Consultant
Encyclopedia
A consultant is a professional
who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management
, accountancy
, the environment
, entertainment, technology
, law
(tax law
, in particular), human resources
, marketing
, emergency management
, food production, medicine
, finance
, life management, economics
, public affairs
, communication
, engineering
, sound system design
, graphic design
, or waste management
. This is not an exhaustive list.
A consultant is usually an expert or a professional in a specific field and has a wide knowledge of the subject matter. The role of consultant outside the medical sphere (where the term is used specifically for a grade of doctor) can fall under one of two general categories:
Overall the impact of a consultant is that clients have access to deeper levels of expertise than would be feasible for them to retain in-house, and may purchase only as much service from the outside consultant as desired.
'Consultant
' is also the term used to denote the most senior medical position in the United Kingdom
, Australia
and Ireland
(e.g., a consultant surgeon
).
but this is not an exclusive term.
The process of consulting and the means 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. A consultant is engaged to fulfill a brief in terms of helping to find solutions to specific issues but the ways in which that is to be done generally falls to the consultant to decide, within constraints such as budget and resources agreed with the client. (A temp on the other hand is normally fulfilling a role that usually exists within the organisation and is helping to bridge a gap caused by staffing shortages for whatever reason. They fall under the direction of the normal management structure of the organisation.)
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 a senior level).
Some consultants are employed indirectly by the client via a consultancy staffing company, a company that provides consultants on an agency basis. (The staffing company itself does not usually have consulting expertise but works rather like an employment agency.) This form of working is particularly common in the ICT
sector. Such consultants are often called contractors since they are usually providing technical services (such as programming
or systems analysis
) that could be performed in-house were it not easier for the employer to operate a flexible system of only hiring such technologists at times of peak workload rather than permanently.
A more comprehensive list of types is shown below.
status is currently the only internationally recognised accreditation 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 Engineer
operating as consultants in their field(s) of expertise.
Types of consultant
Types of consultant (more)
Professional
A professional is a person who is paid to undertake a specialised set of tasks and to complete them for a fee. The traditional professions were doctors, lawyers, clergymen, and commissioned military officers. Today, the term is applied to estate agents, surveyors , environmental scientists,...
who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management
Management
Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...
, accountancy
Accountancy
Accountancy is the process of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers. The communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management; the art lies in...
, the environment
Environmental consulting
Environmental consulting is often a form of compliance consulting, in which the consultant ensures that the client maintains an appropriate measure of compliance with environmental regulations...
, entertainment, technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
(tax law
Tax law
Tax law is the codified system of laws that describes government levies on economic transactions, commonly called taxes.-Major issues:Primary taxation issues facing the governments world over include;* taxes on income and wealth...
, in particular), human resources
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
, marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
, emergency management
Emergency management
Emergency management is the generic name of an interdisciplinary field dealing with the strategic organizational management processes used to protect critical assets of an organization from hazard risks that can cause events like disasters or catastrophes and to ensure the continuance of the...
, food production, medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
, life management, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, public affairs
Public administration
Public Administration houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. As a "field of inquiry with a diverse scope" its "fundamental goal.....
, communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, sound system design
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
, or waste management
Waste management
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...
. This is not an exhaustive list.
A consultant is usually an expert or a professional in a specific field and has a wide knowledge of the subject matter. The role of consultant outside the medical sphere (where the term is used specifically for a grade of doctor) can fall under one of two general categories:
- Internal Consultant - someone who operates within an organisation but is available to be consulted on areas of specialism by other departments or individuals (acting as clients); or
- External Consultant - someone who is employed externally (either by a firm or some other agency) whose expertise is provided on a temporary basis, usually for a fee. As such this type of consultant generally engages with multiple and changing clients.
Overall the impact of a consultant is that clients have access to deeper levels of expertise than would be feasible for them to retain in-house, and may purchase only as much service from the outside consultant as desired.
'Consultant
Consultant (medicine)
In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, and parts of the Commonwealth, consultant is the title of a senior doctor who has completed all of his or her specialist training and been placed on the specialist register in their chosen specialty...
