Consultants come together in client teams for the life of an engagement (our term for a client project).

Teams are usually made up of consultants of varying levels of experience. Partners oversee projects but leave the day-to-day running of an engagement to an engagement manager, who may handle several projects simultaneously. The team is made up of business analysts and associates who analyze data collected and collated by research specialists. A large part of an engagement involves creative analysis among the team members in an open and honest atmosphere. They exchange ideas, challenge one another's conclusions, and cross-check judgments in order to discover the ideas that will give the best solutions to the client.

Every engagement is different and consultants often cite this variety as one of the best parts of the job. Every engagement also means working with a new team of McKinsey consultants and clients, who are almost always part of the project team.

The engagement director (ED) usually works with the client’s chief executive to develop a clear mandate for the project. He or she then works with the engagement manager and the clients’ business leaders to develop a work plan to deliver the required solutions. The ED provides input into the problem solving approach, drawing on personal experience with the client, and meets regularly with the team and the client. The ED would also spend time working with senior clients to shape and prioritize available options and to help direct the team's efforts. The ED frequently works closely with the chief executive to develop the communication describing the change in company strategy to key stakeholders.

The engagement manager (EM) is responsible for the day-to-day running of the project and works with a full-time client team leader, a senior executive of the business, to develop a strategy and plan of action. The EM works in partnership with the client to structure the approach and analysis as well as focus and prioritize efforts on different emerging opportunities for the business.

These efforts might include finding new markets to enter, potential acquisitions, performance improvements, organizational changes, and driving key choices and recommendations as to which opportunities to pursue and how. Part of the EM's role is to manage each of the team members’ work and ensure the elements of the project are integrated into a coherent and clearly communicated strategy and plan. The EM may also spend time with the client team leader and senior executives helping them to understand the insights emerging from the work and discussing choices and recommendations.

The associate takes a leading role in identifying issues, forming hypotheses, designing and conducting analyses, structuring work plans, synthesizing conclusions, making presentations, and helping to implement change. Discussions with, and presentations to, client senior management are common. Depending on their skill and experience level, an associate will be responsible for one or more distinct parts of a problem. They will need to provide leadership in this particular area and are expected to make recommendations based on their work.

Associates first focus on problem solving, communications and other core consulting skills. Their level of responsibility is determined by demonstrated ability in these areas.

The business analyst (BA) plays a similar role to an associate but at a more junior level. The BA assumes responsibility for a specific area of an engagement and is active in all aspects of the work: identifying issues, forming hypotheses, designing and conducting analyses, synthesizing conclusions, and helping to implement change. Discussions with, and presentations to, client senior management are common. They are encouraged to test their boundaries in problem solving, try different types of engagements, and push themselves to their personal limits.