Fasset Management Consultant
Learnership Project
Results of Gap Analysis
29 October 2002
Project Approach
 Field research - Interviews conducted with a number of
organisations, including:






Large consulting firms
Medium consulting firms
Small consulting firms
Clients of consulting firms
Professional bodies within the sector
Training providers
 Desktop research – Extensive literature review was conducted
included:
 Training and development best practices
 Management consulting competency models
Approach for identifying skills
requirements
Client – consultant
relationship framework
Consulting Competencies
Link to unit standards
Consulting skills
framework
Usm 02
Promote
management
consultancy
services
Usm 07
Build relationships
and maintain key
accounts
Implementation
Usm 03
Monitor and
manage recovery
and utilisation
Support
Usm 04
Conduct
consulting market
analyses and
establish
company brand
Marketing & Public
Relations Activities
Client Enquiry or
Request to Serve
Evaluation and Report
Usm 10
Develop
management
consulting
methodologies
Regular Pre-planned
Feedback & Monitoring
Initial Meeting &
Face to Face Selling
Usm 05
Conduct analysis
for proposal
development
Usm 06
Produce
consulting
proposals
Needs Analysis &
Problem
Identification
Continued or
Amended Activity
Usm 11
Manage and
develop people in
a professional
services practice
Activity
Usm 08
Analyse and
design business
processes
Usm 09
Facilitate change
management
processes
Contract
Specific Proposal
Usm 01
Manage change
in a project
Modification &
Negotiation
Management Consulting competence
The competencies typically required of a management consultant
can be grouped into four broad categories.
Professional
Competence
Managerial
Competence
•
•
•
•
•
Planning
Organising
Leading
Controlling
Directing
Entrepreneurial
Competence
• Commercial Awareness
• Action Orientation
• Strategic
•
•
•
•
Specialist Knowledge
Problem Solving & Analysis
Oral Communication
Written Communication
Behavioural
Competence
• Interpersonal Sensitivity
• Resilience
• Personal Motivation
Training and development
Any skills development initiatives within the management consulting
sector should incorporate:
• A competency based approach,
which allows for a suitable degree
of on the job assessment, should
be adopted; and
• Appropriate training delivery media
need to be selected to facilitate
learning in the areas of knowledge,
skills and attitude, thereby
contributing to the overall
achievement of the desired
outcomes and standards.
Summary of findings
 No significant gaps between SA practices and best practices
 Notable differences between large, medium and small firms
 Human Resource Development is a strategic focus within all
firms
 Skills retention is not as large a problem as expected
 In large firms there are highly structured career paths and
learning pathways whilst this tends not to be the case in the
smaller firms
 Training vehicles sufficient - range from very good to very poor
 Only international firms make use of international training
resources
Summary of findings cont.
 Four to five days training is offered at all levels per person per
year
 There are no formal methods of assessment or for deeming
competence
 Wide range of views around the skills requirements of
management consultants – most agree technical skills are
satisfactory
 Prediminantly the large firms will be recruiting within the next
twelve months
 Do not experience great difficulty in finding appropriately skilled
personnel
 Only when a firm is specifically looking for PDI recruits is there
is an extreme shortage.
 Most firms predict that training costs will escalate
Opportunities and Challenges
 Accessibility
 Different fields of consulting
 Structured workplace components to ensure specific
experiences and competence are gained;
 Recognition of prior learning through workplace assessment;
 Flexibility in the choice of delivery mechanisms;
 Flexibility in the choice of standards in the culmination of a
nationally recognised qualification;
 Financial incentives through FASSET and SARS;
 Opportunities to retain talent including PDIs through structured
skills interventions; and
 Opportunities to take on new entrants in a learnership
agreement with no obligation to employ the person at the
completion of the learnership.
Thank you!
Gap Analysis Report to follow….