SYSTEM ANALYST

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SYSTEM ANALYST
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SYSTEM ANALYSTS IN SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT

• Analytical skills
• Technical skills
• Managerial skills
• Interpersonal skills

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Analytical skills

• System thinking
• Ability to see organizations
• Information systems

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Technical skills

• Helps you to understand the potential and
  limitations of information technology.

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Managerial skills

• Helps you manage projects, resources, risks and
  changes.

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Interpersonal skills

• Helps you work with last users, other analysts
  and programmers.

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• SIMON TAYLOR, INC.
• SYSTEM ANALYST
• Simon Taylor, Inc., a candy manufacturer, has
  an immediate opening for a systems analyst in its
  Montana-based Office.
• The ideal candidate will have
• A bachelors degree in management information
  systems and/or computer science.
• Two to three years UNIX/RDBMS programming
  experience.
• Experience with the HP/UX Operating System or
  Linux, and HTML. Experience with ColdFusion and
  knowledge of XML are desired but not essential.
• Familiarity with distribution and manufacturing
  concepts (allocation, replenishment, shop floor
  control, and production Schedule).
• Working knowledge of project management and all
  phases of software development life cycle.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills.

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ANALITICAL SKILLS FOR SYSTEM ANALYSTS

• Systems thinking
• Examining what we mean by a system and identify
  the characteristics that define a system

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Definition of an system and its parts

• System
• Components
• Interrelated Components
• A Boundary
• A Purpose
• An Environment
• Interfaces
• Input
• Output
• Constraints

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• INTERFACE FUNCTIONS
• Because an interface exists at the point where a
  system meets its environment, the interface has
  several special, important functions. An
  interface provides
• Security, protecting the system from undesirable
  elements that may want to infiltrate it
• Filtering unwanted data, both for elements
  leaving the system and entering it
• Coding and decoding incoming and outgoing
  messages
• Detecting and correcting errors in its
  interaction with the environment
• Buffering, providing a layer of slack between the
  system and its environment, so that the system
  and its environment can work on different cycles
  and at different speeds
• Summarizing raw data and transforming them into
  the level of detail and format needed throughout
  the system (for an input interface) or in the
  environment (for an output interface)
• Because interface functions are critical in
  communication between system components or a
  system and its environment, interfaces receive
  much attention in the design of information
  systems

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Important system concepts

• Open systems
• Closed systems

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• DECOMPOSITION FUNCTIONS
• Decomposition aids a systems analyst and other
  systems development project team members by
• Breaking a system into smaller, more manageable,
  and understandable subsystems
• Faciliating the focusing of attention on one area
  (subsystem) at a time without interference from
  other parts
• Allowing attention to concentrate on the part of
  the system pertinent to a particular audience,
  without confusing people with details irrelevant
  to their interests
• Permitting different parts of the system to be
  built at independent times and/or by different
  people

• There are several other impotant systems
  concepts with which system analysts need to
  become familiar
• Decomposition
• Modularity
• Coupling
• Cohesion

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Logical and Physical Systems

• Logical Systems
• Physical Systems

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• Benefits from System Thinking
• Applying Systems Thinking to Information Systems
• Organizational Knowledge
• Problem Identification
• Problem

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Selected Areas of Organizational Konowledge for a
Systems Analyst

• How Work Officially Gets Done in a Particular
  Organization
• Terminology, abbreviations, and acronyms
• Policies
• Standarts and procedures
• Standarts of practice
• Formal organizations structure
• Job descriptions
• Understanding the Organizations Internal
  Politics
• Influence and inclinations of key personel
• Who the experts are in different subject areas
• Critical incidents in the organizations history
• Informal organization structure
• Coalition membership and power structures
• Understanding the Organizations Competitive and
  Regulatory Environment
• Government regulations
• Competitors, domestic and international
• Products, services, and markets
• Role of technology
• Understanding the Organizations Strategies and
  Tactics

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Problem Analyzing and Solving

• Intelligence
• Design
• Choice
• Implementation

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The systems development life cycle and Simons
problem-solving model

Implementation

Intelligence
Planning
Analysis
Maintenance

design
Choice
Implementation
Design
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TECHNICAL SKILLS FOR SYSTEM ANALYSTS

