Every job has its responsibilities, including the work of a management consultant. That being said, a management consultant’s job is to solve a large and complex problem faced by his client by identifying their problems and formulating the correct solutions.
The management consultant will conduct comprehensive research to formulate the right solution for the client. Hence, all management consultants are expected to have broad insight into how businesses from various industries work. These insights are provisions for a management consultant to solve complex problems.
A management consultant’s work is simple but requires comprehensive thinking and intensely accurate analysis. To become one, you should gather the knowledge and experience from an early age that can make it easier for you to be in this field.
On this occasion, we will discuss the responsibilities of a management consultant. This information is essential to know so that you can understand the duties and prospects of a career as a management consultant.
1. Organizing & Executing Projects
One of a management consultant’s responsibilities is carrying out projects according to client requests and needs and executing them with the company’s goals.
The project’s goals or objectives are created with the SMART method (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant & Time-Bound Goals). The output is in the form of analysis results or deliverables, for example containing digital transformation steps, business expansion strategies, to the organizational design of a business unit.
2. Communicating with Clients
The next responsibility in the work of a management consultant is communicating with clients. Communication between management consultants and their clients aims to obtain the data needed to make a decision and get a comprehensive picture of the objectives of the ongoing project.
3. Collecting Information Related to Client’s Business
A management consultant must gather information regarding the client’s company to see the industry’s performance and how the client’s company is doing.
By interpreting this information, the management consultant can formulate a hypothesis and validate their idea with the available data to present a solution. This process involves discussing, interviewing, and requesting specific data from the client.
4. Analyzing and Interpreting Data
The next responsibility of a management consultant is to analyze the collected data to help identify a problem and formulate a solution. Data interpretation will have a meaningful impact on the answer to be implemented.
That’s why a management consultant will have a lot of discussions with the internal team and the client in this phase. Generally, a management consultant will process the collected data to organize it into an information unit that is more comprehensive and detailed.
5. Formulating Solution Recommendations & Presenting Findings
After comprehensive research, a few internal discussions, and several revisions, the solution is submitted to the client. The answer will then be discussed with the client and the risks that will be faced.
Management consultants are also responsible for presenting findings as the project progresses. A new result, including risks or challenges the client may face in the future, will be given to the client.
6. Developing the Business Plan and Expanding the Opportunities
Consultants can also help develop a business plan that the client has made to achieve their goals better. A business plan helps a company to map out its values and opportunities, and these opportunities are potential values that can be utilized for the company’s progress. After identifying the various existing options, the management consultant can apply them to the client’s plan.
7. Assisting Clients in Implement Business Plans
After identifying the business opportunities and creating the business plan, the consultant will help the client implement it to minimize business errors.
Management Consultant Career Prospects
Management consultants have excellent career prospects. The following are the various levels available as a management consultant at Skha Business Management Consultant:
1. Associate Consultant
An Associate Consultant is a professional of a particular field marked by an education degree (generally equivalent to strata 1). Frequently, an assistant consultant is a recent graduate with little or no work experience.
The Associate Consultant is the initial stage for those who want a career as a business management consultant. An Associate Consultant can move up to a higher position after at least three years of working in this position.
As an Associate Consultant, you will work in teams to plan, develop, collect data, analyze, and formulate project recommendations. Of course, the entire series of activities are under the supervision and approval of the Senior Consultant.
The responsibilities of an Associate Consultant are more in content handling, namely how to formulate a deliverable in the form of a proposed solution to the client. An Associate Consultant needs relevant data retrieval, problem-solving, and analytical skills.
An Associate Consultant that is a fresh graduate faces a challenge: the adaptation phase to the world of work and specific challenges in the consulting world. To deal with this, Skha provides time for her team to adjust and to mentor to improve her team’s hard and soft skills.
The following are the various skills that an Associate Consultant must possess:
2. Senior Associate Consultant
The Senior Associate Consultant position is above that of an Associate Consultant. They lead the team (including Associate Consultants), help develop strategies, design solutions, and make decisions based on the analysis that has been done (content handling).
Senior Associate Consultants require more than complex problem-solving skills to provide impactful solutions. They also have to communicate effectively and directly to higher management stakeholders, clients, and minus two BOD aside from the existing teamwork.
Those are the responsibilities and career prospects of a management consultant to help you to have a more precise picture of the career of a management consultant.
Also Read: The Work of a Management Consultant and The Scope Of Their Duties.
3. Consultant
In terms of container handling, the task of a consultant is getting less and less. Meanwhile, in terms of stakeholder management, it is more significant to BOD minus one, so the responsibilities carried out are also getting more powerful.
At this stage, a consultant must be able to work more independently so that his leadership skills are also increasingly formed for internal and external teams because they act as co-PM. They have high exposure to clients.
Problem-solving skills must be firm with a broader scope of work and communication skills in more complex situations.
Regarding content handling, it is less and less about consultation and more about stakeholder management to BOD minus one. Thus, your responsibilities are also getting more powerful.
At this stage, a consultant must be able to work more independently. This will hone their leadership skills for internal and external teams because they act as the co-PM despite their responsibilities and high exposure to clients.
Problem-solving skills must be accompanied by a broad scope of work and communication skills to prepare for complex situations.
4. Leader
In project handling, a Leader focuses on seeing the whole (end-to-end) project to present comprehensive solutions. They act as the stakeholder management and the project director, which is why more capable problem-solving and communication skills are necessary at this level.
5. Senior Leader
The difference between a Leader and a Senior Leader is the size of their assigned projects and the team structure. Since this position handles less content, the end-to-end draw is more comprehensive, and the Senior Leader can make their own decisions.
6. Executive Leader
At one time, an executive Leader can handle 2-3 projects with multiple roles. They work with project management assistance and can even replace some of the parts of a co-project director. For example, problem-solving, capturing client expectations, and overseeing projects comprehensively and strategically.
7. Partnership
The partnership has principal, partner, and senior partner levels. From the project side, they work as project directors. From the account management side, they see clients as partners and translate what they need.
And these are the various levels of a consultant at Skha company. Every job has its responsibilities, including being a management consultant, and you will also learn more about it along the way.
One of the consulting companies that support your career development is Skha. Skha prioritizes a healthy work environment, as well as enriching the skills of team members. Start your career with us.