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Wait, do consultants do actual work instead of just giving advice? (Serious question.) I always thought consulting is just looking at the existing/planned proce

Wait, do consultants do actual work instead of just giving advice? (Serious question.) I always thought consulting is just looking at the existing/planned processes and products and saying “You should do X using best practice Y. Here are the details of my deep knowledge.” In contrast, I thought anyone actually working on processes or products but not being an employee is a contractor. If anyone can enlighten me, I’d be glad. I always wondered what consultants do.

navait 8y ago
Yes, there are plenty of consulting firms that will make you an iOS app, web site/application, data processing pipelines(my company). IBM and Accenture are large companies that provide these services. Outside of tech, there are large firms like PwC that audit your books, and do other things you don't have the in-house skills for. Pharmaceutical firms ofter consult out their marketing to companies like ZS Associates. The consulting you're talking about is "management consulting", but there's a huge world of stuff out there.
- tomjakubowski 8y ago
  It's worth noting that companies like IBM and Accenture are also clients of those kinds of consulting firms that will make you an iOS app, web site/application/etc.
estsauver 8y ago
Yah, it's kind of a continuum. Plenty of consultants do execution, not just in tech. Accenture are "consultants" who will try and build you whatever you ask for, but they actually started as a subsidiary of Arthur Andersen.
ben509 8y ago
> Wait, do consultants do actual work instead of just giving advice? Sometimes either of those, but often they just have a pulse and keep a seat warm.
snowwrestler 8y ago
"Consulting firm" is often used as a generic term for any company you hire to do business work for you. For example if you need a mobile app and hire a company that specializes in building mobile apps for their clients, there's a good chance the contract will say "consulting agreement" across the top. But, in general conversation among technologists, those are more often called vendors, or contracting firms, or agencies. When it's an individual person, the label usually depends on their role: consultant has some ownership of the result (in theory), contractor does skilled labor as assigned, temp does less skilled labor as assigned, intern, etc.

navait 8y ago

Yes, there are plenty of consulting firms that will make you an iOS app, web site/application, data processing pipelines(my company). IBM and Accenture are large companies that provide these services. Outside of tech, there are large firms like PwC that audit your books, and do other things you don't have the in-house skills for. Pharmaceutical firms ofter consult out their marketing to companies like ZS Associates. The consulting you're talking about is "management consulting", but there's a huge world of stuff out there.

tomjakubowski 8y ago
It's worth noting that companies like IBM and Accenture are also clients of those kinds of consulting firms that will make you an iOS app, web site/application/etc.

estsauver 8y ago

Yah, it's kind of a continuum. Plenty of consultants do execution, not just in tech. Accenture are "consultants" who will try and build you whatever you ask for, but they actually started as a subsidiary of Arthur Andersen.

ben509 8y ago

> Wait, do consultants do actual work instead of just giving advice? Sometimes either of those, but often they just have a pulse and keep a seat warm.

snowwrestler 8y ago

"Consulting firm" is often used as a generic term for any company you hire to do business work for you. For example if you need a mobile app and hire a company that specializes in building mobile apps for their clients, there's a good chance the contract will say "consulting agreement" across the top. But, in general conversation among technologists, those are more often called vendors, or contracting firms, or agencies. When it's an individual person, the label usually depends on their role: consultant has some ownership of the result (in theory), contractor does skilled labor as assigned, temp does less skilled labor as assigned, intern, etc.