Current

Senior Change Management Consultant

Medtronic
02.2018 - 04.2023

Organizational Change Manager

Cargill
07.2017 - 02.2018

Organizational Change Manager

Vivint Smart Home
03.2016 - 07.2017

Change Analyst

Johnson Controls
06.2015 - 03.2016

Senior Change Management Consultant

Gafford Consulting
01.2015 - Current

Organizational Learning and Change Manager

W.W. Grainger, Inc
01.2008 - 01.2015

Distribution Center Director

W.W. Grainger, Inc
01.2002 - 01.2008

Master of Science in Human Resources and Organizational Development -

University of Louisville

Bachelor of Science in Organizational Leadership and Learning, magna cum laude -

University of Louisville

Bachelor of Science in Communications -

Northwestern State University
Orlando Gafford