Consulting (in Project Management)

is that a profession?

COMMENTARY

By Angelica Larios

Mexico City, Mexico

Despite having spent the last twenty-one years of my life living in the consulting business, I still have trouble explaining what I do for a living. Weirdly, so many companies and professionals worldwide exist and make a living based on their knowledge and professional services, best known as consulting. Still, when you try to find schools teaching, classes, courses about what consulting is, job offering and vacancies, or even to explain to your family, friends or convince a customer, it becomes challenging.

But what is consulting?

The consulting practice is sometimes hard to understand as a profession, and preparing resources for this job becomes thought-provoking. Consulting’s “ultimate goal is to solve the client’s business problems” (Stroh, 2007). According to Stroh (2007), a consultant is “someone who either advises a client on the desirability of taking some action or assists the client in making a decision and then helps the client plan or implement action as determined by the client.” It becomes relevant to understand that consultants can act either internally or externally to the client of the consulting process. In either case, consultants are either perceived as “experts” or “facilitators.”

According to Block (2011), a consultant is a “person in a position to have some influence over an individual, a group, or an organizational but has no direct power to make changes or implement programs.” For a consultant, it is relevant to develop specific technical, interpersonal, and consulting per se to become professional in this business area. Block identifies a five phases consulting process that occurs in a sequential way, such as:

• Entry and Contracting
• Discovery and Dialogue
• Analysis and the Decision to Act
• Engagement and Implementation
• Extension, Recycle, or Termination

Up to here, consulting (besides being a way of living or developing a career path) is offering professional services in a field in which you are an expert. You can solve your customers’ problems, evaluate their situation, and give recommendations for improving their current status. However, one relevant aspect is to be professional, and here there is a path to go.

Professionalism

During my experience as a project manager working in different companies and now as an entrepreneur with my own company, professionalism with the employees is vital. It is tough to develop and generate; however, it is crucial for any organization dedicated to offering professional services to achieve this goal.

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How to cite this article: Larios, A. (2020).  Consulting (in Project Management), is that a profession? PM World Journal, Vol. X, Issue VIII, August. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/pmwj108-Aug2021-Larios-consulting-is-that-a-profession.pdf

About the Author

Angelica Larios

Mexico City, Mexico

Angelica Larios, MBA, PMP, is a project manager with more than 20 years of experience in implementing software projects related to business intelligence, planning and budgeting, and financial consolidation solutions based on software applications to support the business decision process. She is the owner of ALACONTEC, an I.T. consulting company founded in Latin America. She has held several professional positions in private and public organizations, such as the Health Ministry in Mexico as an I.T. director and a business manager for several Mexican firms.

She holds a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the National University of Mexico (UNAM) in addition to her studies in project management and her Project Management Professional (PMP)® certification, which have helped her to consolidate her career and have a better understanding of what businesses and projects need nowadays. She is a doctoral candidate in strategic leadership at Regent University, VA; she is a volunteer since 2007, starting in the local Mexico chapter, being Past President and in several positions within PMI (CMAG, BVAC), and currently serves on the Ethics Member Advisory Group (EMAG) that supports the PMI Global Operations (2018–2020). Angelica has been elected as member of BOD of the ILA (International Leadership Association) (2021-2024).

Angelica can be contacted at angelica.larios@gmail.com

To view other works by Angelica Larios, visit her author showcase in the PM World Library at https://pmworldlibrary.net/authors/angelica-larios/.