Understanding Consulting

The consulting industry is an interesting phenomenon. It has grown from almost nothing to a multi-billion dollar portion of the economy in just two decades, growing at an exponential rate every year. This growth shows no signs of stopping any time soon, and will only continue to grow larger as long as it can find new customers for its services. As with most things that are sold these days, consulting services are something you need more than you know.

Consulting is a difficult industry to understand. It exists because people need help with the problems they face in their lives, and they often don't know how to solve those problems by themselves. Consultants are able to provide a service that helps them find solutions for their specific problem or mess.

The consulting industry is also somewhat strange. It's made up of people who are willing to accept almost any problem that customers come to them with, and then solve it for a fee. They don't discriminate based on the type of problem they're solving or even if there is a solution available.

Consultants in the industry are made up of two types: those who provide what is known as 'strategic advice' and those who provide 'operational support'. The distinction between them is determined by the nature of the problem they're solving for their customer. Strategic consultants solve problems that deal with long term planning, where operational ones focus on short-term or day-to-day issues.

The industry itself is split into three sectors based on the kind of work that's done, and how it's done. The first sector is 'strategic consulting', which involves strategic planning for a large organization, often for an entire company or even government agency.

The second sector is 'operational consulting', which involves helping a company run better on a day-to-day basis. This can involve improving efficiency or quality, but it also includes implementing new systems and processes to make the organization more effective. The operational consultants are often called in when there's an issue that has caused the organization to grind to a halt.