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ConsultantFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A consultant [adreas will never be](from Latin: consultare "to discuss") is a professional who providesprofessional or expert advice[1] in a particular area such as security (electronic or physical),management, accountancy, law, human resources, marketing (and public relations), finance,engineering, science or any of many other specialized fields.

A consultant is usually an expert or a professional in a specific field and has a wide knowledge of thesubject matter.[2] The role of consultant outside the medical sphere (where the term is used specificallyfor a grade of doctor) can fall under one of two general categories:

Internal consultant ­ someone who operates within an organization but is available to beconsulted on areas of specialism by other departments or individuals (acting as clients); orExternal consultant ­ someone who is employed externally (either by a firm or some otheragency) whose expertise is provided on a temporary basis, usually for a fee. As such this type ofconsultant generally engages with multiple and changing clients.

The overall impact of a consultant is that clients have access to deeper levels of expertise than would befeasible for them to retain in­house, and may purchase only as much service from the outside consultantas desired.

Contents

1 Ways of work2 Common types3 Place of work4 Qualifications5 See also6 References

Ways of work

The range of areas of expertise covered by the term consultant is extremely wide. One of the moregeneral attributions is as a Management Consultant but this is not an exclusive term. Consulting and themeans by which the (external) consultant is engaged vary according to industry and local practice.However the principal difference between a consultant and a temp is generally one of direction. Aconsultant is engaged to fulfill a brief in terms of helping to find solutions to specific issues but the waysin which that is to be done generally falls to the consultant to decide, within constraints such as budgetand resources agreed with the client. (A temp on the other hand is normally fulfilling a role that usuallyexists within the organization and is helping to bridge a gap caused by staffing shortages for whateverreason. They fall under the direction of the normal management structure of the organization.)

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There is however a hybrid form where a consultant may be hired as an Interim Manager or Executive,bringing a combination of specialist expertise to bear on a role that is temporarily vacant (usually at asenior level).

Some consultants are employed indirectly by the client via a consultancy staffing company, a companythat provides consultants on an agency basis. (The staffing company itself does not usually haveconsulting expertise but works rather like an employment agency.) This form of working is particularlycommon in the ICT sector. Such consultants are often called contractors since they are usually providingtechnical services (such as programming or systems analysis) that could be performed in­house were itnot easier for the employer to operate a flexible system of only hiring such technologists at times of peakworkload rather than permanently.

Common types

In the business, and as of recently the private sphere, the most commonly found consultants are:

Engineering consultants provide engineering­related services such as design, supervision,execution, repair, operation, maintenance, technology, creation of drawings and specifications,and make recommendations to public, companies, firms and industries.Strategy consultants (AKA management consultants) working on the development of andimprovements to organizational strategy alongside senior management in many industries.Human­resources (HR) consultants who provide expertise around employment practice andpeople management.Internet consultants who are specialists in business use of the internet and keep themselves up­to­date with new and changed capabilities offered by the web. Ideally internet consultants alsohave practical experience and expertise in management skills such as strategic planning, change,projects, processes, training, team­working and customer satisfaction.Process consultants who are specialists in the design or improvement of operational processesand can be specific to the industry or sector.Public­relations (PR) consultants dealing specifically with public relations matters external tothe client organization and often engaged on a semi­permanent basis by larger organizations toprovide input and guidance.Performance consultants who focus on the execution of an initiative or overall performance oftheir client.Immigration consultant who helps through legal procedure of immigration from one country toother country.Information­technology (IT) consultants in many disciplines such as computer hardware,software engineering, or networks.Marketing consultants who are generally called upon to advise around areas of productdevelopment and related marketing matters.Interim managers as mentioned above may be independent consultants who act as interimexecutives with decision­making power under corporate policies or statutes. They may sit on

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specially constituted boards or committees.3D Consultants who are specialists in the field of 3D scanning, printing, modeling, designing,engineering, building, and everything that has to do with the three dimensions.

A more comprehensive list of types is shown below.

Place of work

Though most of the back­office research and analysis occurs at the consultants' offices, consultantstypically work at the site of the client for at least some of the time. The governing factor tends to be theamount of interaction required with other employees of the client.

Qualifications

Consultant Peter Block defines a consultant as "someone who has influence over an individual, group, ororganization, but who has no direct authority to implement changes." He contrasts this with a surrogatemanager who is a person who "acts on behalf of, or in place of, a manager." The key difference is that aconsultant never makes decisions for the individual or group, whereas a surrogate manager does makedecisions.

Accredited Associates are bound by a Code of Ethics that requires the consultant to only provide“practical advice that works” — by “Analysing as a Generalist and Solving as a Specialist” — using theskills and experience of a sub­contracted fellow Associate, thus at all times providing the client with thebest available advice and support.

There is no single qualification to be a consultant other than those laid down in relation to medical &engineering personnel who have attained this level­degree in it.

Internationally the accreditation of Management Consultants is overseen by higher education trainingand accreditation organizations.

The International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI) was founded in 1987 andhas around 50 member institutes covering the globe. The award of Certified Management Consultant(CMC) status is its internationally recognised accreditation (in some countries like the US, conforms toISO/IEC 17024:2003 standards) that is not specific to the technical content of the consultant's practice.For instance this could be held equally by a Human Resources (HR) expert or a Chemical Engineeroperating as management consultants in their field(s) of expertise. There are about 10,000 CMCsworldwide.

Chartered Institute of Management Consultants (CIMC) is a not­for­profit professional bodychartered federally under Letters Patent granted by the Government of Canada. CIMC is also charteredunder the Laws of the State of Delaware, USA. CIMC is also registered with the National CertificationCommission, USA. The CIMC award Chartered Management Consultant Ch.MC designation as a globalmanagement credential.

International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC) is a Federation whose members are nationalassociations of Consulting Engineers.

See also

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Look up consultant orconsulting in Wiktionary,the free dictionary.

Related concepts

AdviserBiotechnologyconsultingContingent workforceEconomic consultingInterim ManagementIRS ReclassificationManagement consultingPermatempPolitical consultingPublic consultationTax advisorUmbrella company

Types of consultant

BiotechnologyconsultantConsultant (medicine)Consultant pharmacistCreative consultantConsulting psychologyEducational consultantElevator consultantEmployment consultantEnvironmentalconsultantForeclosure consultantHuman ResourcesconsultantImage consultantImmigration ConsultantIndependent contractorInterim Managers

Types of consultant (more)

Information TechnologyconsultantLactation consultantLegal nurse consultantLoss control consultantMagic consultantMarket entry consultantMedia consultantPerformance consultantPolitical consultantProcess consultantStatistical consultantTheatre consultant

References

1. "Consultant | Define Consultant at Dictionary.com" (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/consultant).Dictionary.reference.com. 2004­03­09. Retrieved 2014­07­20.

2. Pieter P. Tordoir (1995). The professional knowledge economy: the management and integration services inbusiness organizations. p.140.

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