If you think that consulting and IT business analysis are two separate disciplines, think twice! In my opinion, consulting is fully embedded into what BAs do, and even if you don't realize it, you actually act as a consultant every day!
In this article, we'll talk about consulting through the lens of a business analyst and I’ll explain why you should consider consulting as your career path.
Why Consulting for Business Analysts?
This topic is very personal to me because I discovered consulting in my career journey about 8 years ago when I was at a professional crossroads. At the time, I was sort of done with being just another BA, and I was looking for opportunities, but I wasn't necessarily sure where I wanted my career to go. I wasn't sure if I wanted to focus more on product development, custom software development, or in-house IT. Surprisingly, I even had an offer to run an offshore software development center.
However, through another job offer, I actually discovered consulting as a career path. And like many others, I had a complete misunderstanding of what consulting truly is. It wasn't until I truly understood the essence of consulting that it became a no-brainer for me—that that’s exactly what I want to do.
But Here's the Big Problem!
Consulting is surrounded by so many misconceptions that it's really hard to find any other area of professional life with as many myths and stereotypes.
The most significant misconception is that people only associate consulting with strategic consulting, where you advise CEOs or the company board on million-dollar decisions and similar matters. People tend to visually portray consultants in suits, always in high-end offices, and constantly traveling. And it's partially true; there's a lot of weight to these stereotypes, and yes, there are many consultants like that.
However, there are many more consultants who don't advise CEOs or vice presidents on multi-million dollar deals. Instead, they advise other roles in the organization, working on different types of decisions while still bringing a lot of value to the bottom line.
How? Let me Break it Down for You.
There are many definitions of consulting, but the one that I love the most is the one I discovered many years ago through the great author Peter Block and his classic book "Flawless Consulting."
Here’s the definition:
A consultant is a person in a position to have some influence over an individual, a group, or an organization but has no direct power to make changes or implement programs.
In other words, if you partner with the client to solve the client’s problem and present potential solutions or options in a way that the client listens and accepts your solution, you act as a consultant.
This definition applies to many things that BAs do. For example, if a client asks you to improve their processes of requirements gathering or find better ways of conducting Sprint reviews, and you recommend options on how the process may look, and the client accepts one of them, you have just acted as a consultant.
And, of course, there's another level where an entire project team or a company acts as a consulting partner. All design agencies are in the consulting business. If you work in custom software development on a project for a specific client, implementing software for their specific business processes, then your entire team and company act as a consulting partner for the client.
In any case, there's always a personal touch in consulting, and it’s always about building relationships. It is through these relationships that you may show your authority, knowledge, and skills to solve the client’s problem and act as a consultant.
Why Should You Care About Consulting?
I'll provide you with a few reasons. These are the reasons why I chose consulting as my career path.
First, if you're in the job market as a BA and looking to switch roles, it's important to understand the different types of jobs for BAs. Around a third of BA jobs on the job market are consulting jobs. They require you, as a BA, to also act as a consultant. You work on solutions, engage with clients, stakeholders, and SMEs, present ideas, and contribute to the development of these ideas.
Secondly, management consulting is a great career path, and a background in business analysis is a solid platform for success in management consulting.
Thirdly, consulting as a discipline has tons and tons of methods and best practices for engaging SMEs and stakeholders. Any business analyst will greatly benefit from these methods of building authority, trust, and valuable professional relationships.
Start With These Consulting Books
If you want to learn more, I highly recommend starting with these three books:
Number one is "Flawless Consulting" by Peter Block. This book is hands down one of the best professional books I've ever read in my entire life, and I highly recommend it to you - make sure to check it out.
Number two is "The Trusted Advisor" by a group of authors: Maister, Green, and Galford.
And number three is "Million Dollar Consulting" by Alan Weiss.
Learn More
Interested in learning more? Download the Discovery Checklist – your all-in-one, practical blueprint for successful requirements elicitation, packed with actionable steps to guide you through every stage of the discovery process.
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