' is also the term used to denote the most senior medical position in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
(e.g., a consultant surgeon
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
).
Ways in which consultants work
The range of areas of expertise covered by the term consultant is extremely wide. One of the more general attributions is as a Management ConsultantManagement consulting
Management consulting indicates both the industry and practice of helping organizations improve their performance primarily through the analysis of existing organizational problems and development of plans for improvement....
but this is not an exclusive term.
The process of consulting and the means by which the (external) consultant is engaged vary according to industry and local practice. However the principal difference between a consultant and a temp
Temporary work
Temporary work or temporary employment refers to a situation where the employee is expected to leave the employer within a certain period of time. Temporary employees are sometimes called "contractual", "seasonal", "interim", "casual staff", "freelance", or "part-time"; or the word may be shortened...
is generally one of direction. A consultant is engaged to fulfill a brief in terms of helping to find solutions to specific issues but the ways in which that is to be done generally falls to the consultant to decide, within constraints such as budget and resources agreed with the client. (A temp on the other hand is normally fulfilling a role that usually exists within the organisation and is helping to bridge a gap caused by staffing shortages for whatever reason. They fall under the direction of the normal management structure of the organisation.)
There is however a hybrid form where a consultant may be hired as an Interim Manager or Executive
Interim management
Interim Management is the temporary provision of management resources and skills. Interim management can be seen as the short-term assignment of a proven heavyweight interim executive manager to manage a period of transition, crisis or change within an organization. In this situation, a permanent...
, bringing a combination of specialist expertise to bear on a role that is temporarily vacant (usually at a senior level).
Some consultants are employed indirectly by the client via a consultancy staffing company, a company that provides consultants on an agency basis. (The staffing company itself does not usually have consulting expertise but works rather like an employment agency.) This form of working is particularly common in the ICT
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
sector. Such consultants are often called contractors since they are usually providing technical services (such as programming
Computer programming
Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...
or systems analysis
Systems analysis
Systems analysis is the study of sets of interacting entities, including computer systems analysis. This field is closely related to requirements analysis or operations research...
) that could be performed in-house were it not easier for the employer to operate a flexible system of only hiring such technologists at times of peak workload rather than permanently.
Common Types of Consultant
In the business sphere the most commonly found consultants are:- Strategy Consultants working on the development of and improvements to organisational strategy alongside Senior ManagementSenior managementSenior management, executive management, or management team is generally a team of individuals at the highest level of organizational management who have the day-to-day responsibilities of managing a company or corporation, they hold specific executive powers conferred onto them with and by...
in many industries. - Human Resources or HR Consultants who provide expertise around employment practice and people management.
- Process Consultants who are specialists in the design or improvement of operational processes and can be specific to the industry or sector.
- Public Relations or PR Consultants dealing specifically with Public RelationsPublic relationsPublic relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
matters external to the client organisation and often engaged on a semi-permanent basis by larger organisations to provide input and guidance. - Information Technology Consultants in many disciplines such as Computer Hardware, Software EngineeringSoftware engineeringSoftware Engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software...
or NetworksComputer networkA computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of hardware components and computers interconnected by communication channels that allow sharing of resources and information....
. - Marketing Consultants who are generally called upon to advise around areas of product development and related marketing matters.
- Interim Managers as mentioned above may be independent consultants who act as interim executives with decision-making power under corporate policies or statutes. They may sit on specially constituted boards or committees.
A more comprehensive list of types is shown below.
Place of work
Consultants typically work at the site of the client for at least some of the time. The governing factor tends to be the amount of interaction required with other employees of the client.Qualifications
There is no such thing as a single qualification to be a consultant other than those laid down in relation to medical personnel who have attained this level. Internationally the accreditation of Management Consultants is overseen by the International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI) which has around 50 member institutes covering the globe. The award of Certified Management Consultant (CMC)Certified Management Consultant
Certified management consultant is an international professional certification for management consulting professionals, awarded by institutes in 46 countries . The CMC enjoys global reciprocity; consultants certified in one country are recognized in most other countries...
status is currently the only internationally recognised accreditation 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)
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
expert or a Chemical Engineer
Chemical engineer
In the field of engineering, a chemical engineer is the profession in which one works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of products, and deals with the design and operation of plants and equipment to perform such work...
operating as consultants in their field(s) of expertise.
