Consulting Career Guides
Top Skills Engineers Need to Succeed in Consulting
Noel DCosta
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I’ve noticed that plenty of engineers think consulting is just about solving hard problems. Deliver the fix, explain the logic, move on. That is part of it, yes, but in SAP or in ERP consulting especially, what separates strong engineers from those who just survive is usually softer and harder to quantify.
It often comes down to how well you navigate ambiguity, interpret business signals, and sustain delivery pace under shifting demands.
In my experience working across multiple ERP programs, those who succeed long term do more than build. They listen with intent, reframe questions without sounding condescending, and build trust during difficult escalations.
One of the first gaps I noticed in new consultants is that they rarely understand how ERP project teams are structured. You can be a great developer, but if you do not know how your deliverable connects to the functional consultant’s scope, you slow things down.
It also helps to know how clients make decisions. No one teaches you that upfront. If you skim through a project charter, you will start to see how roles and influence play out. Learn what really shapes timelines. It is not always the big-ticket items. Sometimes it is missing a resource at the wrong time, which is why good engineers also understand resource allocation plans.
A few overlooked skills that I’ve noticed are here:
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Translating impact to business terms, even if technical
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Managing your own time without being micromanaged
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Following through, especially when others drop the ball
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Knowing when to speak and when to hold back
You can learn these. But you have to look beyond your usual ways of working.
Engineers transitioning into consulting must learn to balance technical depth with communication, adaptability, and business-focused thinking.Success often hinges less on having the right answer and more on asking the right questions at the right time.
10 Key Takeaways on How Engineers Can Be Consultants
Start thinking in terms of business value, not just tasks. Engineers focus on delivery. Consultants explain why it matters. Begin by connecting your technical work to business outcomes. This guide on structured thinking gives you a clear way to start doing that.
Understand the full SAP team setup. Many engineers only see their part. But projects fall apart when roles blur. Use the team structure guide to see how delivery, support, and leadership pieces connect.
Learn to navigate without full instructions. Consulting often means figuring things out with partial information. You need to work with ambiguity. A proper project charter helps, but you also have to read between the lines.
Get used to balancing competing needs. Clients want speed, quality, and low cost. You cannot have all three. You will make trade-offs. Understand how resource planning fits into this from the SAP resource allocation article.
Speak clearly with people outside your domain. Business users, finance leads, or testers will not follow your technical jargon. Your value rises fast when you can translate ideas into plain language.
Own your work from start to finish. Consultants do not say “that’s not my area.” If you see a gap, step into it, or at least raise it. That mindset shift is a big one.
Know when to stop refining. Some engineers keep polishing code that already works. But consultants need to move at the pace of the project. Learn to deliver what is “fit for use,” not “perfect.”
Watch how others manage conflict. Good consultants de-escalate without backing down. Sit in those meetings. Observe how tone, timing, and words matter more than logic.
Build relationships, not just outputs. If people trust you, they share early warnings. That saves time and prevents issues later. Quiet reliability often beats brilliance.
Track what slows you down. Keep notes after each project phase. What went sideways? What did you learn? No one will teach you this. You have to teach yourself.
Why Engineers Are Drawn to Consulting
1. Curiosity Beyond the Code
Many engineers feel a nudge after a few product cycles. They begin to wonder why a feature matters or how a decision was made in the boardroom upstairs. Consulting feeds that curiosity.
Each project has a new puzzle and a new client culture. It is hard to find that variety inside one factory or one support queue. I noticed the shift myself during an early SAP rollout. Reading the project charter helped me see bigger trade-offs behind a single line of code, and I wanted more of that view.
2. Faster Career Learning Loops
Consultants move from design to execution, then on to the next client. Lessons pile up quickly because the scenery keeps changing. You ship, reflect, and apply the insight almost right away.
The cycle repeats. Keeping a small personal log after every phase, an idea from the planning and control guide, multiplies that effect. Some entries are messy, a few are half thoughts, but patterns show up over time.
3. Closer to Business Decisions
Engineers often work deep in the system. Consulting drags them closer to numbers, markets, and the people who sign scope. When you sit in cost reviews with finance, the resource math from the allocation article suddenly feels real.
Budgets and timelines stop being abstract. I remember my first negotiation over shift work during cutover. It was tense, perhaps clumsy, but I saw how a simple head-count tweak saved real money.
