Characteristics of a Systems Analyst

SAD 1 - Assignment # 1

Being a system analyst is virtually one of the possible jobs that we IT students would land if we decided to go to the corporate world. But being a systems analyst requires specific qualities in order to be proficient in the job. It is a fact that being a systems analyst is not only exclusive for IT people. There are some cases where their job title is not a systems analyst but they act like one in their company. Nevertheless, there are certain qualities that can be commonly displayed or portrayed by systems analyst.

But before I discuss the qualities that a system analyst normally posses, I will first define what does system analysis mean.

According to Encarta dictionary (2008), the definition of systems analysis is the analysis of data-processing requirements: the determination of the data-processing requirements of a company, project, procedure, or task, and the designing of computer systems to fulfill them.

From that definition alone, we can already derive what is the job of a system analyst. The job of the system analyst is to perform systems analysis.

But what specifically does a systems analyst do?

According to wikipedia, a systems analyst is responsible for researching, planning, coordinating and recommending software and system choices to meet an organization's business requirements.

If you would ask me what a systems analyst do, my personal view of would be someone who understands and solves business problems through the usage of logical methods and by using his knowledge of technology and business management.

Based on the presentation of Group 1 entitled the “The World of the Modern Systems Analyst”, they discussed that in order for a person to become a good systems analyst, they should have the necessary skills and knowledge of Technology, Business and People.

A systems analyst should have technological skills and knowledge

When it comes to the technological aspect of being a system analyst, I guess it is given that I possess this skill. The most obvious reason would be because I belong to the Information Technology field therefore I am expected to have the necessary skills and knowledge concerning the latest trend in technology. Having the technology skills and knowledge is important on being a systems analyst because an organization needs to cope up with the technological trends. It is a fact that newer technology arises almost everyday which contributes to the rapid changing of our environment and lifestyle. In order to cope up, an organization must adapt to those changes in order to compete or get ahead with the rest of their competitors. As a systems analyst, you should have the skills to anticipate the changes that can happen in a few years while making a plan for the development of your system. With the proper analysis, the developed system can be able to initiate changes based on the technological advances specifically changes concerning Information System in order to make their business processes more efficient.

A systems analyst should have business skills and knowledge

In order to make a good system for an organization or a company, it is given that a systems analyst should have the thorough knowledge of processes of the organization that he or she is working with. Specifically, a systems analyst should have the basic knowledge of the business functions that the organization is performing; the organizational structure; organizational management techniques and functional work processes within the organization. Generally, a system analyst should have a basic knowledge of business management.

The question would be do I have the business skills and knowledge to be good system analyst?

In terms of experience, I can say that I have been under subjects that are related to business. I have already studied the basic concepts of accounting through one of my accounting subjects and currently learning about financial management process through the subject with the same name.

I may not have the deeper knowledge when it comes to business compared to accounting students but at least I already know the basic concepts in business, particularly in accounting. I also considered Human Resource Management as one of the business related subjects that I already taken up. In HRM, I learned a lot in terms of the people as part of a business and their value for any organization.

A systems analyst should have people knowledge and skills

When making a certain system, a systems analyst generally deals with people. In developing any kind of system, communication with the key persons involved is crucial for the success of the project itself. According to our professor, the systems analyst serves as a bridge that connects the managers or the end users with the programmers. The managers will first relay the needs or problems of their organization with the systems analyst. The systems analyst will then assess and analyze what is the best possible way to solve those problems and provide the needed requirements for the system and then relay it to the programmers so that they could develop the actual system. In this scenario, the system analysts perform a crucial role by being the “interpreter” so that programmer will understand what the end user or the manager needs for the system and vice versa.

Interpersonal skills deal with relationships and the interface of the analyst with people in business. It also include following : Communication, understanding (identifying problems) , teaching (educating people) , Selling (ideas and promoting innovations)

According to THIS website,

Quote:

“..The systems analyst is the middleman, assessing the needs of the end-user and translating them into programming or turning over the programming responsibility to the development department. ”

This just goes to show that being a systems analyst requires the skill in communication with other people.

In general, the interpersonal communication skill is also very important on being a system analyst because of a lot of reasons. The main reason would be because good communication skill is crucial for obtaining and understanding information. It is important that a system analyst will get the necessary information that he needs so that he can produce a satisfactory output for the end user.

