Resume

DDI, a Leadership learning and development company providing both in person consulting services as well as software as a service (SaaS) products, is undergoing a significant digital transformation, radically re-envisioning itself for the first time since it's inception over 50 years ago.

As a Program Manager in the Global Technology group, I help to solve internal business problems by working with DDI senior leaders to understand their objectives, strategies and environments, collaborate with technology experts to understand the realm of the possible, and devise a digital product roadmap that includes initiatives spanning:

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Customer Data Platforms

• Business Intelligence, Analytics and Insights

• Enterprise Data

• Citizen Developer Platform Governance and Evangelization

• Business Process Optimization

To ensure the success of these initiatives I wear the hats of project manager, business analyst, product owner/product manager, data architect, and sometimes even developer.  My team operates in an Agile methodology, pushing for maximum turn around times from ideation to minimally viable product (MVP), while I work with the user community to ensure a smooth and successful change management process.

As a Microsoft Gold Partner, Plus Consulting provides software implementation and enhancement services primarily to US based mid-sized companies.  As a Solution Architect on the Dynamics CRM team, my main objective was to delight customers and ensure repeat business.  To do this, I worked with customers throughout the lifecycle of the project, including:

• Pre-sales - engaging with C Suite, Sales and IT executives to understand the 30,000 foot view of needs & objectives, providing them with a vision of a new way to operate leveraging a new state of the art digital ecosystem, and helping to devise a statement of work that allowed our team to cement our place as a critical partner by including only the most value-add components, targeting a maximal ROI for the project.

• Requirements gathering and design - diving into details with management and end users to devise a scalable process and system that added value by consolidating systems and datasets/data sources, streamlining processes by systematizing and automating them, and implementing a business intelligence platform providing clear and concise reports and dashboards, ensuring each business objectives was measured and managed, and could be tracked backward throughout the system and process ensuring the design elegantly maximized each button click.

• Build/Execution - acting as project lead, worked with the project team to ensure the business objectives and processes behind each requirement were understood, providing team members with the ability to add value where they saw fit.  Relentlessly adhered to project schedules and budgets by continuously pushing for deliverable components, identifying blocks or issues as early as possible, and working as a servant-leader doing whatever necessary to allow the team to stay focused on churn out amazing technology.

• Delivery & implementation - devised a change management plan that allowed the business to transition with minimal business interruptions.  Stayed onsite as frequently and as long as necessary to ensure all issues were remediated immediately, and to ensure the customer's leadership team took the time to witness and appreciate the value of the project, always re-evaluating the landscape and planting seeds for the next great innovation or project phase.

Throughout this process, I served as the "one-throat-to-choke" for the customer, understanding and molding every aspect of the contract and system to ensure the key stakeholders were always abreast of any key accomplishments and milestones, issues, or risks, and to guarantee their trust in Plus Consulting as more than just a service provider, but rather a business partner whose collaboration and input became key ingredients in future plans.

What I did...

Consulted for Intel regarding the implementation and enhancement of their CRM.  Collaborated with key business stakeholders and analyzed business processes to identify potential cost saving or performance enhancement projects.  Performed data analysis to develop and assess metrics, valuate projects, and manage performance.

Direct leadership responsibilities over the Data Management Team responsible for supporting the client by maintaining facilities management CRM tool and database utilized by tens of thousands of customers in eight languages from locations around the world.

What I learned...

Having had a limited technical background up to this point, this experience leading technology projects taught me how to be accountable to clients despite having limited control over the development team by documenting and communicating agreements and expectations constantly, actively jumping into issues I didn't understand and finding a way forward, and relentlessly searching for ways to provide value, even (or especially) when delivering bad news.

What I did...

Oversaw the day-to-day operations for large inbound call center, providing Fortune 1000 companies worldwide with reactive facilities services to ensure minimum business impact to manufacturing, banking, and general office operations, closely monitoring and controlling SLAs.  Managed a large team of local and remote CSRs, maintaining 24/7/365 coverage.  Helped onboard and train new hires, and documented and improved processes, and best practices, as well as quality assurance, training, change management.

What I learned...

In this role, I was afforded the opportunity to work with people of a wide variety of backgrounds, and I learned that regardless of a person's experience or education level, they have the potential to do way more than what the job description asks of them if they have the right attitude and if you provide the knowledge, encouragement, and opportunities to do more.