Operational business consulting is a field of management consulting that focuses on improving processes, supply chain, and operations. It is estimated to be worth around $70 billion and has been growing in recent years.

As an operational business consultant, you help clients achieve their strategic goals through the implementation of process improvements and strategies that will improve productivity and efficiency. You also help them develop strategies for improving their overall market share and competitive advantage.

Requirements

Operations business consultants provide services that help businesses assess internal workflow, processes and procedures with the goal of improving operational effectiveness. They also develop new strategies and methods for a client’s business.

To become an operational business consultant, you need a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field. Options include business administration, management science or information technology.

You may also choose to earn a master’s degree in a similar field. In addition to your education, you need a wide range of skills, including data analysis and company management software expertise.

As an operational business consultant, you advise senior management in leading corporations and government organizations on major organizational and operational business decisions. You have a variety of responsibilities, including participating in think tanks, performing complex analyses, conducting interviews with key figures, and assisting with process re-design and change implementation.

Qualifications

Operational business consulting is a vital component of any firm that wants to grow. It involves working with businesses to identify issues and offer solutions that will boost their revenue.

An operations consultant will evaluate the workflow, procedures, and organizational structure of a company before offering suggestions for how to improve those aspects. Often, this process can take weeks or even months.

The qualifications needed to become an operations consultant vary by industry and consulting firm, but generally include a bachelor’s degree in business administration, management science, or statistics. When working as a freelancer, a master’s degree may also be necessary.

Experience

Operational business consulting differs from strategy in that it focuses on boosting the internal operations of a client’s value chain, which is the collection of activities performed to generate sales and profits. This means that operational consultants must be busily engaged at every stage of the value chain, engineering business model transformations across functional dimensions to deliver the desired outcomes for their clients.

As an operational consultant, you are responsible for advising clients on the changes that must be made to their operating models, processes and management systems. You also oversee implementation of the changes that have been determined to be necessary.

Typical projects in this field focus on improving the efficiency of business processes, such as those involving sales, sourcing, procurement and logistics. Some consultants specialize in particular areas, such as organizational management or marketing, and others offer services across a range of operational disciplines.

Training

Operations consulting is an industry that can be a great career choice for people who want to help companies improve their business processes. These consultants use key business data to identify where an organization’s processes can be improved, and then recommend ways to streamline them to better serve the company.

Business operations consultants work with clients to develop new strategies that will increase their productivity. They also help them implement changes to existing processes so that they can get the most out of their resources.

They can also save their clients time and money by finding ways to cut down on costs. For example, if they notice that a company is spending too much on labor or materials, they can suggest ways to reduce these costs and ensure that the business is running at its best.

Unlike strategy, which is largely dependent on clients’ appetite for growth, operational efficiency must be embedded in every aspect of a company’s operations. This means that business operations consultants are able to provide clients with blueprints for more effective internal operating models, management systems and functional business processes, regardless of the broader economy’s situation.