ISEB IS Consultancy Practice

IT professionals whose current or future role involves the provision of advice, coaching and support to organisations. 
Those who seek to attain a highly regarded specialist qualification with respect to IT/IS consultancy skills and techniques - backed by the British Computer Society.

The course is equally relevant to "internal" consultants as it is to "external" consultants, outsource specialists and interims.  

A very comprehensive manual, containing detailed information about consultancy techniques and providing references for further reading, is supplied as part of the course.

Successful delegates will have demonstrated their competence in:

• Understanding the role of the consultant in the IT/ IS industry
• Awareness of IT issues in the business context
• Planning and managing their client relationships over the consultancy life cycle
• Scoping, proposing and contracting of consultancy assignments
• Structuring, planning and controlling consultancy assignments
• Dealing with difficult client issues
• Appreciating human personality and responding appropriately to behaviour issues
• Problem solving, communications and interpersonal skills specific to IS consultants
• The application of quality control and measurement within IS consultancy assignments

Delegates should have a minimum of 4 years' experience in Information System and Information Technology at a professional level.  Consultancy experience is not essential.

• Structure of the IT/IS industry and the roles of IS consulting
• Introduction, scoping and planning
• Business environment analysis
• Solution definition
• Proposals and contracts
• Solution appraisal
• Programme and project management
• Understanding teams
• Disengagement and expansion
  Termination and withdrawal from an assignment
• Managing the customer/consultant relationship

The theoretical concepts are underpinned by a large-scale and realistic case study assignment which represents 30-40% of the course content.  Participants work in consultancy teams on the case study and thus gain valuable experience of applying the techniques instead of just learning about them.

Included within the course is a written examination which will qualify candidates for the ISEB Certificate in IS Consultancy Essentials.  The format is a two-hour, closed book, written examination, preceded by 15 minutes exam paper reading time. Candidates must achieve 50% on the principal question and not less than 50% of the total marks to pass the overall examination.

Successful candidates may then attend a separate ISEB public examination event for an oral exam which will last up to forty-five minutes. This is conducted by two interviewers appointed by ISEB. Candidates are questioned on any of the topics on the syllabus including those already covered in the written exam. They may also be questioned on their background qualifying experience. Successful candidates attain the Manager Level Certificate in IS Consultancy Practice.

The second exam does not form part of this course.