Business consultant to business analyst
A business consultant already meets 75% of what the business analyst role asks for. The move turns on 6 required skills not yet in the profile.
32.3/ 100
1 How much of what a business analyst is expected to do is already part of a business consultant’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 analyst role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A business analyst role treats 20 of its required skills as things a business consultant already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on efficiency improvements
- align efforts towards business development
- analyse business plans
- analyse external factors of companies
- analyse financial performance of a company
- analyse internal factors of companies
What stands in the way is 6 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 analyst role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a business consultant 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 identify undetected organisational needs management skills
- already held advise on personnel management communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held business analytics natural sciences, mathematics and statistics
All 39 carried skills, including the 20 the business analyst role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 14 missing skills fall into 8 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 market research required
- still to learn risk management required
- optional, not held investment banking optional
- optional, not held marketing analytics optional
- still to learn digital data processing required
- still to learn use business simulation tools required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- still to learn data visualisation software required
- optional, not held advise on organisational culture optional
- optional, not held propose ICT solutions to business problems optional
- optional, not held support implementation of quality management systems optional
- optional, not held sustainable manufacturing optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a business analyst role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 digital data processing practise this
- 02 use business simulation tools practise this
- 03 data visualisation software study 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 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 business analytics knowledge
- already held business communication 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 financial matters skill
- already held advise on personnel management skill
- already held advise on risk management skill
- 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
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held keep updated on the political landscape optional
- optional, not held shape organisational teams based on competencies optional
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held investment banking optional
- optional, not held advise on organisational culture optional
- optional, not held keep updated on the political landscape optional
- optional, not held marketing analytics optional
- optional, not held propose ICT solutions to business problems optional
- optional, not held shape organisational teams based on competencies optional
- optional, not held support implementation of quality management systems optional
- optional, not held sustainable manufacturing optional
15 held skills the business analyst role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on environmental risk management systems skill
- not needed by the target role advise on sustainability solutions skill
- not needed by the target role analyse business processes skill
- not needed by the target role analyse business requirements skill
- not needed by the target role analyse the context of an organisation skill
- not needed by the target role business incubation knowledge
- not needed by the target role business processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role consultation methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role human resource management knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify processes for re-engineering skill
- not needed by the target role implement a management system skill
- not needed by the target role make data-driven decisions skill
- not needed by the target role operational research knowledge
- not needed by the target role strategic planning knowledge
- not needed by the target role trading software knowledge
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 data visualisation software required
- still to learn market research required
- still to learn risk management required
- still to learn scientific research methodology required
- optional, not held investment banking optional
- optional, not held marketing analytics optional
- optional, not held sustainable manufacturing optional
Common questions about this move
Can a business consultant become a business analyst?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A business consultant already covers 75% of what a business analyst is expected to do: 39 skills carry over, 20 of which the business analyst role treats as required.
What skills does a business consultant need to become a business analyst?
6 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is digital data processing.
How hard is the move from business consultant to business analyst?
Its learning distance is 32.3 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.