The Modern Systems Analyst: The Chapter Will Address The Following Questions

The Modern Systems Analyst
Introduction
 The chapter will address the following questions:

 What business trends and drivers are influencing the careers of
systems analysts?
 How can you prepare yourself for a career as a systems or
business analyst?
 What does the future hold for systems analysts?
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

Systems Analysis & Design Methods
4ed
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley 2
Who Should Read This Book
 What is an Information System?

 An information system is an arrangement of people, data,
processes, interfaces, networks, and technology that interact for
the purpose of supporting and improving both day-to-day
operations in a business (sometimes called data processing), as
well as supporting the problem solving and decision making needs
of management (sometimes called information services).
 What is a Computer Application System?
 A computer application is computer-based solution to one or
more business problems and needs. One or more computer
applications are typically contained within an information system.

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Who Should Read This Book
 The Systems Analyst - A Key Resource

 The systems analyst performs systems analysis and design.
 Systems analysis is the study of a business problem domain
for the purpose of recommending improvements and specifying

the business requirements for the solution.
 Systems design is the specification or construction of a
technical, computer-based solution for the business

requirements identified in a systems analysis. (Note:
Increasingly, the design takes the form of a working
prototype.).

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The Systems Analyst As A Modern
Business Problem Solver
 What is a Systems Analyst?
 A formal definition:
 A systems analyst facilitates the study of the problems and
needs of a business to determine how the business system and

information technology can best solve the problem and
accomplish improvements for the business. The product of this
activity may be improved business processes, improved
information systems, or new or improved computer
applications frequently all three.

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 A systems analyst is a business problem solver.
 A systems analyst helps the business by solving its problems
using system concepts and information technology.

 A systems analyst sell business management and computer users
the services of information technology.
 A systems analyst sells change.

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 The role of systems analyst is changing into two distinct positions
or roles, business analyst and application analyst.
 A business analyst is a systems analyst that specializes in
business problem analysis and technology-independent

requirements analysis.
 An application analyst is a systems analyst that specializes in
application design and technology-dependent aspects of

development. A synonym is system or application architect.

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 What Does A System Analyst Do?
 A system analyst is a system-oriented problem solver.
 System problem solving is the act of studying a problem
environment in order to implement corrective solutions that

take the form of new or improved systems.
 Most systems analysts use some variation of a system problem
solving approach called a system development life cycle.
 A systems development life cycle (SDLC) is a systematic and
orderly approach to solving system problems.

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 The SDLC usually incorporates the following general-purpose
problem solving steps:
 Planning - identify the scope and boundary of the problem,
and plan the development strategy and goals.

 Analysis - study and analyze the problems, causes, and
effects. Then, identify and analyze the requirements that must

be fulfilled by any successful solution.
 Design - if necessary, design the solution not all solutions
require design.
 Implementation - implement the solution.
 Support - analyze the implemented solution, refine the design,
and implement improvements to the solution. Different support

Systems Analysis & Design Methods situations can thread back into the previous steps.
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Obsolete solution Problem to be solved

Planning
Related problem to be solved

Support Analysis
New solution
Implementation
to same problem
error
to be fixed
Problem analysis
and
Implemented
Solution requirements
solution
Implemen- Acceptable
Design
tation solution

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 System analysts are responsible for other aspects of a system
including:
 PEOPLE, including managers, users, and other developers –
and including the organizational behaviors and politics that

occur when people interact with one another.
 DATA, including capture, validation, organization, storage,
and usage.
 PROCESSES, both automated and manual, that combine to
process data and produce information.

 INTERFACES, both to other systems and applications, as well
to the actual users (e.g., reports and display screens).

 NETWORKS, which effectively distribute data, processes, and
Systems Analysis & Design Methods information to the people.
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 Where Do System Analysts Work?
 The Systems Analyst in the Traditional Business.
 Information services are centralized for the entire organization
or a specific line of business.

• Information Services reports directly to chief executive officer, or
the chief executive for a line of business.
• The highest ranking information officer is a vice president,
sometimes called a chief information officer (CIO).

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 The Systems Analyst in the Traditional Business.
 Information Services is organized according to the following
functions or centers:
• Systems and Applications Development.
– Most systems analysts work here, along with most
programmers.
– The systems analysts and programmers are organized into
permanent teams that support the information systems and
applications for specific business functions.
– The Systems and Applications Development unit may include
a development center.
– A development center establishes and enforces the methods,
tools, techniques, and quality of all development projects.
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Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
or
Line of Business Chief Executive
VP of Information Services
or
Chief Information Officer (CIO)
Manager Data Telecommunications Manager Manager.

