Independent consultants can usually call themselves just about anything they want to – within reason and good taste, of course.  I’ve usually called myself an IT/PM Consultant.  But I’ve also called myself a Strategic Business Architect, just plain IT Consultant, Process Engineer, and sometimes even a Social Media Marketer.  And you see some individuals call themselves very creative things like “Do’er of all Things Technical” or “In Charge of What’s Next.”



A few months ago an issue of CIO magazine presented a concept of what the new IT consultant will be.  The article was by Rick Swanborg, president of ICEX.   The article was entitled, “IT’s Creative Class” and it discusses how to craft a new generation of IT leaders who are focused on solving business problems.  The author contends that companies are creating positions for hybrid IT professionals who can take leadership roles in devising and executing technology-enabled business ideas.



In this article, Mr. Swanborg decides to refer to these hybrid IT professionals as Business Solution Designers, or BSDs.  He states that these next gen leaders will have these common qualities:



Focus on business capabilities. Not stuck on just functional requirements, these next gen IT leaders will be equally focused on people, process AND technology, not just on the technical solution as has been the focus in the past.  The Business Solution Designer will generate conversations about what is really needed, not just what the business leaders think they want.



Ok, I get this, but as consultants, hasn’t that ALWAYS been our job?  How many times has a customer known exactly what they needed vs. what they wanted?  It’s up to us to dig for the real issue and not just treat the symptom that we were presented with.



Know technology’s limitations. Business Solution Designers will understand that IT can’t work miracles.  They must understand the legacy systems, the limitations, and the current business capabilities.  Again, this is important, but this is also something a good IT consultant must always flesh out as part of the requirements gathering process and the understanding of the business functionality and capability.



Skilled negotiators. Business Solution Designers must be able to work with business leaders to prioritize projects, know which ones to pursue, and make good business decisions about resource usage in pursuing those projects.  They need to be able to help business leaders make tradeoffs as they work to minimize project scope while maximizing value.  Basically, do more with less.  Have we not been tasked with doing this all along?



Curious. Lastly, Mr. Swanborg states that today’s CIOs need IT leaders who can see beyond what’s happening now – see beyond the current system implementation – and understand future needs.  The must be innovators.  Visionaries….  Ok, got it.



I think the article was great – however I think Mr. Swanborg was basically just describing what every good IT consultant needs to be.  Most of these topics above have been characteristics or roles that I’ve already written about as necessary for the successful IT consultant or IT project manager.  I think most of us are already working hard to display these qualities.  I feel that I am.