Change Enablement Case Study

This project focused on helping a large public sector organization modernize its operations by moving several complex departments into Salesforce. My role combined change enablement, learning strategy, and system design to rebuild trust, support adoption, and make the transition feel both achievable and valuable.

When I joined this project, the organization had already been through two failed attempts to implement Salesforce, and the teams were completely over it. They were busy, skeptical, and understandably protective of their time. My challenge was clear: help the most complex and high-volume departments adopt a new system they did not believe they needed, while minimizing disruption to their work.

The Challenge

Four departments were scheduled to move into Salesforce, including hundreds of litigation attorneys and paralegals. They were overworked, understaffed, and still frustrated from earlier rollouts that had not succeeded. We were told that no one had time to meet with us and that we should rely on old documentation from past projects.

Of course, that was not going to lead to a successful outcome, so I started by doing what change management is really about: building relationships.

My Role

I served in a blended role that combined solution architecture, configuration, and change enablement leadership. While designing the Salesforce solution for one of the more collaborative departments, I used that opportunity to build bridges with others. I identified key paralegals and team leads across the remaining departments and built genuine trust with them by consistently showing up prepared, keeping meetings short and meaningful, and demonstrating how my preparation made their lives easier.

My Approach

Once a few small wins started to build momentum, I leaned into that progress. I created a change champion group and invited early allies to help guide their peers through the transition. Their advocacy became the most powerful influence tool, as peers began encouraging peers.

When designing the training approach, my original plan was a “train-the-trainer” model, but the team was not ready for that level of ownership yet. I recognized the fear behind their hesitation and adjusted my plan. Instead, I designed a multi-week, interactive training program that I delivered onsite alongside a co-trainer. We also included those same paralegals as in-room experts to connect the training content to real-world context.

I created a simple, searchable training playbook for employees to reference after go-live and hosted virtual office hours during the first two weeks of launch. These sessions allowed learners to drop in with real-time questions and receive quick, personalized help. These small touches helped keep the tone approachable, supportive, and human.

The Outcome

The project was a success. Teams who had once refused to meet with us became proactive partners and internal advocates for the new system. Adoption rates exceeded expectations, and end users shared that they felt supported and confident throughout the process, especially compared to past rollouts.

The client extended my contract for a year after go-live so that I could continue supporting end users and coaching their internal experts to take full ownership of the system.

Tools & Takeaways

I kept my approach simple by using the tools that the teams were already comfortable with. Shifting to Salesforce was already a large enough change for them; I wanted to keep all other engagement opportunities as low friction for them as possible. That meant using Microsoft Teams, Powerpoint, Excel, and Word. The teams appreciated the familiarity and seamless integration.

This project reminded me that successful change is not about checklists or templates; it is about people. Every decision I made, from communication tone to training design, was grounded in empathy and practicality. My goal was to make the transition feel manageable and meaningful, helping learners see that this new system could actually make their days smoother and their work easier. 

Artifact Sample

Want to take a peek behind the curtain? I've included a small, anonymized excerpt from the training deck I created to guide 300+ team members through Salesforce adoption. The slides reflect my design approach - concise, conversational, and visually simple - helping learners to grasp new workflows without feeling overwhelmed.