Systems Development Administrator Administrator End User Computing Computer Operations
Manager Network
Database End User System
Development Analysts
Administrators Consultants Programmers
Center
Manager
Data Network End User Capacity
Financial
Analysts Managers Trainers Analyst
Systems
Manager
Database
Marketing Network Computer
Analysts
Systems Technicians Operators
Manager
Manufacturing
Systems
Systems
Analysts
Application
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Programmers
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 Modern Information Services in a Business
 Dramatic reorganization trend in medium-to-large information
services units that is highly decentralized with a focus on

empowerment and dynamic teams .
 Result is a federation of information systems centers that
report directly to their functional business units (or groups of

business units).
• Each of these centers is empowered to set priorities and make
decisions on behalf of their constituent management and users.

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Chief Executive Officer (CEO) indicates dynamic
or assignments
Line of Business Chief Executive to teams
as needed
Chief Information Officer (CIO) Vice President Vice President Vice President
(for central information services) Finance Marketing Manufacturing
Information Information
Departmental
Strategy Technology
Computing coordinate advise evaluate
Planning Competency
Coordination
Team Centers
Manager Manager Manager

Information Project
Financial Financial Financial
Technology Managers
Information Information Information
Architecture
Services Services Services
Team
Data Database
Administrator Specialists
Cross-Functional Network Network Network
Systems & Manager Manager Manager
Applications
Development Teams
Telecommuni- Network Analyst/ Analyst/ Analyst/
cations Specialists Programmers Programmers
Programmers
Administrator Team Team
Team
Application
Technology
Specialists
Other
Technical
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Specialists
4ed
 Decentralized information services can, however, lead to
information anarchy and systems that do not interoperate to the

benefit of the business as a whole.
 There will always be systems and applications that support
more than one business function perhaps the entire enterprise.

• These are called cross-functional applications.
 There still exists a need for a central Information Services unit.

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 The central Information Services unit is responsible for:
• Information Strategy Planning

– The information strategy planning team establishes direction
and priorities for aligning information services for the entire
business with the corporate mission, vision, and goals.
– Experienced systems analysts often play key roles in
development.

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 Outsourcing in the Modern Business
 Outsourcing is the act of contracting a service or function to
an external third party.

 Typically, the business must retain enough of a central
Information Services unit to monitor and manage the

outsourcing agreement.
 Some mission critical information services functions and
projects may not be outsourced.

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 Consulting
 Management and systems consulting firms build information
systems and applications for other organizations.

 The systems analysts employed by management consulting
firms are usually called management consultants or systems

consultants.
• They are loaned (for a fee) to the client for engagements (a
consulting term that means ‘project’) that result in a new system
for the client.
• Once the engagement is completed, they are reassigned to a new
engagement, frequently for a new business client.

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 Application Software Solution Providers
 Application software solution providers are in the business of
building information systems and application software

packages for resale to other businesses.
 Many businesses have a policy of not building any system they
can purchase.
 Software packages are typically written to the greatest common
denominator of their intended market – that is, they are

designed to meet general requirements and offer limited
customizability.

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Customers, Partners and Expectations
 The Roles of Management and Users in Systems
Problem Solving
 The roles of management and users in:
 Planning
• Management must sponsor and fund all projects.

• Users must define the domain and boundaries of the problem.
 Analysis
• As subject matter experts, management and users must analyze the
problem domain for causes, effects, and opportunities; as well as
communicate the requirements to be fulfilled by any successful
solution, regardless of technology chosen.
 Design
• Users must react to high-level solution designs and participate in
the solution’s design.
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 The Roles of Management and Users in Systems
Problem Solving
 The roles of management and users in:
 Implementation
• Users participate in system construction and testing. They are the

recipients of training necessary to enable the full user community
to work with the solution.
 Support
• Users and management should routinely evaluate the working
solution and suggest improvements.

4ed
 Partners for the Systems Analyst – Information
Technologists and Vendors
 It takes more than systems analysts and users to build effective
systems.
 In addition to clients, the systems analyst works with a number of
technical peers called information technologists.
 The systems analyst's role in the typical project is to act as a
facilitator.
 The systems analyst may well be the only individual who sees the
system or application as a whole.
 The systems analysts must possess a unique set of skills and
abilities to accomplish the complex task of facilitating systems.
4ed
Steering committee
User 1 Information
technology
vendors
User 2
Systems Applications
analyst programmers
User N
Network
administrator
Management/ system Database Interface

owner administrator design expert

4ed
Preparing For a Career as a Systems Analyst
 Working Knowledge of Information Technology
 The systems analyst is an agent of change.
 The systems analyst is responsible for showing end-users and
management how new technologies can benefit their business and
its operations.
 The systems analyst must be aware of both existing and emerging
information technologies and techniques.

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 Computer Programming Experience and Expertise
 A systems analyst must know how to program because they are
the principle link between business users and computer
programmers.
 It is wrong to assume that a good programmer will become a good
analyst or that a bad programmer could not become a good
analyst.
 Most systems analysts need to be proficient in one or more high-
level programming languages.

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 Computer Programming Experience and Expertise
 Historically, the language of choice has been COBOL for business
applications, but many organizations are shifting to visual
programming languages or to object-oriented programming
languages .
 The reasons for the shift are as follows:
• The transition to graphical user interfaces.

