Business analyst to business consultant
A business analyst already meets 73% of what the business consultant role asks for. The move turns on 7 required skills not yet in the profile.
34.3/ 100
1 How much of what a business consultant is expected to do is already part of a business analyst’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the business consultant role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A business consultant role treats 20 of its required skills as things a business analyst already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on efficiency improvements
- advise on financial matters
- advise on personnel management
- align efforts towards business development
- analyse business plans
- analyse external factors of companies
What stands in the way is 7 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 39 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A business consultant role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a business analyst background worth leading with.
- already held management systems standards business, administration and law
- already held market entry strategies business, administration and law
- already held organisational learning business, administration and law
- already held advise on personnel management communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held identify undetected organisational needs management skills
- already held business analytics natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 39 carried skills, including the 20 the business consultant role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 15 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn consultation methods required
- still to learn business processes required
- still to learn operational research required
- still to learn strategic planning required
- optional, not held business incubation optional
- optional, not held human resource management optional
- still to learn analyse business processes required
- still to learn analyse business requirements required
- still to learn analyse the context of an organisation required
- optional, not held advise on environmental risk management systems optional
- optional, not held make data-driven decisions optional
- optional, not held identify processes for re-engineering optional
- optional, not held implement a management system optional
- optional, not held advise on sustainability solutions optional
- optional, not held trading software optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a business consultant role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 consultation methods study this
- 02 analyse business processes practise this
- 03 analyse business requirements practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 39 skills that carry over
- already held advise on efficiency improvements skill
- already held advise on financial matters skill
- already held advise on personnel management skill
- already held align efforts towards business development skill
- already held analyse business plans skill
- already held analyse external factors of companies skill
- already held analyse financial performance of a company skill
- already held analyse internal factors of companies skill
- already held apply change management skill
- already held build business relationships skill
- already held business analysis knowledge
- already held conduct qualitative research skill
- already held conduct quantitative research skill
- already held identify undetected organisational needs skill
- already held interpret financial statements skill
- already held liaise with managers skill
- already held make strategic business decisions skill
- already held management consulting knowledge
- already held management systems standards knowledge
- already held perform business analysis skill
- already held advise client on technical possibilities skill
- already held advise on communication strategies skill
- already held advise on risk management skill
- already held business analytics knowledge
- already held business communication knowledge
- already held business intelligence knowledge
- already held business law knowledge
- already held business process modelling knowledge
- already held business strategy concepts knowledge
- already held corporate law knowledge
- already held define organisational standards skill
- already held financial statements knowledge
- already held interview people skill
- already held market entry strategies knowledge
- already held organisational learning knowledge
- already held organisational policies knowledge
- already held quality standards knowledge
- already held report analysis results skill
- already held seek innovation in current practices skill
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held trading software optional
- optional, not held advise on environmental risk management systems optional
- optional, not held advise on sustainability solutions optional
- optional, not held business incubation optional
- optional, not held human resource management optional
- optional, not held identify processes for re-engineering optional
- optional, not held implement a management system optional
- optional, not held make data-driven decisions optional
14 held skills the business consultant role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on organisational culture skill
- not needed by the target role data visualisation software knowledge
- not needed by the target role digital data processing skill
- not needed by the target role investment banking knowledge
- not needed by the target role keep updated on the political landscape skill
- not needed by the target role market research knowledge
- not needed by the target role marketing analytics knowledge
- not needed by the target role propose ICT solutions to business problems skill
- not needed by the target role risk management knowledge
- not needed by the target role scientific research methodology knowledge
- not needed by the target role shape organisational teams based on competencies skill
- not needed by the target role support implementation of quality management systems skill
- not needed by the target role sustainable manufacturing knowledge
- not needed by the target role use business simulation tools skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn consultation methods required
- still to learn business processes required
- still to learn operational research required
- still to learn strategic planning required
- optional, not held trading software optional
- optional, not held business incubation optional
- optional, not held human resource management optional
Other moves recorded from business analyst
- venture capitalist 32% covered · substantial
- business intelligence manager 26% covered · career change
- financial risk manager 25% covered · career change
- financial analyst 25% covered · career change
- investor relations manager 24% covered · career change
- chief operating officer 23% covered · career change
- occupational analyst 22% covered · career change
- audit supervisor 22% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can a business analyst become a business consultant?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A business analyst already covers 73% of what a business consultant is expected to do: 39 skills carry over, 20 of which the business consultant role treats as required.
What skills does a business analyst need to become a business consultant?
7 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is consultation methods.
How hard is the move from business analyst to business consultant?
Its learning distance is 34.3 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.