See also
Related concepts- Biotechnology consultingBiotechnology consultingBiotechnology consulting refers to the practice of assisting organizations involved in research and commercialization of biotechnology in improving their methods and efficiency of production, and approaches to R&D. This assistance is usually provided in the form of specialized technological advice...
- Contingent workforceContingent WorkforceA contingent workforce is a provisional group of workers who work for an organization on a non-permanent basis, also known as freelancers, independent professionals, temporary contract workers, independent contractors or consultants...
- Fourth-party logisticsFourth-party logisticsA Fourth-party logistics provider , lead logistics provider , or 4th Party Logistics provider, is a consulting firm specialized in logistics, transportation, and supply chain management...
- Interim ManagementInterim managementInterim Management is the temporary provision of management resources and skills. Interim management can be seen as the short-term assignment of a proven heavyweight interim executive manager to manage a period of transition, crisis or change within an organization. In this situation, a permanent...
- IRS ReclassificationIRS reclassificationIRS reclassification as an employee occurs where persons claimed as independent contractors are recategorized by the Internal Revenue Service , or by state tax authorities, as W-2 employees. The reclassification can result in the imposition of fines, penalties, and back-taxes for which the...
- Management consultingManagement consultingManagement consulting indicates both the industry and practice of helping organizations improve their performance primarily through the analysis of existing organizational problems and development of plans for improvement....
- PermatempPermatempA permatemp is an employee whose status is somewhere between a temporary employee and a permanent employee. The word is a portmanteau of the words permanent and temporary.There are two types of permatemp employment relationships...
- Political consultingPolitical consultingPolitical consulting, beyond the self-evident definition of consulting in political matters, refers to a specific management consulting industry which has grown up around advising and assisting political campaigns. This article deals primarily with the development and nature of political consulting...
- Public consultationPublic consultationPublic consultation, or simply consultation, is a regulatory process by which the public's input on matters affecting them is sought. Its main goals are in improving the efficiency, transparency and public involvement in large-scale projects or laws and policies...
- Tax advisorTax advisorA tax advisor is a financial expert specially trained in tax law. Some countries require tax advisors to verify the balance sheets of companies above a certain size...
- Umbrella companyUmbrella companyAn umbrella company is a company that acts as an employer to agency contractors who work under a fixed term contract assignment, usually through a recruitment employment agency in the United Kingdom. Recruitment agencies issue contracts to a limited company as the agency liability would be reduced...
Types of consultant
- Biotechnology consultantBiotechnology consultingBiotechnology consulting refers to the practice of assisting organizations involved in research and commercialization of biotechnology in improving their methods and efficiency of production, and approaches to R&D. This assistance is usually provided in the form of specialized technological advice...
- Consultant (medicine)Consultant (medicine)In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, and parts of the Commonwealth, consultant is the title of a senior doctor who has completed all of his or her specialist training and been placed on the specialist register in their chosen specialty...
- Consultant pharmacistConsultant pharmacistA consultant pharmacist is a specialized pharmacist. The main principle of consultant pharmacy is Pharmaceutical care term developed by Hepler and Strand in 1990.- United States :...
- Creative consultantCreative consultantCreative consultant is a credit that has - particularly in the past - been given to screenwriters who have “doctored” a movie screenplay. It is often given by producers in lieu of official credit. Those given this credit in the television field work closely with an Executive Producer, Head...
- Consulting psychologyConsulting psychologyConsulting psychology is a special area of psychology, addressing the applications of psychology to such areas as assessment and interventions at the individual, group, and organizational levels. The Handbook of Organizational Consulting Psychology provides an overview of specific areas of study...
- Educational consultantEducational consultantAn educational consultant is an independent consultant who helps parents/students and organizations with educational planning. They are classed as "educational, vocational, and school counselors." Educational Consultants, however, are normally self-employed , while school counselors are employed...
