Description:

IT consulting is a multi-billion-euro business and it attracts many graduates who want to jump-start their professional career. After some years on engagements many leave the industry - sometimes enthusiastic due to the lessons learnt and improved job opportunities, sometimes disappointed due to the stress and lack of a work-life balance. The lecture "IT Consulting" intends to "de-mystify" IT and management consultancies by carefully analyzing the management consulting market, different types of players in the market, and their respective business models. Building on this, the course will present essential business processes that any professional service firm requires to successfully deliver value to its clients. The second part of the course will focus on engagements by exploring fundamental consulting approaches, discussing client satisfaction, and engagement success. As IT consulting is heavily dependent on the skills and capabilities of the individuals involved, the last section will cover the role of the consultant. In particular, it will examine the opportunities and challenges of a consultant career.

Learning Targets:

The students

• can describe the business model of professional service firms, in particular IT consulting firms,
• can discuss the problems and challenges resulting from an IT consultant's role in client organizations,
• can describe the central business processes of IT consulting firms,
• can compare and discuss alternative approaches to undertaking client engagements, and
• can describe the personality traits of "ideal" consultants, and are able to critically reflect on these requirements.

Outline:

1. Foundations · Terminology · Basic concepts · Types of consulting services · In-house consulting 2. The (IT) consulting industry · Market development, players, and market shares · Fundamental strategies and business models 3. Managing the (IT) Consulting Firms · The consulting firm’s value chain · Important business processes 4. Managing the engagement · Client relationships · The engagement process · Engagement methodologies 5. The Consultant · The profile of the “ideal“ consultant · How to be a good consultant · Job challenges · Work-life balance

Literature:

• Maister, D. H. (1997). Managing the professional service firm, Free Press.
• Meffert, H. and M. Bruhn (2006). Dienstleistungsmarketing – Grundlagen, Konzepte, Methoden. Wiesbaden.
• Weiss, A. (2011). The Consulting Bible: Everything You Need to Know to Create and Expand a Seven-figure Consulting Practice, Wiley.