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CMC Common Body of Knowledge and
Competency Profile

CMC Common Body of Knowledge

CMC-Canada's Common Body of Knowledge (CBK) contains the essential information on the management consulting profession, mastery over which is required for success in the profession. Volume One of the CBK Management Consulting: Methodologies, Tools and Techniques of the Profession is available free to members, to be followed by subsequent volumes covering the six functional areas: financial management; human resources management; information technology management; marketing management; operations management; and strategic management.

CMC Competency Profile - Overview

Requirements leading to the CMC designation (such as the engagement summaries and oral examination) are based on the Certified Management Consultant Competency Profile.

An Overview of the CMC Competency Profile

Criteria

The CMC Competency Profile covers nine areas:

  • helping clients assess their business situation, challenges and opportunities
  • helping clients to develop strategies for improvement
  • helping clients implement a recommendation
  • conducting a consulting assignment
  • demonstrating interpersonal competencies
  • demonstrating personal competencies
  • demonstrating ethical behaviour
  • demonstrating functional competence
  • demonstrating management breadth

Within each of these nine areas, several aspects are considered:

A. Helping clients assess their business situation, challenges and opportunities

  • examines client's environment by conducting a scan using SWOT, STEEP or other techniques
  • recognizes issues regarding the functional management areas of strategy, finance, human
    resources, operations, IT, and marketing
  • diagnoses the situation
  • conveys findings and conclusions

B. Helping clients to develop strategies for improvement

  • clarifies client objectives
  • generates possible solutions
  • assesses solutions and their impacts


C. Helping clients implement a recommendation

  • develops an action plan
  • secures resources
  • coordinates project and activities
  • builds client capability
  • evaluates results

D. Conducting a consulting assignment

  • defines the client needs
  • defines scope and risk
  • develops a proposal
  • confirms the assignment
  • manages the consulting assignment
  • concludes the assignment

E. Demonstrating interpersonal competencies

  • demonstrates respect for client
  • demonstrates critical skills
    • listening
    • oral communication
    • written communication
    • designing and delivering presentations
    • leadership
    • negotiation
    • coaching
    • teamwork
    • facilitation
    • conflict management
    • interviewing
     
  • can work in an environment of diversity
  • demonstrates flexibility



F. Demonstrating personal competencies

  • exercises sound judgment
  • works autonomously
  • demonstrates analytical skills
  • assimilates information quickly
  • uses observational skills
  • demonstrates research skills
  • applies relevant methods, tools, techniques and technology
  • demonstrates synthesizing skills
  • demonstrates conceptual thinking/solution development abilities
  • demonstrates problem solving skills
  • demonstrates decision making skills
  • stays focused
  • manages time
  • maintains self care and well being


G. Demonstrating ethical behaviour

  • practices in compliance with Uniform Code of Professional Conduct

H. Demonstrating functional competence

  • is recognized as an expert in own discipline, applying expertise in one or more industry sectors
  • specialize in any one functional or sectoral area of practice
  • has a functional specialty supported by
    • academic credentials from accredited institution
    • another professional designation
  • demonstrates a holistic/systems view that recognizes the interconnected and interdependent nature of business
  • recognizes the limits of his/her own competency by delegating and/or consulting with appropriate
    resource persons


I . Demonstrating management breadth

  • understands business structures, processes, management and disciplines and impact on own area of work (including a basic understanding of the principles of business planning, human resources, operations, finance, marketing, and information technology)
  • shows competence in managerial breadth
  • has academic credentials from accredited institution(s)
  • has another professional designation

Competency Profile Overview - PDF

Competency Profile (Full) - PDF

CMC Competency Framework Assessment Summary - PDF

Additional Resources