Another reason would be for motivating people and getting cooperation. A system analyst is not only working on himself to create a project. He will be dealing with people who will work under him. These people will most likely include programmers. If his subordinates are not motivated enough, there is a possibility that a failure may occur such as missed deadlines a like. Another reason why it is crucial for a system analyst to have a good communication skill is that to be able to understand the complexity and workings of an organization in order to provide necessary support
In terms of interpersonal and communication skills, I believe I have the necessary skills in oral and written communication. If you would look at my track record on subjects with descriptions referring to communication skills, I can tell you that they are decent if not exceptional. But still, I believe that there is always room for improvement and that I can harness it more with constant practice. After all, learning is an unending process.

A systems analyst should be Trustworthy

During our one of our discussions in the subject Systems Analysis and Design, our professor mentioned that the systems analysts are the “most” trusted employee in a company. Why is that so? This is because System analysts often make systems based on confidential data such as salary, planned projects, security systems, etc. With the access of those confidential data, a system analyst must have the integrity and ethical conduct to keep those data a secret. Any kind of misconduct can ruin a systems analyst’s reputation. Because of this, most system analyst plans security in systems that they make in order to protect the information that they are entrusted with. I therefore can say that one of the characteristics of being a good system analyst is being trustworthy. In terms of integrity, I can’t speak for myself that I’m trustworthy person because only the people around me can vouch for that. But one thing is for sure, I can say that I am a person who value secrecy and trust. I try my best to keep the things that is needed to be kept secret because I also want other people to do that if I entrusted them with a secret. I do believe that trust is a very crucial thing that once gone, it is very difficult if not impossible to gain back.

According to THIS pdf file,

Quote:

“..a system analyst is a problem solver. He or she is a person who views the analysis of problems as a challenge and who enjoys devising workable solutions. ..They also need to possess strong personal and professional ethics to help them shape their client relationships. ..The systems analyst must be a self-disciplined, self-motivated individual who is able to manage and coordinate other people, as well as innumerable project Resources. “

Based on the three years that I have been learning programming, I’ve really enjoyed most parts of it. There was a point when I found joy on challenging myself and obsessing myself with machines problems. I have enjoyed the challenge and finding the possible ways in order to come up with the desired output. Of course there were points that I became frustrated but I always try my best to inculcate motivating thoughts in order to achieve what I want. From that point of view alone, I can say that I am a problem solver. I do analyze the problems that come my ways and find the best way possible to come up with the best solution to the problem.

As a closing statement from the things that I’ve learned from chapter 1, here is an excerpt from this article from THIS website,

Quote:

“..The best analysts I’ve come across came from backgrounds in theater, art, and filmmaking. But they were all able to see and grasp big-picture concepts very quickly, and break them down into subcomponents. People who have a computer science or math background tend to be very technical, and sometimes that can be a hindrance.” Systems analysts need to be independent thinkers-people who can “think out of the box” by grasping concepts quickly and seeing the big picture as opposed to the small details.”

This just goes to show that it doesn’t really necessary that you have to have to come from the IT field to be a system analyst. Sometimes it takes more than technological skills and knowledge to be worthy to be called as a systems analyst. Yes, there could be an advantage but not entirely sufficient enough if not thoroughly supported by other important skills.

Our professor once told us that a system analyst is made not born. Anyone could virtually learn the necessary skills and knowledge to be a systems analyst. It doesn’t really mean that if we are from the IT field we are good system analysts compared to people on the accounting field. He said that being in IT is an edge because we are more inclined with the technology aspect of a company which is more of the trend these days. However, the accounting people have the also advantage when it comes to the business side of an organization because they have more business subjects compared to us. The bottom line is that there is no particular field that makes you a better systems analyst than the other. It really goes down to how effective are your personal methods and goals as an individual in bringing positive improvements for the organization and how efficient are you as a professional in implementing it.

References:

Encarta Dictionary Copyright 2008
http://www.princetonreview.com/Careers.aspx?cid=210
http://www.prenhall.com/behindthebook/0132240858/pdf/Kendall_Feature1_Why_We_Wrote_This_Book.pdf
http://www.princetonreview.com/Careers.aspx?cid=210
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_analyst