RecordMove

Lean manager to business consultant

A lean manager already meets 22% of what the business consultant role asks for. The move turns on 20 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From lean manager

Distant match

To business consultant

10 You already bring

20 Still to learn

54 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance A rebuild

79.9/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what a business consultant is expected to do is already part of a lean manager’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

Why this move works

A business consultant role treats 7 of its required skills as things a lean manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

advise on efficiency improvements
analyse business plans
analyse business processes
analyse internal factors of companies
apply change management
liaise with managers

What stands in the way is 20 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 10 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 lean manager background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held identify processes for re-engineering management skills
already held define organisational standards management skills
already held make data-driven decisions information skills
already held management consulting business, administration and law
already held analyse business processes information skills
already held advise on efficiency improvements communication, collaboration and creativity

All 10 carried skills, including the 7 the business consultant role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 44 missing skills fall into 7 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 information skills 8 required, 4 supplementary

still to learn analyse business requirements required
still to learn analyse external factors of companies required
still to learn analyse financial performance of a company required
still to learn analyse the context of an organisation required
still to learn conduct qualitative research required
still to learn conduct quantitative research required
still to learn interpret financial statements required
still to learn perform business analysis required

optional, not held advise on environmental risk management systems optional
optional, not held advise on risk management optional
optional, not held report analysis results optional
optional, not held seek innovation in current practices optional

02 business, administration and law 6 required, 12 supplementary

still to learn consultation methods required
still to learn management systems standards required
still to learn business analysis required
still to learn business processes required
still to learn operational research required
still to learn strategic planning required

optional, not held organisational learning optional
optional, not held business process modelling optional
optional, not held organisational policies optional
optional, not held business incubation optional
optional, not held business intelligence optional
optional, not held business law optional
optional, not held business strategy concepts optional
optional, not held corporate law optional
optional, not held financial statements optional
optional, not held human resource management optional
optional, not held market entry strategies optional
optional, not held quality standards optional

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 4 required, 4 supplementary

still to learn advise on financial matters required
still to learn advise on personnel management required
still to learn align efforts towards business development required
still to learn build business relationships required

optional, not held interview people optional
optional, not held advise client on technical possibilities optional
optional, not held advise on communication strategies optional
optional, not held advise on sustainability solutions optional

04 management skills 2 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn identify undetected organisational needs required
still to learn make strategic business decisions required

optional, not held implement a management system optional

05 generic programmes and qualifications 1 supplementary

optional, not held business communication optional

06 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 supplementary

optional, not held trading software optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

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.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 10 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held advise on efficiency improvements skill
already held analyse business plans skill
already held analyse business processes skill
already held analyse internal factors of companies skill
already held apply change management skill
already held liaise with managers skill
already held management consulting knowledge
already held define organisational standards skill
already held identify processes for re-engineering skill
already held make data-driven decisions skill

The 1 learning area not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 1 supplementary

optional, not held business analytics optional

24 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held organisational learning optional
optional, not held business analytics optional
optional, not held business process modelling optional
optional, not held interview people optional
optional, not held organisational policies optional
optional, not held trading software optional
optional, not held advise client on technical possibilities optional
optional, not held advise on communication strategies optional
optional, not held advise on environmental risk management systems optional
optional, not held advise on risk management optional
optional, not held advise on sustainability solutions optional
optional, not held business communication optional
optional, not held business incubation optional
optional, not held business intelligence optional
optional, not held business law optional
optional, not held business strategy concepts optional
optional, not held corporate law optional
optional, not held financial statements optional
optional, not held human resource management optional
optional, not held implement a management system optional
optional, not held market entry strategies optional
optional, not held quality standards optional
optional, not held report analysis results optional
optional, not held seek innovation in current practices optional

46 held skills the business consultant role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role 5S methodology knowledge
not needed by the target role Agile project management knowledge
not needed by the target role SMED knowledge
not needed by the target role accounting knowledge
not needed by the target role act reliably skill
not needed by the target role adjust priorities skill
not needed by the target role analyse production processes for improvement skill
not needed by the target role assess quality of services skill
not needed by the target role consult information sources skill
not needed by the target role consumer goods industry knowledge
not needed by the target role continuous improvement philosophies knowledge
not needed by the target role create a work atmosphere of continuous improvement skill
not needed by the target role develop corporate training programmes skill
not needed by the target role hire human resources skill
not needed by the target role hoshin kanri strategic planning knowledge
not needed by the target role identify necessary human resources skill
not needed by the target role identify process improvements skill
not needed by the target role industrial research and development knowledge
not needed by the target role international business knowledge
not needed by the target role lead process optimisation skill
not needed by the target role leadership principles knowledge
not needed by the target role lean manufacturing knowledge
not needed by the target role logistics knowledge
not needed by the target role manage a team skill
not needed by the target role manage corrective actions skill
not needed by the target role manage medium term objectives skill
not needed by the target role manage personal professional development skill
not needed by the target role manage production changeovers skill
not needed by the target role manage resources skill
not needed by the target role mass customisation knowledge
not needed by the target role motivate employees skill
not needed by the target role operations management knowledge
not needed by the target role perform data analysis skill
not needed by the target role production engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role production processes knowledge
not needed by the target role project management knowledge
not needed by the target role report on overall management of a business skill
not needed by the target role revise quality control systems documentation skill
not needed by the target role root cause analysis knowledge
not needed by the target role schedule production skill

6 further entries not listed here

21 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier

still to learn consultation methods required
still to learn management systems standards required
still to learn business analysis required
still to learn business processes required
still to learn operational research required
still to learn strategic planning required
optional, not held organisational learning optional
optional, not held business analytics optional
optional, not held business process modelling optional
optional, not held organisational policies optional
optional, not held trading software optional
optional, not held business communication optional
optional, not held business incubation optional
optional, not held business intelligence optional
optional, not held business law optional
optional, not held business strategy concepts optional
optional, not held corporate law optional
optional, not held financial statements optional
optional, not held human resource management optional
optional, not held market entry strategies optional
optional, not held quality standards optional

Index

Other moves recorded from lean manager

Full index of moves from lean manager

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a lean manager become a business consultant?

Yes, and it is a career change move. A lean manager already covers 22% of what a business consultant is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 7 of which the business consultant role treats as required.

What skills does a lean manager need to become a business consultant?

20 required skills are missing, plus 24 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is consultation methods.

How hard is the move from lean manager to business consultant?

Its learning distance is 79.9 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.