What is an IT Consultant

What Is an IT Consultant and How To Become One IT consultants assist clients with technology-related issues. It involves such work as developing technology strategies (which, of course, should be done based on business unit strategy, which in turn should be based on corporate strategy). IT consultants also conduct technology assessments, where they evaluate a company's current technology infrastructure and systems to find areas for improvement and development. They also design and implement technology solutions based on the specific needs of the client. Of course, clients may need ongoing technical support, which may also be provided by IT consultants. Because of their area of expertise, consultants need to stay on top of technology trends and have a good understanding of risks and how to maximize the benefits of technology investments clients may be considering or should be considering. The work environment for IT consultants IT consultants often work for large consulting and professional services firms like Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, E&Y, etc. As a result, their work environment is not that much different from that of other consultants. Although projects are often longer in duration and more time is spent on the client's site. Of course, there are also boutique consulting…

Strategic Ways to Use Your Competitors’ (Internal + External) Flaws

As you have elected to be a part of the FIRMSconsulting community, today I am going to share with you another piece from a new book/program we are working on. It is focused on how to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage by uncovering flaws in your thinking and thinking of your competitors. This is from writing that I have done this afternoon. I hope you enjoy it. Thinking distorts and alters reality One of the ways to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage is by identifying flaws in thinking of your competitors, and in your thinking. Identifying flaws in thinking of competitors should always be an element of competitor analysis. It is not possible to see the world in which we live without distortion. First of all, the reality is richer than our ability to comprehend it. Second of all, our limiting elements, such as biases and blind spots, do not allow us to see reality as it is. We always see it as distorted. In addition, thinking about reality further alters reality. This lack of correspondence between our thinking and reality sounds demotivating and frustrating. But there is no reason for despair. In many ways, it is good news. It is good news because…

The Ultimate Guide to Working With Business Consultants

Guide to Working With Business Consultants What Is a Business Consultant? A business consultant is a professional who provides expert advice to organizations to help improve their performance. They analyze a company's operations, identify areas for improvement, and develop strategies to achieve specific goals. Why Hire a Business Consultant? A business consultant can bring value to a company in several ways: Provides outside expertise and objective perspective. Helps identify and solve problems. Offers new ideas and approaches. Supports in planning and decision-making. Improves efficiency and increases profitability. Facilitates growth and competitiveness. Brings specialized skills and knowledge to the table. What Does a Business Consultant Do? A business consultant typically: Assesses the needs and challenges of a company. Develops and implements solutions to improve business operations. Offers expert advice on strategy, planning and decision-making. Analyzes data and market trends to identify areas for improvement. Works with company stakeholders to set and achieve goals. Facilitates communication and collaboration within the company. Monitors progress and provides ongoing support. Stages of a Business Consultant’s Process The typical stages in a business consultant's process are: Assessment: Analyze the current state of the business and identify areas for improvement. Strategy development: Develop a plan for addressing…

The Ultimate Guide To Consulting Skills For Advancement From Manager and Above

Consulting Skills as a Competitive Advantage Developing strong consulting skills such as the ability to communicate in a way that holds the attention of the room, the ability to solve complex problems in a structured and effective way, and the ability to build a peer-level relationship with the most senior executives of major companies. Developing strong consulting skills can be the competitive advantage that will allow you rise above the average and gain the momentum, respect, and opportunities you want. Not everyone working for major consulting firms have strong consulting skills. Similarly, you can develop strong consulting skills without ever working for a major consulting firm. In this post we are going to explore how to achieve career advancement from manager and above, and how to use consulting skills to help you achieve career growth. What is Career Advancement? Career advancement refers to the upward trajectory of someone’s career. Top professionals know the importance of professional and personal development. For anyone in the corporate world having a secure job to go to each week is important, but it is not enough. Humans crave progress. If we do not grow, we degrade. We do not stay still. Our skills deteriorate. So…

The Ultimate Guide To Consulting Skills For Advancement From Manager and Above

What is Analytical Problem Solving?

