A successful Dynamics 365 implementation needs the right people at the right point in the project.
Functional and Technical Consultants have different responsibilities, although the two roles work closely together throughout a programme.
This guide explains where each role typically fits within a D365 implementation and, from a recruitment perspective, what to consider when assessing candidates.
Experience on comparable projects, knowledge of the relevant industry and an understanding of the project lifecycle can be just as important as technical knowledge or Microsoft certifications.
D365 Functional Consultant vs Technical Consultant
| Area | Functional Consultant | Technical Consultant |
| Primary focus | Business processes and solution design | Technical delivery and solution architecture |
| Main objective | Configure D365 to support business requirements | Extend and integrate D365 where required |
| Coding | Limited or rarely required | Significant development experience often required |
| Stakeholders | Business users, process owners and SMEs | Developers, architects and technical teams |
| Workshops | Core responsibility | Often involved where technical decisions are required |
| Configuration | Extensive | Usually limited |
| Custom development | Defines requirements and validates outcomes | Designs and delivers custom functionality |
| APIs and integrations | Defines functional requirements | Designs and implements integrations |
| User training | Frequently involved | Usually limited |
| Testing | Functional testing and UAT | Technical testing and defect resolution |
| Documentation | Functional specifications and process documentation | Technical specifications and architecture documentation |
| Typical technologies | D365 modules and business processes | C#, .NET, APIs, Azure, Dataverse and Power Platform |
| Certifications | Relevant D365 functional certifications | Relevant development, Azure, Power Platform or technical certifications |
The distinction is useful, but job titles can vary considerably between consultancies, implementation partners and end-user organisations.
A Technical Consultant in one business may have responsibilities that sit with a developer or architect elsewhere.
For recruitment purposes, the candidate’s project history is therefore usually more useful than the job title alone.
Where the Roles Fit Within a D365 Project
The balance between functional and technical expertise changes as the project progresses.
Discovery and requirements
Functional Consultants are generally heavily involved from the beginning.
They work with stakeholders to understand existing processes, define requirements and establish what the future-state solution needs to achieve.
This is where industry experience can be particularly valuable.
A consultant who has already worked on similar transformation programmes will understand much of the terminology, processes and operational challenges before the first workshop begins.
That can make a significant difference, particularly on complex projects.
Solution design
Functional and Technical Consultants work closely together during solution design.
The Functional Consultant considers how the requirements can be addressed through standard D365 functionality.
The Technical Consultant becomes more involved where the solution requires integrations, extensions, custom development, Azure, Power Platform or other technical components.
This is also where experienced consultants add value by challenging unnecessary customisation.
A strong Functional Consultant should know when standard functionality is sufficient. A strong Technical Consultant should understand the business requirement before deciding how it should be built.
Build and testing
During the build phase, responsibilities become more defined.
Functional Consultants focus on configuration, functional specifications and validating the solution against the agreed processes.
Technical Consultants handle development, integrations, extensions, APIs and other technical components.
During testing, Functional Consultants are typically more involved in functional testing and UAT, while Technical Consultants focus on technical testing, integrations and defect resolution.
Previous project experience matters here.
There is a meaningful difference between someone who has worked on a D365 implementation and someone who has taken several implementations through testing and into production.
Go-live
Both disciplines are important during go-live.
Functional Consultants support users and resolve process or configuration issues.
Technical Consultants deal with integrations, deployment, technical defects and issues affecting the underlying solution.
For contract recruitment, previous go-live experience can be particularly valuable when a programme is approaching a critical deployment.
What Matters When Hiring a D365 Consultant?
A CV can contain an impressive list of D365 modules, technologies and certifications.
That does not necessarily tell you whether the person is right for the project.
Previous project experience
Start with what the consultant has actually delivered.
Was it a greenfield implementation, rollout, upgrade or support environment?
What was the size and complexity of the programme?
Most importantly, what responsibility did the individual have?
There is a considerable difference between being part of a large D365 programme and owning a workstream within it.
For senior appointments, that distinction becomes particularly important.
Industry experience
Industry knowledge is often underestimated in D365 recruitment.
A consultant with strong D365 Finance experience, for example, may still have a significant learning curve if they have never worked within the relevant industry.
A consultant who understands the organisation’s processes and commercial environment can often become effective much faster.
This is particularly relevant for senior Functional Consultants, where understanding the business can be as important as understanding the product.
Project phase
Recruitment should reflect what the project needs next.
Someone who is excellent at discovery is not necessarily the right person for a go-live assignment.
