This posting reminds me of a piece I wrote that covers the details of the skills a good consultant or business analyst must have to be successful in today's economy... This article covered the details and requirements of each of the skills.
Screening Methods to Find the Right Consultant ? Part 2
http://www.r3now.com/screening-methods-to-find-the-right-consultant-part-2Important consultant and business analyst skills
? Facilitation skills
? Meeting skills
? Process mapping
? Business case (or whitepaper) development
? Problem solving
? Organizational dynamics