Excellent site. for a while I have been a spectator but now i'm going to participate 'cause I have a dilema.Guys, I work as a Consultant (Technology) and I would like to move more towards the busines side of things (i.e. change management, Business transformation etc.). How can i achive this? Role wise i have done quite a lot of tech stuff from development, roll out/implementation, app support,change request. All these roles included client contact in some cases at a high level i.e. requirments definition and in some at a low level simply being an enabler in small change requests. Problem I have is how to make this transition with what I have skill wise. can someone please share their experinece of how they may have acheived this - possibly agencies they used or companies that they applied to. Or simply any tips or advise on how I can achive this. Thanks.

sorry about the typo's..Still any comments please

Well,.. I think it needs to be done in steps. In my case, starting out as an Oracle DBA and SAP Basis consultant, it went like:System Administration/DBA (SAP/Oracle) -> System/Application Development (SAP ABAP) -> Functional Application Specialist (SAP CRM) -> Process Design/Transformation (SAP CRM based) and change managementToday I do a lot of things from project management to process reengineering and change management but I would never have been able to go directly from the IT side to where I am now. So my advice is to get try and get some change management experience from a project where you already master the tech side,.. you might have to "grow" in a tech role that was assigned to you and develop that role towards what it is you want to do.Try and get involved more in defining business requirements, blueprints etc. etc. in a project where you are supposed to deliver only tech expertise,.. people tend to react positively when you assume more responsibility than was originally assigned to you (less work for them). Once you have change management/project management experience from your specific tech field (be it SAP, JAVA or whatever) it is easier to move in to/be assigned that kind of role in another project.And,... yes,... it is probably easier to start of in ERP/CRM since it tends to be pretty close to the business processes of a company.Good luck!

I think that you gave a good answer here. However, it goes beyond simply doing good work and exceeding expectations, since you will be doing this for very technical people. Sometimes, if you can't get into the business side of consulting (i.e. change management, which can include the implementation of a new operating model, M&A, and of technology/process-related work), you might consider an MBA. This can be a great way to change your "label" and gain the credibility to enter the business consulting area. People who start in business consulting often have an advantage over time, as the skills for example in change management/org design are more applicable to great industry and/or strat consulting jobs.

Thanks for the response Ex techie and Change Management Consultant.You both are right in the ways I can go about acheiving this. Thought of the MBA route but finance wise...have to be real with myself..won't happen - what with mortgage and day to day stuff "ahhhh" can't afford to not work (though not ruling it out completely as a vaible path to my goal). Ex. techie's advise is a route that i have considered and I am on a CRM project albeit for the government that is allowing me to improve my skill set. Guess in a way I am impatient but that's just me. I don't know I shall see what happens. What i do know is that i got to make the transition somehow as I feel that would give me better job satisfaction than what I am currently getting...bar my commitments I'd gamble and quit my current role and see if i could get a job where i want but...Anyway shall see how it goes. Dreams ehhh dreams...!Thanks Again

Hi, have You thought of pursuing a career in IT Strategies - for instance McK has so called BTO (Bussiness Technology Office) which's primarily focused on IT strategies, I've heard both BCG and ATK also have some similar groups... Anyway for these positions MBBB like companies are looking for people with strong technical/IT background and with potential to succeed in consulting. I'm based neither in UK or US so I'm not so sure to what extent is my experience applicable to You but... I've got technical background myself (Master's in Electrical Engineering), right after graduation joined one of the ACN's offices in the Middle/Eastern Europe at a graduate position. After three years of work on implementation and transformation projects I got a bit fed up with this content and decided to give the MC a shot. Applied for McK BTO and was offered a Junior Associate position (McK Office in the same region). If You're sure that that's what You want to do and where you want to focus, don't hesitate and just go for it. The worst that can happen is that You'll hear a humble "Thanks for You interest but..." and that's no tragedy, is it?;) Good luck!