Lynne Cosgrave, CHP Consulting
Senior IT consultant Lynne Cosgrave works for CHP Consulting. She completed an MSc in computer science at University College Cork.
Why management consulting?
I am a very sociable person and have always wanted to work with people. I wanted to mix the technical side to my degree, which I loved, with management. By moving to the management consultancy side of the IT industry I have found the perfect balance of technical and business skills.
Did you do any work experience before starting full-time work?
During my degree I was lucky enough to carry out work experience for Microsoft in Dublin. During my time there I worked as a software test engineer for the Office Word team, testing well-known applications such as Word but also some lesser known ones.
What does CHP do?
We supply software and consultancy to support various types of business in the asset and motor finance industry. We provide an end-to-end platform that manages leases and loans for both flow and structured business – all using the latest technologies, over one database.
What are your main responsibilities?
On a day-to-day basis, I take client requirements and turn them into documents that describe what changes need to be made to our software. To be able to produce these documents properly, I work closely with the operations people at the client site. The software changes are then made by developers on the project team. After this, I make sure that what we’ve given the client is what they asked for.
How often do you change projects?
CHP tends to move its consultants around every six months or so, and this gives each individual the opportunity to experience all areas of the business as well as pick up new skills.
What’s your work/life balance like?
Some projects can be very demanding in terms of hours, and everyone has to put in hard work from time to time, but I am not usually required to work beyond the standard 40 hours a week. I play netball twice a week to maintain a good work/life balance.
What gives you a buzz at work?
Working closely with clients to learn the ins and outs of their business, and creating good relationships with them.
I have found the perfect balance of technical and business skills.
Any tougher aspects?
At first the travelling can take some getting used to. Some projects are located in far-flung places such as New Zealand or the US, but others are in less glamorous locations.
Tell us about a highlight so far.
During my time on the sales and marketing team I had the opportunity to demonstrate our software to a number of important potential clients across Europe. The biggest highlight was winning not just one of these clients but three, and later taking charge of workshops as part of the requirements definition exercise.
What has your training been like?
We are all given four weeks of induction training in both technical and business areas. After this, each consultant completes a core set of training over the first two years, which incorporates both external industry training and internal courses.
What particular skills do you think you’ve developed?
I have developed a number of business skills including accounting, management, requirements definition and presentation, but also functional knowledge in a number of key asset finance industry themes. I have also managed to further my existing technical skills, picking up new technical languages along the way.