4. Room to Influence, Even Without Rank
Good consultants shape outcomes through facts, timing, and tone. They influence without formal authority. The simple consulting frameworks piece shows how to frame trade-offs so clients feel ownership.
It is subtle work. Some days you nudge scope. Other days you hold silence until stakeholders reach their own conclusion. That balance feels awkward at first yet becomes second nature.
5. Practical Benefits That Engineers Notice
Breadth of technology stack. One week S/4HANA, the next SuccessFactors. Variety keeps skills fresh.
Direct feedback loops. Clients tell you quickly when something hurts or helps.
Network growth. Each project adds mentors, peers, and future references.
Negotiation skills. You practice daily, even when requesting simple timeline shifts.
Clearer impact stories. Consulting projects map work to business value, useful when updating a résumé.
6. Trade-offs to Keep in Mind
Consulting can feel unsteady. Travel, late scope changes, or vague requirements will test patience. Some engineers miss the depth of owning one product for years. There is no perfect path. I still juggle that tension myself. Yet for many, the learning pace and wider lens outweigh the bumps.
If you feel that itch for broader impact, explore a pilot role on the next SAP program. The skills list for engineers in consulting can serve as a checklist. Try a small engagement first. See how it feels before jumping all in.
The Engineering to Consulting Transition: What Changes
1. Seeing the Organisational Chessboard
Your first surprise in consulting often comes from politics, not code. Engineers join a project and assume logic will win. Then a sponsor vetoes a design for reasons that look, at first, non-technical.
Learning to read those moves early is almost a hidden skill. I found the stakeholder strategy primer useful for mapping who really owns which lever. It felt soft at first, yet it saved me from pushing a change that finance had no appetite to fund. Can you imagine that?
2. Time Changes Shape
Product teams talk quarters, sometimes years. Consulting compresses everything. Scoping, building, and handing over may happen within a quarter. That speed forces sharper exit criteria.
The project charter outline shows how to lock scope boundaries early. Still, there is a twist no one warns you about. Even with clear scope, clients change their mind after user demos. You will revisit assumptions more than once.
3. Personal Brand inside Client Walls
Websites rarely mention it, but consultants create a micro-reputation each week. One late deliverable and word travels across streams. Simple habits help: share a short summary after workshops, answer emails before lunch, and keep defect comments crisp.
Small, yes, but they add up. The simple consulting frameworks guide offers phrases that keep updates focused without sounding scripted.
4. Hidden Costs: Energy, Travel, Context Switching
Billing hours is only part of the workload. Shifting from debug mode to steering-committee language in the same morning takes mental energy many engineers underestimate. I keep a three-line cue card that reminds me of audience, risk, and next step.
It feels minimal, yet it resets my head between meetings. Long travel weeks add another layer. No chart covers how strange it feels to explain a design at 9 p.m. after a delayed flight. Recognizing that fatigue early helps prevent terse emails that spark escalations.
5. Quick Reminders for the Leap
Sketch a rough resource view when work balloons. The approach in resource allocation planning shows how small shifts ripple outward.
Capture lessons weekly. Five lines are enough. Patterns show after three sprints.
Balance rigour with delivery pace. The planning and control playbook explains why waiting for perfect data often costs more than acting on good-enough signals.
Practise one negotiation line each month. Even requesting a shifted deadline is practice for tougher budget talks. See negotiation pointers.
Accept that some days feel inconsistent. One client praises your draft. Another calls it incomplete. The swing is normal, though rarely published.
Stepping from engineering into consulting reshapes rhythm, focus, and identity. It can feel untidy. Over time, the blend of depth and influence becomes part of the appeal.
Essential Consulting Skills for Engineers
Success in consulting is not about knowing everything. It is about bringing the right mix of clarity, curiosity, and structure to every conversation. Engineers already have rigor and problem-solving discipline.
To thrive in client work, they need to stretch a few muscles in different directions. Below are six skill areas that matter, along with small tips I wish someone had shared with me earlier.
1. Communication and Storytelling
Explaining complex ideas without burying people in detail is harder than it sounds. Good consultants pick what matters and leave the rest for later.
Draft an executive summary first, then the deep dive.
Test if your slide deck can travel without you in the room.
Practise active listening. Most real requirements hide between the lines.
For tangible structure methods, the guide on structured thinking offers clear steps you can try today.
2. Client Management
You rarely see the whole picture. You seldom own the final decision. Yet you still have to steer.
Manage expectations without sounding vague.
