What Does a Functional Consultant Do?

When a business wants to make changes to its computer software, it will often enlist the services of a functional consultant. These individuals oversee the entire process of software changes from beginning to end. While the types of businesses that a functional consultant may work with can vary, the fundamental job duties are relatively similar. These include analyzing a business's current computer software, brainstorming potential changes, discussing those changes with business managers, planning and implementing changes and training company personnel on software revisions.

One of the initial duties of a functional consultant is analyzing a business's current computer software. In most cases, the current software will be inefficient in certain areas and could use changes to optimize performance. It's the job of a functional consultant to figure out which areas need improvement.

Once he has determined which areas are lacking, a functional consultant's next duty is to spend some time brainstorming. At this stage, he will use his knowledge to come up with some possible ways to improve software performance. To complete his job effectively, he must look at the big picture and project what the long term consequences of his proposed changes will be. Depending upon the current state of a business's software, these changes could be minimal or complex.

The next phase of consultation involves discussing his ideas with business managers. For example, a functional consultant might explain how implementing some key changes could make the computer software more intuitive for employees. He may also describe a proposed software design that makes it easier to navigate. After the business managers have heard his ideas, they will typically provide feedback and tweak the ideas until everyone is in agreement.

Once everyone has reached a clear consensus, planning the software changes will commence. At this time, the functional consultant and higher-ups will go over the details of the project. After all issues have been addressed, the changes will be implemented. This is typically a team project where installation and configuration take place. Depending upon the extent of the changes, this can be a relatively quick or a lengthy process.

Training company personnel on software revisions is usually the final step of a functional consultant's job. Since he has in-depth knowledge of the changes and understands the updated software, it's his duty to explain his knowledge to others. Consequently, he will go over each change in detail and answer all questions that personnel may have.