I'm currently completing the graduate training in technology consulting at the London office and wish to realign to strategy.Does anyone have any experience of realigning within Accenture? What are the possibilities? I am currently weighing up my options as I have an offer to study Entrepreneurship and innovation management at imperial business college which commences before the end of my Accenture training. This features modules which would prepare me for strategy and management consulting, which is the career I have been working towards.Any advice would be great, as I do not intend to discuss this with my boss until all options are mapped out. I love the company, and would regret having to leave.

It is always possible to re-align, but you need to have a business case and discuss with your boss. In your case - if you are actually completing new analyst training in one discipline, it might be trickier to realign as the interview process for Strategy was in my day (although this is well over a decade ago) different. Also, have a think about your motivations for doing strategy and THEN why you want to do strategy at Accenture. It's an overused term in the industry in general, half the young people going for it think it sounds cool but really don't understand what it is, what they will be doing. They simply see Accenture Technology vs Accenture Strategy and have a stereotype attached to either....Then consider Accenture vs MBB - no real comparison and very different visions of what strategy is...Would not recommend going to do Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management if you want to be a management consultant. You'll be doing neither for 90% of your time. Unless you are a budding entrepreneur who wants to get this knowledge for yourself, then all this course will do is give you another 10k of student debt to pay off....Good luck...

Thanks Arby.The masters includes a core set of modules taught on the management MSc, so it wouldn't be irrelevant. Perhaps more relevant than SAP & oracle?As for my reasoning, I've spent time with boutiques working in strategy and hope that will be more than a compelling explanation for my realignment. If anyone has experience of moving between alignments that would still be helpful.

[quote]Thanks Arby.The masters includes a core set of modules taught on the management MSc, so it wouldn't be irrelevant. Perhaps more relevant than SAP & oracle?As for my reasoning, I've spent time with boutiques working in strategy and hope that will be more than a compelling explanation for my realignment. If anyone has experience of moving between alignments that would still be helpful. [/quote]Moving between straightforward alignments like Delivery Centre consulting -> financial services or financial services -> H&PS is easy enough if you're working in the "target" alignment.Strategy is a different kettle of fish and I don't know anyone who has managed it who has tried. Having said that, the new "careers at Accenture" thing is supposed to make it easier.Suggest you talk to your career counselor about it in more detail and get their view/steer (as long as it isn't me!)

Are you just trying to move to Accenture Strategy (the new growth platform) or the actual Business Strategy domain within AS?I know people who have done the latter and it is not easy, principally as a lot of Strategy Analysts are hired during the interview process into Strat anyway.You need the following:1) MD level sponsorship before you start anything2) To sit an interview (even if you are already an employee - sponsorship above needed for this)3) Really, project experience already to complement points 1 and 2.

The Managing Director... a.k.a. Mr Big himself

The Director who manages all the other Directors... the "MD"

[quote]The Director who manages all the other Directors... the "MD"[/quote]They renamed senior executives to MDs a few months back...

Do the Executives go to Executive Bars and drive Executive Cars?

[quote]Do the Executives go to Executive Bars and drive Executive Cars?[/quote]Technically, anyone at manager level or above is an "Executive"I drive a Nissan Qashqai and drink at Wetherspoons.Arby however is quite the flash exec I hear!

Well I wouldn't say flash. It's true to I travel to exotic locations, drive a nice executive car (I get a couple of strategy analysts to polish it at the weekend - they really do a great job on it) and take home a monthly wedge which would choke a dozen donkeys - but flash I am not!

The key to being flash is having great teeth, like Simon Cowell.

Hi,I am set to start with Accenture and have been aligned to the technology side, now Business systems and integration. My preference was for the management consulting side, my aim was for the strategy team, I applied but was not invited to interview and told I could look to reapply after a year in the ACG. I am wondering how different to two streams are in the ACG and whether while in the technology side there is the opportunity to gain exposure with some of the strategy work Accenture is involved in. Or if it would be advised to try and change ACG alignment (if this is even possible).Thanks

[quote]Hi,I am set to start with Accenture and have been aligned to the technology side, now Business systems and integration. My preference was for the management consulting side, my aim was for the strategy team, I applied but was not invited to interview and told I could look to reapply after a year in the ACG. I am wondering how different to two streams are in the ACG and whether while in the technology side there is the opportunity to gain exposure with some of the strategy work Accenture is involved in. Or if it would be advised to try and change ACG alignment (if this is even possible).Thanks[/quote]I'm sorry to be flippant but you knew when you applied that tech consulting was a possibility and the firm has aligned you as such.You just need to knuckle down, do that work, join some communities of practice around the other areas you might want to work in and network with consultants/managers/SMs so you can get allocated to some roles that you think are more "interesting". Given the demand and low bench at the mo it's a seller's market...In the meantime don't ever ever start p*****g off managers who want you to work for them because it's a tech role and that's "not what you want to do"(can you tell I'm having a bad day trying to get someone to come and do a BA role for me out of town?)

