Quantity surveyor to cost analyst
A quantity surveyor already meets 23% of what the cost analyst role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.
71.1/ 100
1 How much of what a cost analyst is expected to do is already part of a quantity surveyor’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 cost analyst role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A cost analyst role treats 4 of its required skills as things a quantity surveyor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- control of expenses
- cost management
- perform cost accounting activities
- provide cost benefit analysis reports
What stands in the way is 9 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 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A cost analyst role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a quantity surveyor background worth leading with.
- already held perform cost accounting activities management skills
- already held carry out tendering management skills
- already held control of expenses information skills
- already held provide cost benefit analysis reports information skills
- already held cost management business, administration and law
- already held manage budgets management skills
All 6 carried skills, including the 4 the cost analyst role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 4 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 assess financial viability required
- still to learn interpret financial statements required
- still to learn prepare cost-plus pricing models required
- still to learn synthesise financial information required
- optional, not held create a financial report optional
- optional, not held analyse financial performance of a company optional
- optional, not held analyse financial risk optional
- optional, not held analyse transportation costs optional
- optional, not held calculate production costs optional
- optional, not held execute analytical mathematical calculations optional
- optional, not held manage payroll reports optional
- optional, not held prepare financial statements optional
- still to learn company policies required
- still to learn financial department processes required
- still to learn liquidity management required
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- still to learn identify process improvements required
- still to learn evaluate budgets required
- optional, not held manage inventory optional
- optional, not held support development of annual budget optional
- optional, not held create a financial plan optional
- optional, not held enforce financial policies optional
- optional, not held exert expenditure control optional
- optional, not held explain accounting records optional
- optional, not held advise on tax planning optional
- optional, not held disseminate information on tax legislation optional
- optional, not held negotiate supplier arrangements optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a cost analyst role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 company policies study this
- 02 financial department processes study this
- 03 identify process improvements 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 6 skills that carry over
- already held control of expenses skill
- already held cost management knowledge
- already held perform cost accounting activities skill
- already held provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
- already held carry out tendering skill
- already held manage budgets skill
18 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held create a financial report optional
- optional, not held manage inventory optional
- optional, not held support development of annual budget optional
- optional, not held advise on tax planning optional
- optional, not held analyse financial performance of a company optional
- optional, not held analyse financial risk optional
- optional, not held analyse transportation costs optional
- optional, not held calculate production costs optional
- optional, not held create a financial plan optional
- optional, not held disseminate information on tax legislation optional
- optional, not held enforce financial policies optional
- optional, not held execute analytical mathematical calculations optional
- optional, not held exert expenditure control optional
- optional, not held explain accounting records optional
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
- optional, not held manage payroll reports optional
- optional, not held negotiate supplier arrangements optional
- optional, not held prepare financial statements optional
35 held skills the cost analyst role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Monte Carlo simulation knowledge
- not needed by the target role advise architects skill
- not needed by the target role advise on construction materials skill
- not needed by the target role advise on risk management skill
- not needed by the target role audit contractors skill
- not needed by the target role building codes knowledge
- not needed by the target role building construction principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role calculate needs for construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role check construction compliance skill
- not needed by the target role civil engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role civil law knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate with construction crews skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role construction industry knowledge
- not needed by the target role contract law knowledge
- not needed by the target role coordinate construction activities skill
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with construction project deadline skill
- not needed by the target role estimate profitability skill
- not needed by the target role finish project within budget skill
- not needed by the target role follow the statutory obligations skill
- not needed by the target role identify customer objectives skill
- not needed by the target role keep records of work progress skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with financiers skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role monitor construction site skill
- not needed by the target role monitor contractor performance skill
- not needed by the target role monitor parameters' compliance in construction projects skill
- not needed by the target role order construction supplies skill
- not needed by the target role oversee construction project skill
- not needed by the target role prepare construction documents skill
- not needed by the target role project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role quantity surveying knowledge
- not needed by the target role real estate market knowledge
- not needed by the target role urban planning law knowledge
4 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 company policies required
- still to learn financial department processes required
- still to learn liquidity management required
- optional, not held financial forecasting optional
Other moves recorded from quantity surveyor
- construction general contractor 57% covered · moderate
- construction manager 43% covered · substantial
- property developer 33% covered · substantial
- installation engineer 25% covered · substantial
- contract engineer 25% covered · substantial
- construction general supervisor 24% covered · career change
- civil engineering technician 22% covered · career change
- construction engineer 20% covered · career change
Common questions about this move
Can a quantity surveyor become a cost analyst?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A quantity surveyor already covers 23% of what a cost analyst is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 4 of which the cost analyst role treats as required.
What skills does a quantity surveyor need to become a cost analyst?
9 required skills are missing, plus 18 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is company policies.
How hard is the move from quantity surveyor to cost analyst?
Its learning distance is 71.1 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.