Course Description

If you are an external or internal information systems consultant, the Consultancy Practice course is ideal for you. The course covers the key areas concerned with managing the customer relationship, conducting a consulting assignment and assuring the quality of that assignment.

Throughout the course, you will be able to apply standard consulting techniques to a typical assignment, through the following stages: gaining entry, identifying problems and requirements, diagnosis and solution definition, and closing and review. The case study on which this course is built is based on a genuine consultancy assignment.

Target Audience

Business analysts, project leaders, business change managers and anyone involved in internal or external consultancy assignments. Participants on Consultancy Practice include anyone wishing to gain the BCS (ISEB) Practitioner Certificate in Consultancy.

Course Content

• Introduction to the IS Consulting Industry
• Assignment management
• Gaining entry
• Rapport
• Business environment analysis
• Terms of reference
• Communication
• Financial management and the economics of consulting
• Investment appraisal
• Managing expectations
• Proposals and contracts
• Understanding teams
• Stakeholder analysis and management
• Investigation techniques
• Leadership and motivation
• Negotiation and conflict
• Influencing
• Effective presentations
• Diagnosis and solution definition
• Business options and feasibility assessment
• Creative problem solving
• Implementing the solution
• Assignment disengagement and expansion
• Ethics and professional standards in consulting
• Examination preparation and BCS examination

BCS Practitioner Certificate in Consultancy

During this four day course you will receive all the training you need to prepare for the two hour BCS Practitioner Certificate in Consultancy examination. Once you have passed this examination, and if you also hold a specialist foundation-level certification and a specialist practitioner certification, you can attend an oral examination leading to the BCS International Diploma in Consultancy. In terms of personal development, this course is consistent with SFIA skills CNSL and RLMT both at levels 5 and 6.