What are the most common software consulting skill gaps?

The most common issues that are present in the software consulting field are understanding of the business needs. Sometimes consultants don't fully understand the needs of business and they simply say yes to everything that the business throw at them. There are certain things which are indeed important for business and adds value to the business but sometimes business request a few things which may be not important and is not for a long term. The other important thing is Open communication. Communicating with all the stakeholders clearly and explaining them the things as they are. There are lot of complexities involved whenever a requirement is executed. One also needs to listen to both business and the people who are executing it.

Being good at talking and explaining things is super important in consulting. You need to tell people about complicated tech stuff in a way they can understand. Whether you're talking to clients, team members, or others involved, you have to be clear and listen well. Messing up how you communicate can cause problems, delays, and even make projects fail. As a software consultant, you're like a bridge between tech experts and those who may not understand all the technical details. So, having strong communication skills helps in building good relationships and make sure everyone is aligned. Often the gap in communication happens when tech people find it hard to explain things in a simple way or show why their work matters to the business.

Talking and working with non-technical users there is a skill in talking an ambiguous story and turning this into a defined problem/requirment. Users like to talk in stories to highlight issues and needs, and asking questions to address ambiguity will get you to a defined need. There is a skill in being able to take multiple stories and trim them down to a simple requirement for development teams.

Based on my interaction with some of the software consultants, they need to gain what is called active listening. They are quick to jump into a solution mode when listening to the concerns raised by the client in a workshop or a problem statement discussion. Active listening requires the consultant to really listen, understand and acknowledge the issues that are faced by the client. Ask leading questions related to the issue in order to further dwell into the conversation. Its akin to peeling an onion. As you peel away each layer of conversation, you are able to really understand the issues faced by the client and get back to them with a proper response. In most cases, clients do not want an answer immediately.

Business analysis skills are particularly important when addressing software consulting gaps. Such skills are essential in understanding business needs or bottlenecks in current processes and come up with actual solutions, rather than just try to sell products.

It is important to be engaged in all level's of clients business structure in-order to completely understand the requirement of the client. Speaking to a C-Level Management alone will allow the consultant to have the business requirement, however as they speak to the other layers in the organisation - you will be able to build a clear understanding on the day to day processes and how the application will be used on BAU scenario. Its also important to consider the non-functional requirement of the product as in most cases this will impact the overall user experience of the software.

Tech demos and honesty about gaps that products may have that may not fully address customer needs. Seldom will a single product address all of the needs of a customer. That said, if you have a full understanding of their current capabilities, you can address this through sales pitches. If you have strong relationships with other organizations that address gaps your product(s) limitations, you can build win-win relationships. It's crucial to talk to static and dynamic testing, user testing, and blue/red/white cell testing if the customer has interest.

One thing to note is that there are some people with very good coding skills who can write very complicated and hard to understand code. Some people take pride in this, but in a team environment these people can be seen as a hindrance of nobody else can understand their thought processes. One of the best coding skills is the ability to write clear, concise and easy to understand code that can be maintained by the team.

Understanding PM skills is critical when working as a Software consultant, even if you are not running the project you will be a cog in the machine. Understanding your contribution to the bigger picture also alerts you to the possible consequences of any action. Understanding the reporting structure and the responsibilities of both the PM and the project board ensures that decisions are made at the right time and level. Preventing scope creep and a never-ending project.

Soft skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking are at the centre of a Software Consultants role. The ability to problem-solve and consider other options allows you to adapt and deliver. The way we approach problems or issues is the difference between an adequate and excellent Software Consultant.

Soft skills, like being good with people, understanding emotions, and adapting to changes, are super important in software consulting. Working well in a team and understanding others make projects successful. Building a good relationship with clients is easier when we're empathetic and flexible. In tech, things change fast, so being adaptable is a big plus. But sometimes, people focus too much on technical skills and forget these soft skills. This can cause issues in how teams work together and how clients feel about the projects. It's important to see both technical and soft skills as equally important in consulting.

Concerns around security is a key point that is often missed when doing software consulting in the past. This is obviously changing given the increased awareness on security but sometimes it is compromised to ease the development process of the solution. I have walked into a customer environment where the original developers of the solution have backend access to the application used by the customer to assist the in-house developers troubleshoot the application during code updates or feature addition. In some cases, application developers still have admin access to the customer's infrastructure. All this is a result of security not being a key point of consideration during the software development.