Realization that I'm a Business Solution Designer

Takeaway: Brad Egeland proclaims that he is a next-generation, hybrid IT professional known as a Business Solution Designer.

Independent consultants have quite a bit of flexibility in the job titles we give ourselves — well, within reason and as long as the title attracts the desired clientele.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, I called myself a Strategic Business Architect. It captured the essence of what I was doing at the time, and it still does. Unfortunately, the title led to problems with recruiters not understanding the type of work I wanted to do. At the time, I was consulting and actively pursuing W2 work and because “architect” was in my title and because I have been an application developer, I was getting calls daily to do contract development work or interview for a development position, and it grew tiresome to tell recruiters that I wasn’t interested or wasn’t the right person for the job. I still get a lot of email from recruiters about development positions, and I think it’s because I have that title in my online resume in some databases.

Fast forward to October 2011 when I read the CIO magazine article by ICEX president Rick Swanborg titled, “IT’s Creative Class.” He discusses how to craft a new generation of IT leaders who are focused on solving business problems. The author contends that companies are creating positions for hybrid IT professionals who can take leadership roles in devising and executing technology-enabled business ideas. Mr. Swanborg refers to these hybrid IT professionals as Business Solution Designers, or BSDs.

As I read Mr. Swanborg’s great article, I was thinking that the qualities he describes as important for BSDs are also qualities of every good IT consultant. Read the common qualities he identifies as important for this next generation of leaders, and see if you agree with my assessment.

Focus on business capabilities. BSDs will not be stuck on just functional requirements; they will be equally focused on people, process, and technology. The BSD will generate conversations about what is really needed and not just what the business leaders think they want.Know technology’s limitations. BSDs will understand that IT can’t work miracles. They must understand the legacy systems, the limitations, and the current business capabilities.Skilled negotiators. BSDs must be able to work with business leaders to prioritize projects, know which ones to pursue, and make good business decisions about resource usage in pursuing those projects.Curious. Mr. Swanborg states that CIOs need IT leaders who can see beyond the current system implementation and understand future needs. The must be innovators and visionaries.

Mr. Swanborg thinks CIOs should be scouting universities for business students with MIS minors. Hmm… I have a bachelor’s degree in MIS.

So, after reading the CIO article, I proclaimed to my wife that I am now a Business Solution Designer. (She was unimpressed and probably didn’t even hear me.) I contend that most good tech consultants have been this type of IT professional all along.

Are you a Business Solution Designer? What do you call yourself to clients? Let us know in the discussion.

Brad Egeland is an IT/Project Management consultant and author with over 24 years of software development and management experience.

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