There are some very common misconceptions and myths about analytical problem solving. Most candidates simply skim over this phrase on consulting profiles without thinking about the meaning. This post will tell you what management consulting firms like McKinsey, Bain and BCG mean by analytical problem solving. You would be surprised at how many people believe that analytical thinking is something that comes instinctively, letting you do data analysis and pinpoint relevant information to get the key takeaways from complex problems. The truth is, these analytical skills are, more often than not, hard skills that you acquire through years of problem solving and critical thinking. They’re problem-solving skills that help you go from coming up with easy solutions to coming up with creative solutions that go the extra mile. This is important advice so it is worth reading carefully - we’ll also go over some analytical and problem solving skills examples to help you understand better. What is analytical problem solving To be an analytical thinker does not mean you must have a degree in science, engineering, finance, economics or any other quantitative subject. While some subjects, like those listed, imply you could be analytical in your thinking, not having quantitative background…

Implementation, Strategy, and Operations Consulting

Differences Between Implementation, Strategy, and Operations Consulting One concept is consistently misunderstood in management consulting and that is the differences between strategy, operation, and implementation. Here are the common misinterpretations: McKinsey only does strategy work. Deloitte and other accounting firms are great at implementation. Implementation consulting is the same as operational strategy consulting. We are going to explain the key difference and which firms are good at each type of consulting. Strategy Strategy consultants help senior executives determine the overall direction in which they will take the business. It is about taking a top-down view of the business and looking at the allocation of scarce resources. Strategy consulting is difficult. It requires deep analytical skills and the application of strong and disciplined problem-solving skills. Principles like decision trees, MECE, and hypotheses-led research are used. What Do Strategy Consultants Do? Examples of strategy work include: What should be our long-term vision? Should we retain the same portfolio of businesses? Should we enter this market? Do we have a competitive advantage? What is the best way for us to extract value from our SUV division? At the end of a strategy consulting engagement, the client is given detailed market research outlining the…

Internal Strategy Units Rarely Create Strategy Consultants

Before reading this, remember that it is a successful Firmsconsulting strategy to sometimes “park” MBA clients in internal strategy units at banks before we feel they are ready to apply to MBB (McKinsey, Bain and BCG) and other consulting firms. This works because the client is in an internal strategy unit that has some cache with consulting firms, but crucially, this is a temporary stop before they go on to join McKinsey, BCG, etc. The article below is about readers who simply want to stay in internal strategy units to learn management consulting skills. There is a major difference between both strategies. We recommend the former and not the latter if you want to become a capable management consultant. *** Management consultants are all over the place. The big-3 alone have an estimated 50,000 alumni working across the world. Moreover, the rise in the use of management consultants throughout the 1990s accompanied by their rising fees led to some clients actively trying to replicate consulting skills in-house by creating internal strategy units. This professionalized the development of internal strategy consulting teams and created a second-act for many exiting consultants who did not want to immediately jump into operating roles. The banks…

Lessons from the Failure of a Consulting Partner

A McKinsey or BCG partner, or consulting partner of any other firm, must question and challenge a client in a professional manner. The basis of the relationship must be one where the client allows the partner to be candid about what he/she thinks. The best partners build relationships where this is expected of them. The worst partners pander to the client. There is no point claiming to be the advisor to a client when you are afraid to tell him/her the painful truth. External parties reading the phrase “the client always comes first” routinely misinterpret this to mean the client must be given whatever they want and must be always happy. That could not be further from the truth. Putting the client first routinely means putting the client needs first, even if that upsets the client. Sometimes, the client’s needs and the client’s wants do not sync, so while their needs are met they end up being bitter or angry from the process. That happens far more often than you would think. The best clients are mature and professional. They are seasoned and understand a consulting recommendation is just that - a recommendation that does not need to be followed. Therefore,…