What makes a good TM1 consultant?

The simple answer to what makes a good TM1 consultant is anyone who can do their programming in turbo integrator, write business rules, feeders, and perform an installation of TM1.

Can it really be that simple? If those are the qualities of a consultant then what does it mean to be a TM1 developer? This is where the confusion starts. If the above

are qualities of a TM1 developer (which is the first stage of becoming a TM1 Consultant) that means we are yet to discover the answer to the question.

Know that the expectation of a consultant is over and above that of developer. So what should you expect of a TM1 consultant? There are several perspectives to look at it. In addition to developer qualities the below qualities are mandatory depending on your perspective.

From the perspective of someone wants to be a consultant

You should be a programming expert.
Understand the concept of Turbo Integrator Scripts, Rules, Feeders, configuration files.
Connect TM1 to various sources.
Create attributes, cubes, flow processes.
Understand the correct architecture to be applied to TM1 for reporting purposes.

From the perspective of a client

They should be able to understand your immediate problem.
Convince you of the high level solution or at least make the discussion lively and engaging.
Ask the right questions.
Should be able to give you a feeling that time spent with you was fruitful.
Satisfaction and confidence that your problem will now be resolved.

From the perspective of a consulting company

Good verbal, presentation and situational calibration skills.
Be able to foresee additional opportunities while in discussions with clients.
Identify needs from discussions and pitch the probable solutions
In general conversation acquire more work/projects for the firm.
In addition to all the above qualities should have a good sales acumen and have PR skills.

One must remember that TM1 is not a platform to develop software, it is a platform to empower management and end users. With this empowerment, business users will become more confident and do things such as invest, plot long term strategic decisions across various departments/ functions within the organization.

As a consultant, you must be quick on your feet, understand the complete flow of data from end to end, and potential bottlenecks. The design, development, implementation must be of a high standard as you aim to remove inefficiencies, create something that is easy to understand, maintain and adaptive for future development needs.

Octane Software Solutions is always looking for good consultants to jojn our great multi national team to work on high profile business performance projects. See our careers page for open roles.