A few points differentiate the job of technical consultant from the functional consultant in the IT field.
Technical consultant: technical support for the project
Technical consultants are responsible for defining and designing technical solutions on behalf of end-user customers. He contributes to the construction phase of the IT solution upstream and downstream of the project. It often has technical titles: technical expert, business consultant.
Construction of the offer
The technical consultant ensures a technological watch in his field of specialization. It identifies the right technology partners to make a complementary contribution to the company.
Participation in pre-sales
It is involved in the phases prior to the signing of contracts. In his competence, the technical consultant brings to the customer his expertise. It provides the technical input for drafting the response to the call for tenders and selecting the solution.
Performing audits
In his intervention, the technical consultant performs technical audits that allow to analyze the existing IT tree to build the project. He is the customer’s Council in the choice of software infrastructures.
Participation in the development of the project
The technical consultant participates in several ways in the development of the IT project. Indeed, he develops the IT solution, configures it, interfaces it with the customer’s existing solutions if necessary, guarantees the performance of the new applications, manages the version upgrades and updates among others.
Functional consultant: support for the operation of the project
The functional consultant supports the business in its modernization and technological development process.
Functional and organizational audit
It determines the key contacts and actors of the project. The functional consultant conducts an audit of the business processes in place and existing software solutions. It is responsible for defining the impact and technological risks of implementing a new solution on the company’s operations.
Realization of the specifications and selection of the service providers
In addition to setting the scope and objectives of the project, he/she will be in charge of gathering the functional requirements from the department. He writes the functional specifications. The functional consultant participates in formalizing the contract and quality assurance plans. It engages the choice of providers and the appropriate software solution.
The differences in training between technical and functional consultants
The technical consultant and the functional consultant do not have the same work methodology. They use different tools in the field of their activity. In the field, the technical consultant often works in the back office and the functional consultant in the front office with the client. These two consultants complement each other, but are not paid the same.
The qualifications required for these two types of profiles are often as follows:
- Technical consultant: Engineering school (IT, telecoms, generalist) / DESS / DEA in IT / Bac+4 diploma in IT.
- Functional consultant: Degree in management, finance, accounting, HR (depending on the targeted job) / Business school / Engineering school.
Join a great place to work
Your career at SQORUS is more than just a job, it’s an opportunity to grow professionally and personally in an environment where individual development contributes to the growth of the whole.