The same applies to Technical Consultants. An integration specialist may not have the architecture experience required to shape a complex technical solution.
The useful question is simple: has this person done what we need them to do before?
Communication
D365 projects sit between business and technology.
Functional Consultants need to communicate effectively with process owners and senior stakeholders.
Technical Consultants need to explain technical decisions clearly and work effectively with functional teams, architects and project managers.
At senior level, communication is part of being effective in the role rather than a separate consideration.
Common D365 Recruitment Mistakes
Recruiting against the job title
“D365 Technical Consultant” can cover development, integrations, architecture, Power Platform or a combination of these.
The same applies to Functional Consultant roles.
Having recruited ERP and transformation specialists since 2001, we know that two candidates with the same D365 title can bring very different project experience. Before starting a search, define the actual responsibilities and deliverables. This produces a much stronger candidate profile than relying on a generic title.
Overweighting certifications
Microsoft certifications have value and can demonstrate platform knowledge.
They do not demonstrate that someone has successfully delivered a complex transformation.
For experienced hires, project history should generally carry more weight.
What did they deliver? What problems did they deal with? How much responsibility did they have? Have they worked on something comparable?
Those questions are often more revealing than the certification list. And those are the type of details you’ll miss if you rely too heavily on AI for recruitment needs.
An experienced recruiter can look beyond certifications, combining a candidate’s formal credentials with their project history to understand the client’s requirements and identify whether they have the right experience, capability and track record for the role.
Hiring a developer when the requirement is functional
Not every D365 gap requires custom development.
Sometimes the better solution is to revisit the business process and determine whether standard functionality can meet the requirement.
This is one reason strong Functional Consultants are valuable. They can help prevent unnecessary customisation before it becomes a technical and maintenance issue.
Bringing technical expertise in too late
If significant integrations, development or architecture are already part of the programme, technical input should not wait until the build phase.
Early technical decisions can affect the wider solution and create rework if they are addressed too late.
Expecting one person to do everything
There are excellent hybrid consultants in the market.
They can be useful in smaller organisations or less complex projects.
On larger programmes, however, expecting one person to handle requirements, configuration, development, integrations, architecture and stakeholder management is rarely realistic.
The better approach is to identify where specialist expertise is actually required.
Experience vs Certifications When Recruiting
Certifications are useful, but they are only one part of the assessment.
For experienced D365 hires, we would generally look closely at:
- Comparable project experience
- Actual responsibility within those projects
- Relevant industry knowledge
- Depth of functional or technical expertise
- Experience across the relevant project lifecycle
- Communication and stakeholder management
A certification can demonstrate knowledge of a product.
A project history gives you a much better indication of what someone has actually delivered with it.
When Should You Hire Each Consultant?
There is no fixed sequence for every D365 project.
Functional Consultants will often be involved from the earliest stages, particularly where requirements and business processes need to be defined.
Technical Consultants may become more heavily involved as the solution design develops.
However, if complex integrations, custom development or architecture are already known requirements, technical expertise should be involved early.
| Project stage | Functional focus | Technical focus |
| Discovery | Requirements and process mapping | Initial technical input where required |
| Solution design | Business and functional design | Architecture and technical design |
| Build | Configuration and functional specifications | Development and integrations |
| Testing | Functional testing and UAT | Technical testing and defect resolution |
| Go-live | User and process support | Deployment, integrations and technical support |
| Post-go-live | Optimisation and business support | Technical support and improvements |
Recruitment should therefore be aligned with the project plan rather than treated as a separate exercise.
The Role of Specialist D365 Recruitment
D365 recruitment requires an understanding of both the technology and the market around it.
The strongest candidates are not always actively looking, and the person with the most keywords on their CV is not necessarily the right hire.
A specialist recruiter should be able to assess the difference between implementation and support experience, understand whether previous projects are genuinely comparable, and identify where a candidate’s experience fits within the current programme.
This is particularly important for senior and contract appointments.
The objective is not simply to find someone who can perform the duties in a job description.
It is to find someone whose previous experience gives them a realistic chance of succeeding in the specific programme, environment and project phase.
Conclusion
The right D365 hire is about more than matching a job title or certification to a specification.
Project experience, industry knowledge and a clear understanding of what the programme needs can make the difference between finding a suitable consultant and finding the right one.
At Cedar Stone, that is the distinction we focus on when recruiting D365 specialists.
- Website: https://cedarstonerec.com/contact
- Email : peter@cedarstonerec.com
- Call : 020 4600 7766
