Consultancy in Practice: Role, Skills, and Future Development Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of consultancy in practice, focusing on the role of a business consultant within a consultancy firm. The report begins with an introduction defining the concept of consultancy in practice and its importance. The main body includes a self-assessment of the consultant's role, highlighting experiences in problem-solving, skill enhancement, and areas for improvement. The consultant reflects on specific problems faced by clients, the skills developed, and knowledge gaps encountered. The report then identifies areas for skill development, including communication, analysis, and interpretation skills, and proposes an action plan for improvement. This plan outlines specific strategies for enhancing these skills. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings, emphasizing the importance of continuous self-evaluation and skill development in the field of consultancy. The document is a valuable resource for students seeking to understand the practical aspects of business consultancy, with references to relevant academic sources.

Consultancy in Practice

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................1
Task One......................................................................................................................................1
Task Two.....................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Consultancy in Practice refers to ensuring that consulting is done in the right manner to
give the appropriate advice to the people without problems and issues (Agalawatta, Kaufmann
and Malhi, 2020). Thus it has to be ensured that the right consultancy can be provided. In this
report, there will be detailed focus on performing effectively and efficiently as a collaborative
member of a working group. Additionally, detailed focus on developing and demonstrating
effective business communication skills will be made as a part of this project.
MAIN BODY
Scenario- I am a Business Consultant working in a Consultancy firm. As a part of my job
I am able to solve the different types of problems which are faced by my clients so that they are
able to receive the appropriate value for the money paid by them for these services.
Task One
As a Business Consultant It is a part of my job to ensure that I am able to identify the
specific problems which are faced by my clients and thus can ensure that I am able to use the
right approaches so that these problems can be solved (Aslam, 2019). One of my clients had a
specific problem in which he faced problems and issues in the proper management of the
business which created an impact on the overall profits of the business.
While solving the problem of my client, I learned about the following-
 Skill enhancement- It is important for the people working in consultancy service to
regularly update the skills (Iszatt-White and Lenney, 2020). Thus as a Business
Consultant I have been able to make sure that I update my Analysis skills, Interpretation
skills which will be very helpful to achieve the relevant business objectives.
The use of Analysis skills is quite important for me because as a Business Consultant I have to
make sure that I am able to analyse the problem which is being faced by the client to
appropriately find a solution to the problem. Also by making the use of Interpretation skills I can
make sure that I am able to interpret the given situation to take an action accordingly without
facing problems and issues. This will help me a lot to ensure that the achievement of the relevant
goals and objectives can be made.
 Something which I didn't knew at the start of the process- While starting the process
related to solving the problem of the client I did not knew about the specific business
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processes of the client (Lonsdale and et.al., 2017). Thus I had to update my knowledge
and skills regarding the same.
As I did not knew about the business processes of the client I faced problems and issues because
I was not able to take a desired action relating to them. Thus I made sure that I understood the
problem of the client in detail so that I was able to suggest the different types of ways to solve it
effectively and efficiently.
 Improvement in the level of confidence- While working as a Business Consultant and
solving the problems of the clients I was able to develop my confidence in the right
manner which thereby helped me a lot in understanding their situation in a better manner
and helping them by solving their problem in a highly effective manner.
I was able to bring an improvement in the level of confidence by making sure that I tried to
understand the client and his relevant business problems. As I have started to solve the different
types of problems of so many clients I am now able to improve my level of confidence and this
is helping me a lot to progress further in my career in assuming the different types of roles.
 Use of learning in the future career- Working as a Business Consultant has helped me a
lot in ensuring that I am able to identify the way this can be used in the future (Miah,
Hasan and Gammack, 2017). As I will progress further in my career as a Consultant I will
be able to make the use of these skills in the right way so that I am able to attain the
specific goals and objectives in the future thereby attaining a higher-level of efficiency
and effectiveness. As I have developed problem-solving skills I will be able to understand
the specific problems which are related with the clients and solve them in the right
manner.
I will make the use of the skills which I have learnt in my future career as I will identify the
specific ways in which the Business consultants make their use and are able to achieve the
specific goals and objectives effectively and efficiently without facing problems and issues.