Say “no” in a way that keeps doors open.
Build trust fast, often in the first meeting.
The stakeholder strategy article shows how to map influence quickly, even when the org chart feels blurry.
3. Business Acumen
Engineers focus on accuracy. Consultants focus on impact.
Ask how a design cuts cost or saves hours.
Scan basic financials so you can speak the client’s language.
Accept that a “good enough” solution, delivered on time, may beat a perfect one that arrives late.
A quick look at implementation cost breakdowns helps connect technical choices to budget realities.
4. Adaptability and Context Switching
Consulting moves fast. Industries change, requirements shift, information stays partial.
Learn enough about each new domain to advise responsibly.
Ask early questions that move work forward.
Stay calm when details are missing. They usually are.
Weekly reflections, like the practice in the planning and control guide, keep you grounded amid the churn.
5. Structured Thinking and Frameworks
Engineers solve problems. Consultants frame them so others can follow.
Break issues into MECE buckets or simple decision trees.
Draft problem statements that avoid leaping to a fix.
Use a lightweight framework from the consulting basics piece to guide tough conversations.
Clarity under pressure matters more than formulaic brilliance.
6. Team Collaboration and Influence
Projects succeed when mixed teams pull in one direction.
Translate technical terms for non-technical peers.
Know when to lead a discussion and when to let someone else drive.
Accept feedback in front of clients without flinching.
If you are uncertain who owns what, the SAP team roles guide helps map authority before confusion slows the group.
No one shows up with all of this polished. Skills grow through projects, feedback, and a bit of trial-and-error. Keep a short notebook of lessons. Revisit it after each phase. Over time you will notice patterns. You will also notice that consulting does not ask you to change who you are. It simply asks you to stretch how you work.
Essential Consulting Skills for Engineers
| Skill | Why It Matters | Practical Application |
|---|---|---|
| Client Communication | Translates technical work into client-relevant language; sets expectations early. | Use weekly check-ins, visual updates, and recap emails to keep clients aligned. |
| Requirements Gathering | Avoids guesswork and reduces rework by defining scope clearly. | Ask clarifying questions, build simple diagrams, and play back your understanding. |
| Problem Framing | Helps focus on the real issue—not just the symptom the client sees. | Break down the problem into parts; ask “what’s the underlying goal?” before proposing a fix. |
| Solution Prioritization | Ensures effort goes to what matters most for the client’s timeline and budget. | Rank ideas by impact vs. effort. Communicate trade-offs before building. |
| Adaptability | Consulting environments change fast—client needs shift, projects pivot. | Be ready to change direction. Don’t cling to a plan that no longer fits. |
| Business Context Awareness | Shows clients you understand the "why" behind the tech you're implementing. | Link your work to KPIs or outcomes. Don’t just talk features—talk impact. |
| Presentation & Reporting | Makes deliverables easier to understand and trust across non-technical audiences. | Use visuals, limit jargon, and highlight key decisions—not every detail. |
| Time Management | Consulting hours are tracked. Mismanaging time can eat into profitability or delivery quality. | Block your calendar. Track effort. Flag scope creep early. |
| Documentation Discipline | Ensures knowledge transfer and handoffs don’t fail once the project ends. | Write as you go. Keep it light, clear, and client-focused. |
Skills Engineers Already Have (and How to Reframe Them)
Engineers already carry a toolkit of habits that translate well to consulting. The key is nudging each habit so it meets client expectations rather than internal engineering standards. I learned that while shifting from pure build work to mixed ERP advisory work. Some moves felt tiny, yet they changed the conversation completely.
Rigorous root-cause thinking becomes structured client framing. Channel the same discipline you use while debugging into clear issue trees that clients can follow. The walkthrough on structured thinking shows a simple approach.
Detail-heavy documentation turns into concise executive communication. Keep the accuracy, trim the volume. Test yourself by reducing a ten-page design note to one slide. The format in the planning and control guide helps set priorities.
Load balancing and capacity checks evolve into resource risk signals. You already spot throughput bottlenecks in code. Apply the same lens to staffing when reading a resource allocation plan.
Version control discipline shifts to scope discipline. Track changes with the same care you give to commits. It keeps workshops focused and protects timelines.
Peer code reviews grow into peer idea reviews. Comment not only on syntax but also on narrative flow. The habits behind simple consulting frameworks can guide feedback that clients understand.