• The following alternatives will help you
  versatile and up to date
• Read trade publications and books
• Join professional societies or other clubs and
  attend their meetings
• Attend classes or teach, teaching is a way to
  force yourself to stay current and learn from
  others.
• Attend training sessions offered by your
  organization.
• Attend professional conferences, of trade shows
• Participate in electronic bulletin boards on
  local, national and international Networks
• Browse websites regularly

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• You should be familiar with the following
  families of technologies
• Microcomputers, work stations, minicomputers and
  main frame computers
• Programming languages
• Operating systems for single machines and
  networks
• Database and file management systems
• Data communication standarts and software for LAN
  and WAN
• System development tools and environments (
  forms, reports, generators and design tools)
• Web development languages and tools such as HTML,
  ColdFusion and FrontPage
• Decision support system generators and data
  analysis tools

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INTERPERSONAL SKILLS FOR SYSTEM ANALYSTS

• Communication Skills
• Interviewing and Listening
• Interviewing
• Listening

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Written and Oral Presentations

• Meeting agenda
• Meeting minutes
• Interview summaries
• Project schedules and descriptions
• Requesting in information
• Proposal contractors and vendors

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How can you improve your communication skills

1. Take every opportunity to practice.
2. Videotape your presentations and do a critical
   self-appraisal of your skills.
3. Make use of writing centers.
4. Take classes on business and technical writing.

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Working Alone and with a Team

• We must be able to organize and manage our own
  schedule commitments and deadlines.
• Many people in the organization will depend on
  our individual performance.
• We must understand the strengths and weaknesses
  of other team members

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Characteristics of a High-Performance Team

• Shared, elevated vision or goal
• Sense of team identity
• Result-driven structure
• Competent team members
• Commitment to the team
• Mutual trust
• Interdependence among team members
• Effective communication
• Sense of autonomy

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• Facilitating Groups
• We need to interact with a group in order to
  communicate and receive information.
• In Managing Expectations
• Systems developments is a change process and any
  organizational change is greeted with
  anticipation and uncertainty by organization
  members.
• Organization member will have certain ideas based
  on their hopes and wishes.
• The new system can easily run out of control.
• We need to understand the technology and what it
  can do.
• We must understand the work flows that the
  technology will support.

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Some guidelines for running effective meetings

• Become comfortable with your role as faciliator
  by gaining confidence in your ability, being
  clear about your purpose, and finding a style
  that is right for you.
• At the baginning of the meeting, make sure the
  group understands what is expected of them and of
  you.
• Use physical movement to focus on yourself or on
  the group, depending on which is called for at
  the time.
• Reward group member participation with thanks and
  respect.
• Ask questions instead of making statements.
• Be willing to wait patiently for group members to
  answer the questions you ask them.
• Be a good listener.
• Keep the group focused.
• Encourage group members to feel ownership of the
  groups goals and of their attempts to reach
  those goals.

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SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AS A PROFESSION

• Standarts of Practice
• Standard methods or practices of performing
  systems development are emerging.
• That are making system development less of an art
  and more of a science.
• Standards are developed through education and
  practice.

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Ethics
Comparison of Ethical Obligations for Three
Different Approaches to Business Ethics
Stockholder
Stakeholder
Social Contrast

• Determine who are relevant
• stakeholders
• Determine rights of each
• reject options that violate
• these
• Accept remaining option
• that best balances interests
• of stakeholders

• Reject action that are
• fraudulent/deceptive,
• dehumanize employees,
• or involve discrimination
• Eliminate options that
• reduce welfare of
• societys members
• Choose remaining option that maximizes
  probability of financial success

• Conform to laws and
• Regulations
• Avoid fraud and deception
• Maximize profits

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Career Paths

• Network Administration
• Technical Support Specialist
• Help Desk Support
• E-Business and Multimedia Product and Service
  Development
• Decision Support Analyst
• Data Warehouse Specialist
• Quality Assurance Specialist

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Project Manager
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Who is a Project Manager(PM)???
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What are the important qualities of a PM??

• Problem Solving Skills
• Team-Building Skills
• Good Communicator

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• Enthusiasm
• Cool Under Pressure
• Ability to Delegate Tasks

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What are the roles of PM during the project???

• Planning the work or objectives
• Analysis Design of objectives
• Allocation of resources
• Organizing the work

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• Acquiring human and material resources
• Directing activities
• Controlling project execution
• Tracking and Reporting progress
• Defining the products of the project

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