Task Two
On the basis of the evaluation of my role as a Business Consultant in the Consultancy
firm I can say that there are different types of skills which require updating to be done so that the
relevant goals and objectives in the future can be attained. These skills are explained as follows-
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 Communication skills- I face problems in communicating with my teammates as I am
not able to approach them sometimes (von Platen, 2016). This is so because due to
hesitation I am not able to communicate in a better way with my teammates which
sometimes affects the work of my organization. This is a skill which I need to update to
develop myself for the future. This will be quite helpful for me in ensuring that I am able
to communicate in the right manner which is important for the overall functioning of the
organization without problems and issues.
 Analysis skills- I face problems in the analysis of the situation and this affects me a lot. I
am not able to understand the situation sometimes and the desired action which has to be
taken in that situation. I also sometimes misinterpret the given situation and thus this can
lead towards different types of problems and issues. This is so because sometimes wrong
judgements are made by me regarding the situation which can affect the organization as a
whole. Thus I feel that this is a skill which needs updating because by updating I will be
able to perform a better analysis of the situation to make sure that the relevant goals and
objectives for the future can be attained without facing problems and issues. Thus I feel
that it is important to update these skills for the future.
 Interpretation skills- I face problems in the interpretation of the situation and thus can
create problems and issues for me. Sometimes I am not able to assess the different types
of demands which the situation has and thus wrong decision is taken by me which can
impact the company. Therefore I feel that this skill needs updating which will thereby
ensure that the relevant goals and objectives in the future are attained.
Action plan for the improvement of the skills-
Skills Problem areas Improvement to be made
Communication skills Communicating with the
teammates to ensure proper
cooperation and coordination
in the work. This happens
because sometimes I
misinterpret what my
teammates want to say which
thereby creates problems and
Identifying the scope for
communicating with the
teammates regularly which
will help a lot in developing
skills and abilities in the right
manner. I will regularly
communicate with my
teammates which will
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issues. therefore help me a lot in
ensuring that the good
communication practices are
established in the organization.
Analysis skills Analysing the situation and the
relevant actions to be taken in
the situation for solving it
properly. This is helpful for
me in ensuring that the
assessment of the situation
leads to taking of the correct
decisions in the future
(McLeod and Schapper, 2020).
Identifying the scope for
analysis of the problems faced
by people in the organization
so that they can be solved
properly. This will help in the
identification of the problems
which my teammates are
facing and taking the
necessary action regarding the
same.
Interpretation skills Interpretation of the situation
and identifying the relevant
actions to be taken in it for
solving the problem. This is
necessary to assess the
situation and identify the right
action which can be taken
effectively and efficiently.
Identifying the scope for
improvement by assessment of
the problem faced in the
organization so that it can be
solved. This will be helpful in
ensuring that the relevant
action can be taken which will
help in solving of the problem
in the right manner.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that Consultancy in practice refers to
consulting services which are provided to the different types of customers. By providing a
reflection on the past experience a proper self-evaluation can be performed. The problem areas in
different skills can be identified and also the action plan can be prepared so that these problem
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areas can be addressed. This will help in making relevant improvements for the future and
ensuring that the achievement of the goals and objectives can be made in the future.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals:
Agalawatta, N., Kaufmann, C. and Malhi, G. S., 2020. Transitioning to consultancy: From
caterpillar to butterfly!. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 54(8).
pp.780-782.
Aslam, S., 2019. Learning in engineering consultancy practice: a rapprochement between
cognitive learning and knowing in practice in international consultancy alliances at
NESPAK Pakistan (Doctoral dissertation, Lancaster University).
Iszatt-White, M. and Lenney, P., 2020. Enacting emotional labour in consultancy work: Playing
with liminality and navigating power dynamics. Management Learning,
p.1350507620906580.
Lonsdale, C. and et.al., 2017. Knowing the price of everything? Exploring the impact of
increased procurement professional involvement on management consultancy
purchasing. Industrial Marketing Management. 65. pp.157-167.
McLeod, S. and Schapper, J. H., 2020. Understanding Quality in Planning Consultancy: A
Review and Synthesis of the Literature. Journal of Planning Education and Research,
p.0739456X20943928.
Miah, S. J., Hasan, J. and Gammack, J. G., 2017. On-cloud healthcare clinic: an e-health
consultancy approach for remote communities in a developing country. Telematics and
Informatics. 34(1). pp.311-322.
von Platen, S., 2016. Struggling with new media and old expertise: Reconstructing the
professional role of communication consultancy. International journal of strategic
communication. 10(5). pp.353-367.
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