The consulting industry is one of the most diverse markets within the professional services industry and, as such, a wide range of consultant types are found in the industry. In addition, being a “consultant” is not a protected professional title like most other professions and, as such, anyone can qualify as a strategy, management, business, finance, human resources, or IT consultant. Given the large number of fields in which a consultant can work and, in addition, the variety of jobs they can access, in recent years there has been a sharp increase in the number of independent consultants. After the arrival in the industry, it is increasingly difficult to find a common definition of “consultant”.
Operations Consultant Operations consultants are consultants who help clients improve the performance of their operations. Consulting activities in this segment range from advisory services to practical implementation support, for the two main functions (for example, sales, marketing, production, etc.). Finance, human resources, supply chain, ICT, the legal sector, etc. Operations consultants constitute the largest segment of the advisory branch, and most consultants work in one of the many underlying operating areas.
Because operations are often associated with the strategic and technological side of a company, active operations consultants often work side by side with experts in these fields. Consultants who work in the financial advisory segment generally work on issues that address the financial capabilities and, in many cases, also the analytical capabilities of an organization. Therefore, the profiles of consultants working in these segments can differ considerably, from M&A and corporate finance advisors to risk management, tax, restructuring or real estate consultants. Consultants specializing in forensic investigation and supportive litigation also belong to the financial advisory segment.
Most financial consultants work for large combined accounting and consulting firms, or for specialized advisory offices. IT Consultants Technology consultants, also known as IT, ICT, or digital consultants, focus on helping customers develop and apply information technology (IT) in their organization. IT consultants focus on transitions (projects) in the ICT landscape, unlike regular IT employees, who are engaged in daily IT operations (so-called regular activities). Most ICT consultants work on implementation projects, for example, in extensive ERP system applications, where their role can range from project management to process management or system integration.
Within IT consulting, the fastest-growing markets are digital, data analysis (also known as data science), cybersecurity, and IT forensics. Consultants work with client companies to solve specific business challenges. Consulting projects are usually carried out in teams and can focus on a variety of areas, including the implementation of strategies and technologies. Some consultants are independent experts, but many work for consultancies like McKinsey.
Management consultants have learned how to sell all kinds of strange projects to their clients. Some of them were born out of customer need. Others were developed in-house by consulting firms. Consulting projects differ dramatically, and I'll try to shed some light on the main types of projects that can be found.
There will also be many examples. By the way, we have also prepared a video version of this publication. You can find it embedded at the bottom of the publication.