Just to enlighten all you wannabe strategists out there on a couple of points:1) Strategy, apart from being one of the most over-used, most irritating words I hear on a daily basis, is astonishingly simple to define. It's simply to help a company focus upon those things that give it, or should give it, a competitive advantage in the market. 2) Accenture is, first and foremost, a technology company. It's business and systems transformation that gives us our volumes and our shareholders returns. Being a technology company does not mean we are geeks sitting in a basement writing computer code. 3) If you start with Accenture with the implied attitude that "technology is not for me - I'm a strategist" you will not only irritate me, but you will miss out on the life blood of Accenture - which is its technology.4) As you progress up the firm - EVERYONE needs to be a strategist. Because being a strategist is what I defined in point (1) - simply having a conversation around what makes and keeps a firm competitive. Whether you present content from the latest cutting edge digital technologies, industry trends or market dynamics - it does not matter. What you should not kid yourself is that because you join Accenture Strategy you will be somehow on hallowed ground - in a bubble advising CxOs, whislt the "geeks" go and do SAP implementations in some far away place. We are a technology company - if you cannot / do not want this "stain" on your CV, then please look elsewhere...And no, this is not sour grapes, I've moved around the company through various entities - including pure MC and technology and industry....

[quote]Just to enlighten all you wannabe strategists out there on a couple of points:1) Strategy, apart from being one of the most over-used, most irritating words I hear on a daily basis, is astonishingly simple to define. It's simply to help a company focus upon those things that give it, or should give it, a competitive advantage in the market. 2) Accenture is, first and foremost, a technology company. It's business and systems transformation that gives us our volumes and our shareholders returns. Being a technology company does not mean we are geeks sitting in a basement writing computer code. 3) If you start with Accenture with the implied attitude that "technology is not for me - I'm a strategist" you will not only irritate me, but you will miss out on the life blood of Accenture - which is its technology.4) As you progress up the firm - EVERYONE needs to be a strategist. Because being a strategist is what I defined in point (1) - simply having a conversation around what makes and keeps a firm competitive. Whether you present content from the latest cutting edge digital technologies, industry trends or market dynamics - it does not matter. What you should not kid yourself is that because you join Accenture Strategy you will be somehow on hallowed ground - in a bubble advising CxOs, whislt the "geeks" go and do SAP implementations in some far away place. We are a technology company - if you cannot / do not want this "stain" on your CV, then please look elsewhere...And no, this is not sour grapes, I've moved around the company through various entities - including pure MC and technology and industry....[/quote]+1000 ArbyI'm writing a strategy at this very moment - of course it's a data migration strategy but I'm sure all the cool kids wish they were doing it!

Make sure you include an Executive Summary that states how many strategms there are within your strategy.

ok,sorry if i phrased it badly, I was trying to establish whether someones alignment would completely define the type of projects available to them. Would I solely be able to do BS&I or would the opportunity arise to become involved with the other type of work Accenture does? including some of the more MC work they do.Thanks

[quote]ok,sorry if i phrased it badly, I was trying to establish whether someones alignment would completely define the type of projects available to them. Would I solely be able to do BS&I or would the opportunity arise to become involved with the other type of work Accenture does? including some of the more MC work they do.Thanks[/quote]If there is a role and you can convince the hiring manager for the role that you're a good fit then you can do whatever you like.As I said, there's little bench at the moment so you can pretty much have your pick and you'll probably find an MC project hiring manager is more than happy to take you, especially if you're keen.Conversely, trying to find someone to come and work out of town to write non functional requirements for a technical implementation is a nightmare and I might well have to get someone MC aligned to do it for me, if I can establish they are keen...

Hi,It is possible to move into Accenture Strategy from TGP.In fact it is possible to move to and from any area, as long as you have a strong business case, supported by a senior enough MD that can make things happen.Gain your experience in your chosen area across a few projects, build the business case and present it to the right senior bod.Ciao

"Gain your experience in your chosen area across a few projects"- any suggestion on timellines before trying to make a move? 6months? A year?

"Gain your experience in your chosen area across a few projects"- any suggestion on timelines (after joining as a BS&I analyst) before trying to make a move? 6months? A year?