Consulting 101 - Roles of a Business Analyst/Associate Consultant

Consultants….rarely dress up like this (only when meeting the client)

One of the most attractive things about consulting is the fact that the role of each person in a project/engagement needs to be clearly defined, that role being fulfilled efficiently can lead to a lot of synergy in the project, and also give a chance at having a good work-life balance. However, this is not always the case, as despite the roles being defined, there is always the issue of capability, and perhaps also the possible issue of simple ‘fit’ with your team members. It’s a great opportunity in that you get to work with so many different people, and you can obtain a much clearer view into your own work style, and the strengths and weaknesses you may bring to the table whenever you launch a new project.

For this post, I wanted to delineate some basic differences between the roles of a junior and a senior consultant (Some firms have the titles Business Analyst & Senior Business Analyst, while others have Associate Consultant & Consultant - these ‘titles’ tend to change every so often, but the gist is still the same) . Sometimes, the responsibilities are not so clearly separated, and depending on the project, and also the available workforce at that particular time, the role you have to fulfill may be different from the actual title you may hold at the firm. Nonetheless, it helps to have a picture - vague as it may be - of what each person, with their titles need to be doing to keep the train rolling, and for any project not to spiral down. It is, of course, a Partner or Principal’s responsibility to allocate resources in a manner in which the success of a project is somewhat guaranteed, according to the level of difficulty or expertise that is may require. However, as a rule of thumb, you are never given an optimal set of resources, but generally always the bare minimum to survive a project (at least in my experience) mostly because 1) that improves the profitability of the project, and 2) you can direct resources elsewhere, if there are additional opportunities for sales.

PPT Juice

For what it’s worth, at least every consultant I know has some crazy stories about drinking. This is a photo after getting off work during a Due Diligence project at 4 am. We somehow find that extra energy for a drink. I tend to stick to to whiskey (during week days) so my head doesn’t hurt as much the next day….

So, for now, here are the general R&R for the junior levels at consulting, mostly from my point of view:

ROLES OF A BUSINESS ANALYST/ASSOCIATE CONSULTANT

Responsibilities

Generally, a business analyst assumes the role of a sub-module leader,  and assists the module leader in solving an issue, and helps provide sufficient research and analysis for the fulfilment of the module. In terms of ppt slides, BAs generally work on a slide-by-slide basis, meaning that the module leader/PM would hold the master of the slide deck of the module, and the BA would be allocated a certain portion of the work to carry out. A BA should be able to craft an entire PPT slide from start to finish, but in the beginning may require some guidance from a senior or the PM on slide layout, writing, and construction of an argument. The same goes for working on a excel doc, whether it be financial modelling or conducting numerical analysis. A BA should be able to understand what the sufficient/required data is for a particular analysis, and be able to hand in a excel file to anyone in a manner that the work is verifiable and logically sound. An acceptable pace of work would be 3 hours per slide (from start to finish), but most BAs take way longer than needed, especially at the beginning, but can get ramped up to churning out slides at perhaps 1 slide per hour, when sufficiently improved.  Oh, and please don’t make any basic rookie mistakes when it comes ppt or excel. That means, at the very minimum, all text boxes, objects should be correctly aligned accordingly the PM’s initial draft, and logicality should be a skill to improve during this time in regards to slide writing.

When interviews are required, BAs should be entrusted mostly with the construction of the questionnaire, and organizing the interview notes (sounds way easier than it actually is), and if entrusted by the module leader, should be able to conduct an expert/client interview by him/herself when needed. Nonetheless, generally the module leader, or senior consultant should be the lead in conducting interviews.

And most obviously, a lot of the administrative tasks falls upon the junior consultant. That could range from keeping tabs on the schedule and meetings (when you have 6 back-to-back meetings scheduled, things can get really hectic and messy), and also updating the excel file of the expert interview list, and keeping tabs on the interview budget (The team’s expense budget is managed by the PM).

Problem Solving/Analysis

Some related information with the responsibilities above, but the BA definitely has a safety net, in that every piece of work needs to be verified and checked by a senior. The BA generally does not write the head message for the slide, nor the summary slides. Therefore, there are many instances in which a BA may not be fully aligned with the team, simply because he/she may not have the sufficient capacity to keep up with the pace of how the storyline is changing, and the understanding the appropriate level of analysis that is required for each task. Aspire to be a module leader, and it is integral that the BA develops a keen sense of ownership for each of the slides that are produced.

Communication

One of the best lessons that I was taught when I was junior, was that the best way to survive as a BA is to never give unprecedented surprises to your PM. Communication about your own work ability, and the expected timeframe and analysis you think you may require, needs to be communicated effectively to the PM. You can’t go about expecting to finish your assigned 5 slides within 10 hours, and end up giving 4 after the promised time. Always give the PM a sense of control and comfort around the progress of your work, and understand the subtleties of how the project is developing. That principle also applies in regards to analysis, as I’ve experienced multiple instances where a BA wrongly interpreted the storyline of the module, and ending up concocting a completely different slide that what was necessary. Any time an unexpected ‘surprise’ or mistake pops up, understanding that it is now the Senior consultant’s baggage, and that ‘covering’ up may delay the progress of the project, and also harm the quality of the work as well. Basically, let’s try to minimize the screw ups as a BA. Mistakes are part of the game, and everyone understands that there is a learning curve in consulting; just make sure that everyone in the team understands where you stay on that curve, and how much assistance (or not) you will need to successfully complete your task.

Just make sure that the habits you inculcate as a BA are sound and productive. In my personal view, it seems each consultant's style/personality (i.e. the style of slides, the writing, the analysis) seem to really form during your time as a junior, so unless you don't know want to go through a hard time as you go up the ladder, buckle up and embrace the suck.

I'll post on the roles of the Senior Business Analyst soon!