None of these swaps ask you to abandon technical rigor. They ask you to redirect it so business leaders see value quickly. It feels odd at first, perhaps uneven, yet the payoff shows up when meetings end early because everyone gets the point.
How to Build These Skills Before the Transition
You do not need to wait for a formal consulting role to start developing these skills. In fact, the smartest transitions I have seen come from engineers who quietly began adjusting how they worked months earlier. They brought in just enough consulting discipline to stand out, without needing a new job title first.
Start small, inside your current projects.
Practice client-style communication in your status updates. Skip the deep technical dive. Instead, frame your message using what matters to your audience. If the business lead only cares about delays or cost impact, lead with that. You can build this habit using the stakeholder management guide to adjust tone and structure.
Use your own team meetings to test facilitation skills. Run workshops with clear outcomes. Create a structured agenda. Summarize takeaways the way a consultant would, which is clear, concise, and actionable. The method in this workshop planning piece is a good reference.
Study project drivers beyond Engineering. Since you are engineer, look at where testing gaps slow you down. Or how poor scoping creates rework. The more you connect your work to adjacent functions, the more consulting-ready you become. You could start with this project scope template, just to see how other streams shape the broader plan.
Simulate unknowns. Ask yourself: If you had to guide a project in a module you are not an expert in, how would you go about it? Focus on what questions you would ask first. Where would you look for quick context? These moments of “uncertainty management” are closer to consulting than most engineers expect.
All of this sharpens your toolkit without requiring a change in job title. It is subtle, maybe even invisible at first, but it adds up. By the time a real consulting opportunity shows up, you are not starting from zero. You are already doing the work, just waiting for the label to catch up.
How to Build Consulting Skills Before the Transition
| Skill | How to Build It | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Client Communication | Start explaining your projects to non-technical peers or stakeholders at work. | Forces you to simplify and translate—exactly what consulting needs. |
| Requirements Gathering | Volunteer to take notes or lead discussions during feature planning or internal tooling meetings. | You’ll sharpen your listening and synthesis skills in real-time, low-risk settings. |
| Problem Framing | Write brief problem statements before proposing solutions—even in internal team docs. | Helps you separate symptoms from root causes. Builds structure into how you think. |
| Solution Prioritization | Practice identifying MVP versions of features. Create effort-impact grids even for personal projects. | Builds the habit of weighing cost vs. value, not just technical “coolness.” |
| Adaptability | Work on side projects in unfamiliar tech stacks or environments. Take on ad-hoc support tickets. | You get used to jumping into messy, evolving situations—like consulting projects. |
| Business Awareness | Read internal business memos, sales decks, or even earnings calls of your company or clients. | Puts your work in a bigger context. You start to see how strategy shapes tech needs. |
| Presentation & Reporting | Present internal demos, retros, or share mini-writeups on project slack channels or Notion docs. | Helps you build comfort showing incomplete work clearly—critical in client delivery. |
| Time Management | Track your time for a week—even if nobody asked. Block your calendar intentionally. | Shows you where your hours really go. Consultants live on time allocation. |
| Documentation Discipline | Write internal how-to guides or onboarding notes—even informal ones for teammates. | Gets you in the habit of capturing knowledge that others can actually use. |
Top Mistakes Engineers Make in Consulting
Engineers stepping into consulting often assume strong technical delivery will carry them. It helps, of course, but client work pushes on other pressure points.
I have made some of these mistakes myself and watched good colleagues’ trip over them. They are avoidable once you see them coming, yet most lists online glide past the details. Here are common missteps and why they hurt.
Diving into detail before framing the problem. Clients need context first. Pause and outline the issue with a simple structure like the one in the structured thinking guide. Then drill down.
Ignoring hidden decision makers. A project can stall because the real approver never saw the deck. Map influence early with tips from the stakeholder strategy article rather than learning the hard way.
Treating scope as static. Engineers love locked specifications. Consulting lives in moving scope. Track every tweak, even the small ones, using habits in the project scope template. Small slips compound fast.
Underestimating resource ripple effects. You borrow one tester for a week and derail three streams. The impact chart in the resource allocation article shows why a single shift matters.
Forgetting to anchor work to the charter. When debates heat up, the project charter is your neutral ground. Referencing it keeps arguments short and factual.
Each point sounds minor until deadlines loom. Catch them early, adjust your habits, and the transition into consulting feels smoother, maybe even enjoyable.