- Elevator consultantElevator consultantAn elevator consultant is someone who specializes in the design, testing and maintenance inspection of elevators, escalators, moving walkways and many other conveyances that move people. They are not to be confused with elevator mechanics. Consultants do not normally perform work on conveyances....
- Employment consultantEmployment consultantAn employment consultant is an expert witness who advises courts and tribunals on employment related issues such as earnings, labour market analysis, residual earning capacity, and retraining. The main area involved is that of personal injury litigation where loss of earnings is an important...
- Environmental consultant
- Foreclosure consultantForeclosure consultantForeclosure consultant means any person who makes any solicitation, representation, or offer to any owner to perform for compensation or who, for compensation, performs any service which the person in any manner represents will in any manner do any of the following:#Stop or postpone the foreclosure...
- Fourth-party logistics providersFourth-party logisticsA Fourth-party logistics provider , lead logistics provider , or 4th Party Logistics provider, is a consulting firm specialized in logistics, transportation, and supply chain management...
- Human Resources consultantHuman resource consultingHuman resource consulting is an $18.4 billion industry that has emerged from management consulting, asclients' needs have become more complex and specialized, widening the gap between HR needs and work force capabilities, and thus accentuating the ability of HR management consulting firms to fill...
- Image consultant
- Independent contractorIndependent contractorAn independent contractor is a natural person, business, or corporation that provides goods or services to another entity under terms specified in a contract or within a verbal agreement. Unlike an employee, an independent contractor does not work regularly for an employer but works as and when...
- Interim ManagersInterim managementInterim Management is the temporary provision of management resources and skills. Interim management can be seen as the short-term assignment of a proven heavyweight interim executive manager to manage a period of transition, crisis or change within an organization. In this situation, a permanent...
Types of consultant (more)
- Information Technology consultantInformation technology consultingInformation technology consulting is a field that focuses on advising businesses on how best to use information technology to meet their business objectives...
- Lactation consultantLactation consultantA lactation consultant is a healthcare provider recognized as an expert in the fields of human lactation and breastfeeding. The USLCA, United States Lactation Consultant Association, is the presiding organization in the United States of America and the International Lactation Consultant...
- Legal nurse consultantLegal nurse consultantA legal nurse consultant is a registered nurse who uses expertise as a health care provider and specialized training to consult on medical-related legal cases. LNCs assist attorneys in reading medical records and understanding medical terminology and healthcare issues to achieve the best results...
- Loss control consultant
- Magic consultant
- Market entry consultantMarket entry consultantMarket entry consultants provide consultancy services to private companies, corporations or government / non-profit organizations for solving various business problems related to commencing sales/manufacturing/outsourcing operations in a new market / geographical territory...
- Media consultantMedia consultantA Media Consultant is a term used to describe a marketing agent or public relations executive, hired by businesses or political candidates to obtain positive press coverage....
- Performance consultantPerformance consultingPerformance consulting, sometimes referred to as high performance consulting, is a subdiscipline of consulting that seeks to understand and develop a holistic strategy to change performance; the results typically include changes in measurement strategy, education, staffing, and toolkits...
- Political consultantPolitical consultingPolitical consulting, beyond the self-evident definition of consulting in political matters, refers to a specific management consulting industry which has grown up around advising and assisting political campaigns. This article deals primarily with the development and nature of political consulting...
- Process consultantProcess consultantIn organization development, a process consultant is a specialized type of consultant who acts as a facilitator to help groups deal with issues involving the process in a meeting, rather than the tasks.-Role in Small Group Development:...
- Statistical consultantStatistical consultantA statistical consultant provides statistical advice andguidance to clients interested in making decisions through theanalysis or collection of data. Clients often need statistical advice to answer questions in business, medicine, biology, genetics, forestry, agriculture, fisheries, wildlife...
- Theatre consultantTheatre consultantA theatre consultant is a consultant who specializes in the design of facilities for the performing arts, equipment for those facilities and the operation of theatre....