• The desire to downsize applications from the mainframe to
networks of PCs.
• The pressures to improve productivity in applications development
through rapid, iterative prototyping and the reuse of programming
modules called objects and components.
 Visual and object-oriented programming requires a completely
different style of program design, construction, and testing.
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 General Business Knowledge
 The systems analysts are expected to immerse themselves in the
business and be able to specify and defend technical solutions that
address the bottom-line value returned to the business.
 Systems analysts should be able to communicate with business
experts to gain knowledge of problems and needs.
 It is not uncommon for systems analysts to develop so much
expertise over time they move out of information systems and into
the user community.

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 Problem-Solving Skills
 The systems analyst must have the ability to take a large business
problem, break that problem down into its component parts,
analyze the various aspects of the problem, and then assemble an
improved system to solve the problem.
 The systems analyst must learn to analyze problems in terms of
causes and effects rather than in terms of simple remedies.
 The systems analyst must be well organized.
 System analysts must be able to creatively define alternative
solutions to problems and needs.

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 Interpersonal Communications Skills
 The systems analyst must be able to communicate effectively, both
orally and in writing.
 The systems analyst should have a good command of the English
language.
 Almost without exception, communications skills, not technical
skills, prove to be the single biggest factor in career success or
failure.

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 Interpersonal Relations Skills
 Systems work is people-oriented and systems analysts must be
extroverted or people-oriented.
 Interpersonal skills help systems analysts work effectively with
people.
 Interpersonal skills are also important because of the political
nature of the systems analyst's job.
 The systems analyst's first responsibility is to the business, its
management, and its workers.

 The systems analyst must mediate problems between team
problems and achieve benefits for the business as a whole.

4ed
 Flexibility and Adaptability
 No two systems development projects encountered by a systems
analyst are identical.
 There is no single, magical approach or solution applicable to
systems development.
 Successful systems analysts learn to be flexible and adapt to
special challenges or situations presented by specific systems
development projects.
 The systems analyst must be able to recognize when variations
upon (or single-instance exceptions to) development standards are
necessary and beneficial to a particular project.
 The systems analyst must be aware of the implications of not
following the standards.
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 Character and Ethics
 The nature of the systems analyst's job requires a strong character
and sense of ethics.
 Ethics is a personal character trait in which an individual(s)
understands the difference between ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and

acts accordingly.
 Systems analysts must be very careful not to share their
organization’s sensitive and secret information with others, either
within or outside the organization.
 Systems analysts must be very careful not to tell sensitive and
private data and information about customers, suppliers,
employees with the wrong people.

4ed
 Systems Analysis and Design Skills
 All systems analysts need thorough and ongoing training in
systems analysis and design.
 Systems analysis and design skills can be conveniently factored
into three subsets:
 concepts and principles
 tools
 techniques

4ed
The Next Generation
 Career Prospects
 According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, opportunities for
systems analysts are expected to increase much faster than the
average for all professions; even more than for programmers.
 Depending on the economy, businesses will need between 173,000
and 264,000 new systems analysts by the year 2000 – an increase
of 24 to 37 percent since 1988.
 Systems analyst is ranked as the 12th fastest-growing occupation
between now and the year 2000.

4ed
The Next Generation
 Career Prospects
 Does a position as a systems analyst lead to any other careers?
 Some analysts leave the information systems field and actually
join the user community.

 Some analysts become project managers, information systems
managers, or move into technical specialties (such as database,

telecommunications, microcomputers, and so forth).
 The opportunities are virtually limitless.

4ed

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The Modern Systems Analyst

 The chapter will address the following questions:

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

 What is an Information System?

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

 The Systems Analyst - A Key Resource

for the purpose of recommending improvements and specifying

technical, computer-based solution for the business

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

needs of a business to determine how the business system and

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

using system concepts and information technology.

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

business problem analysis and technology-independent

application design and technology-dependent aspects of

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

environment in order to implement corrective solutions that

orderly approach to solving system problems.

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

and plan the development strategy and goals.

effects. Then, identify and analyze the requirements that must

 Support - analyze the implemented solution, refine the design,

and implement improvements to the solution. Different support

Obsolete solution Problem to be solved

Related problem to be solved

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

and including the organizational behaviors and politics that

process data and produce information.

to the actual users (e.g., reports and display screens).

or a specific line of business.

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

Manager Data Telecommunications Manager Manager.

services units that is highly decentralized with a focus on

report directly to their functional business units (or groups of

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

Manager Manager Manager

information anarchy and systems that do not interoperate to the

more than one business function perhaps the entire enterprise.

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

• Information Strategy Planning

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

an external third party.

Information Services unit to monitor and manage the

projects may not be outsourced.

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

systems and applications for other organizations.

firms are usually called management consultants or systems

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

building information systems and application software

denominator of their intended market – that is, they are

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

• Management must sponsor and fund all projects.

• Users participate in system construction and testing. They are the

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

Management/ system Database Interface

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

• The transition to graphical user interfaces.

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for

management, and its workers.