Top Mistakes Engineers Make in Consulting (and How to Manage Them)
| Mistake | Description | How to Manage It |
|---|---|---|
| Overengineering Solutions | Focusing too much on technical perfection instead of solving the client's actual problem. | Prioritize business outcomes. Validate requirements before diving into architecture. |
| Neglecting Stakeholder Communication | Assuming the client knows what you're doing or why certain choices are being made. | Provide regular, simple updates. Translate tech into business language early and often. |
| Jumping Into Code Without Clarifying Scope | Trying to “get ahead” without clear requirements—often leads to rework. | Always confirm scope and assumptions before starting delivery. Document it briefly. |
| Ignoring Non-Functional Requirements | Focusing on features while missing performance, security, usability, or maintainability. | Include NFRs early. Make them part of design review—not an afterthought. |
| Underestimating Organizational Politics | Thinking that logic alone will win approval or adoption. | Map stakeholders. Understand power dynamics. Build soft influence, not just specs. |
| Being Too Rigid With Tools or Methods | Insisting on your preferred stack or process, regardless of context. | Adapt to the client environment. Suggest better ways, but don’t force them. |
| Not Capturing Lessons Learned | Repeating mistakes across projects because there’s no habit of reflection. | Do short retros—even alone. Write down what worked, what didn’t, and why. |
| Failing to Manage Expectations | Saying yes too quickly or letting timelines slip without explanation. | Set realistic timelines. Communicate early when things shift—even if it feels awkward. |
Final Thoughts: Making the Transition Work
Consulting rewards engineers who mix technical depth with flexible thinking. The good news is you do not start from zero. You bring logic, discipline, and a habit of solving. The challenge is redirecting those strengths toward client outcomes and doing so at pace. Use the structured thinking approach to frame every complex request before opening your IDE. Pair that with clear boundaries from the project charter guide so you always know who decides what.
A few next steps, tested on real ERP programs, which are important:
Spend ten minutes a week mapping resource shifts with the aid of the allocation planning article. Small gaps surface early that way.
Rehearse one-page executive updates. Follow the rhythm in the planning and control playbook. Trim jargon, highlight impact, stop.
Keep a risk log that ties technical delays to budget impact. The risk matrix walkthrough shows a simple format.
Shadow a senior consultant during a tough scope debate. Note tone, pauses, and timing. Those cues seldom appear in manuals.
Perhaps some of this feels outside your comfort zone. That is normal. The shift from engineer to consultant is less about changing who you are and more about widening how you think. Test one habit at a time, gather feedback, adjust. Over a few projects the pieces click together. Clients start to look to you for context, not just code, and that is when the transition feels complete.
If you have any questions, or want to discuss a situation you have in your career, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Questions You Might Have...
1. Do engineers make good consultants?
Yes. Engineers bring strong problem-solving, analytical thinking, and systems understanding—skills that translate well to consulting when paired with communication and business awareness.
2. What skills do engineers need to develop for consulting?
Key areas include client communication, business acumen, structured thinking, adaptability, and relationship-building. These are often underemphasized in technical roles.
3. Do I need an MBA to move from engineering to consulting?
Not necessarily. While helpful, many engineers succeed in consulting without one by gaining client-facing experience and learning business fundamentals on the job or through short courses.
4. How is consulting different from engineering work?
Consulting is faster-paced, more client-facing, and often more ambiguous. The focus shifts from technical execution to solving business problems and guiding decisions.
5. Can I stay technical in a consulting role?
Yes, but the focus will likely broaden. Technical knowledge is valuable, but consultants are expected to apply it in a strategic, business-relevant context.
6. How do I gain client-facing experience as an engineer?
Seek roles in pre-sales, product management, or cross-functional project teams. Volunteer for presentations, customer demos, or stakeholder meetings.
7. Will I still use my engineering background in consulting?
Absolutely. While you may not go as deep technically, your engineering mindset—structured analysis, logical thinking—remains a core strength.
8. How important is industry knowledge in consulting?
It helps but isn’t required for entry. What matters more is how quickly you can learn, ask the right questions, and adapt to new environments.
9. What’s the hardest part of the transition?
Letting go of perfection and embracing ambiguity. Many engineers initially struggle with incomplete data, shifting client goals, and unclear problem statements.
10. How do I know if consulting is right for me?
If you enjoy variety, fast-paced environments, solving people-focused problems, and communicating ideas clearly, consulting could be a strong fit.
