Yeshlen Chetty

219095198
ISTN3PS: the IT consultant by Rick Freedman, does it apply today?

With the way the world is moving, IT has become an integral part of business, to the point of
helping with business decisions and achieving business goals using IT. What that means? It
means that the humble IT consultant’s job has changed dramatically from just being about
technology, to becoming more business orientated. Freedman wrote this book in 2000 but
can it still apply to today? Can 20-year-old advice about technology still be relevant today?

One of the first takeaways from the book is that IT consulting has more to do with people
skills than tech knowledge. This statement may seem false until it is dissected fully, software
development expects are in short supply (This is fact) and so are people who have advanced
knowledge on how systems work therefore communication skills are needed to engage with
an audience to teach them about the system. This is called soft skills; they are usually the
skills we do not account for as most consulting companies put emphasis on the software
development. Soft skills have become more valuable as time has progressed with the need
for communication and how it makes any organization run more smoothly. The reason being
is, a person can build a website, its tangible and can be seen but a person who can make a
group of people understand how to use the website is completely different as each time will
be different and unpredictable. There are some companies that value this skill more than
the actual software development as what’s the point of having an amazing website if no one
understands what to do with it. This is becoming more apparent as technology improves but
the average person’s understanding doesn’t keep up. The soft skills are needed more and
more as time moves on (Miranda-Wolff A, 2017)

The author also placed emphasis on the fact that to excel as an information technology (IT)
consultant, you must understand the client. It’s not about the best software but about the
software that fits the best. There are many ways to go about this, but an effective way is to
start with the problems and expectations, we’ll call it step 1, this helps to diagnose the
problems the business is facing as well as provide digital solutions to outdated paper-based
processes. The second step is to find out the goals of the company because sometimes a
company doesn’t need a digital system just to serve a business purpose but also to achieve a
goal and IT can help achieve goals. The third step is to get the business specifics. The only
way to understand the client’s needs is to understand the specifics of their needs. This
information helps build something more tailored to the clients needs as it’s based on exactly
what they need. The last step is to get the industry specifics as no business exist on its own
and have certain regulations, they need to keep up with. This entire process of getting to
know the clients needs tailors a system to them and a best fit system is the most efficient
system for the company. That’s a very important note of the book, no such thing as the best
system but rather the best fit system, that’s how to be a better IT consultant, to understand
the needs of the client. (Grebennikov, 2019)

Another point that Rick has stated is the importance of knowing who the client and why
they have approached your consulting firm. Clients approach consultants for several
reasons: They may lack the technical skills to solve their problems without outside help or
the business experience to apply the tech knowledge they do have, knowing this is vital as it
will provide information in the service you are required to perform as an IT consultant.
Clients lack confidence in their ability to judge and balance options, this is a common reason
for seeking out professionals as firms have a hard time engaging vulnerabilities, weaknesses,
benefits, and strengths. Sometimes clients need help to convince their management team
that a particular solution is needed, so they reach for outside verification. Catering to the
clients needs and purposes for seeking out a consultant firm is vital and very important. This
is ore relevant now as technology has advanced to the point of their needs to be an expert
present for understanding and approval. (Baltzell, 2010)

In a day and age where it all comes down to the bottom line of profit, most think it’s all
about the money and that puts all the emphasis on the product, but a company’s value
doesn’t rely solely on its product. For e.g., a car wash provides the best car service, but their
customer service is horrible as all the workers are rude, but another car wash nearby still
gives a great car wash, but their customer service is amazing, often people would go the
latter option. This can be a mixed bag in the business world and for consultants,
understanding the client and ourselves. The first thing the consultant should make clear is
that the client should value all additional non-monetary benefits that would be derived from
the time spent with a consultant. An example of this would be the staff engagement,
customer satisfaction, company’s image, and reduction to business and operating risks.
Companies should also focus on the customer and making the company look better in the
eyes of the company. Secondly value does not exist on its own but within context. This
means that all clients should think about value by developing and evaluating project’s
requirements, constraints, and the wider environment in which it is being undertaken, as
value doesn’t exist only in the products. Lastly, value can be short, medium, and long term,
they exist at different levels on the client’s organization. All the company’s value should be
cultivated to its optimum. (Ikigai, 2018)

One of the issues Freedman highlighted was that a lot of IT consultants have their own
technology biases. This is different from a preference as most people have them about
technology, their own personal computers and smart phone. When a firm hires an IT
consultant, they are expected to be free of any biases, as the purpose of the external
consultant is that they have nothing to gain. The one Freedman refers to is their
recommendations to their clients for their own technology in their company. Now when
technology biases are applied, they create a lock-in to the vendors ecosystem. The best
vendor for a client is the one that best fits their needs and resources. If a consultant doesn’t
have a good understanding of the clients unique operating environment and has a bias, then
the recommendations for their technology vendors will not fit their needs and this will lead
to the client’s company not running efficiently. IT consultant should remove the temptation
of these biases weather they be incentives, their own vendor that they are trying to bring
into the market or personal biases. (Entech, 2018)

Another major issue mentioned in the book is the lack of business knowledge IT consultants
have, especially because they whole job revolves around finding technical/IT solution to
business problems or goals. One of the IT consultant’s jobs is to diagnose and refine your
business challenges to increase productivity, performance, and lead profit-revenue
generation. This can be difficult if the IT consultant has subpar business knowledge. By using
an extensive business knowledge and combining it with the IT consultant’s tech savvy, you
get more efficient software being developed. Currently, with technology and business being
so close and interwoven, both being dependent on each other. An IT consultant needs to be
versatile in 2021, the conditions to do his/her job changes every year as the avengement’s
of technology continues to grow every year. A strong business savvy will help their clients
get better advice and make their business goals closer if not being achieved. (GB Tech, 2018)

Freedman wrote an amazing book for its time. He made a good point of the IT consultant
involving more people skills than tech knowledge, this helps people understand the system
and their needs in a more methodical way. The emphasis he placed on understanding the
clients needs more will make an IT consultant better is a wise point and shows his
experience of being in the industry after all these years. His book is still relevant and applies
today even more. The landscape of the business world has become interwoven with
business policy and technology and Freedman’s book is the perfect whetstone to create the
sharpest IT consultant.
List of references
Baltzell, A., 2010. Who is My Client?. [online] Bu.edu. Available at:
<http://www.bu.edu/wheelock/files/2010/10/AASP-Newsletter-Ethics-Summer-2010.pdf>
[Accessed 22 October 2021].

Grebennikov, M., 2019. Understanding Client Needs and Business - Digiteum. [online] Digiteum.
Available at: <https://www.digiteum.com/understanding-client-needs/> [Accessed 22 October
2021].

Ikigai Consulting. 2018. Creating Value For Our Clients. [online] Available at:
<https://www.ikigaiconsulting.com/insights/creating-value-for-our-clients> [Accessed 22 October
2021].

Miranda-Wolff, A., 2017. Here’s Why Soft Skills Are More Important Than Technical Skills. [online]
Medium. Available at: <https://alidamw.medium.com/heres-why-soft-skills-are-more-important-
than-technical-skills-6a1a5ea5540a> [Accessed 22 October 2021].

Tech, G., 2018. What Can IT Consultants Do for Businesses?. [online] GB Tech. Available at:
<https://www.gbtech.net/what-can-it-consultants-do-for-businesses/> [Accessed 22 October
2021].