SAD 1 - Assignment 2

Characteristic of a System Analyst

Whew kind of late for this assignment. For this assignment we are tasked to interview a system analyst of an organization and ask input about what characteristic should they have to be effective in developing a modeling process. We had our interview with the company EMCOR with Mr. Nilo Ricafort as well as a short interview with Mr. Hector Po of GH.

On our previous discussions and class sharing we already had defined what is system analyst and as well as what is a modeling process. A system analyst is vital for every organization. They are the one responsible for planning, researching, and recommending software for the company to meet their requirements. Without them it would be possible that there would be a problem in terms of solving for system problems for there is no one to decide and to analyze the matter. According to Wikipedia a system analyst should have these four skills which are analytical, technical, managerial, and interpersonal skills. These four is important and interdependent for without it in a system analyst, he/she would not possibly an effective one. As a system analyst one should have good analytical skills so they would be able to analyze a certain situation or a problem the organization is in and provide possible solutions for it. Technical skill as well is important for them to understand the technical matters of the problem. It would be hard if a system analyst if he/she is just good in analyzing but then does not have the knowledge about technicalities of the problem. Managerial skill is also important for analyst for them to manage the project and risk that incorporates it. Lastly is interpersonal skill which allows a system analyst to interact with the users and the programmer. System analyst is the bridge between the end user and the programmer. Combining all these produces better outcome for project development.

What is a process model?
Process models are processes of the same nature that are classified together into a model. Thus, a process model is a description of a process at the type level. Since the process model is at the type level, a process is an instantiation of it. The same process model is used repeatedly for the development of many applications and thus, has many instantiations. One possible use of a process model is to prescribe how things must/should/could be done in contrast to the process itself which is really what happens. A process model is roughly an anticipation of what the process will look like. What the process shall be will be determined during actual system development.

A systems analyst performs the following tasks:
• Interact with the customers to know their requirements
• Interact with designers to convey the possible interface of the software
• Interact/guide the coders/developers to keep track of system development
• Perform system testing with sample/live data with the help of testers
• Implement the new system
• Prepare High quality Documentation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_analyst

A good systems analyst should have:

Skills on:
1. Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
2. Writing computer programs for various purposes.
3. Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
4. Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
5. Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
6. Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
7. Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
8. Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
9. Talking to others to convey information effectively.
10. Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

The Knowledge of:
1. Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
2. Structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
3. Principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
4. Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
5. Principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

The Ability to:
1. Read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
2. Communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
3. Choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
4. Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
5. Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
6. See details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
7. Communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
8. Come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
9. Tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
10. Combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
http://jobs.virginia.gov/careerguides/computersystemsanalyst.htm

Some characteristics that a system analyst should have:
1. The system analyst must be able to communicate in writing and orally.
2. The analyst must easily get along with people.
3. The analyst must be a good listener and be able to react to what people say.
4. The analyst must be knowledgeable of technology. The analyst is not expected to know the intricacies of programming, but a decent general knowledge of concepts and terms is essential.
5. The analyst must be knowledgeable of business. The analyst is not expected to be an expert in business but a decent understanding of the client's world is required.

The skills and characteristics above is somewhat the same with what our interview conveyed to us. The most significant I think is the interpersonal skills. I can say this is important because a good analyst must know how to interact with every kind of person especially to the end-user and programmer. They must be the bridge between the two so that there is an understanding to produce a good and quality project for the organization they are in. Today systems analyst is incorporated to business analyst. But for me when you say system analyst it concerns about the information system of the company while business analyst comprises on analyzing the entire business process which requires knowledge on every departments of the company. It would be very beneficial to have a good system analyst on an organization. To be more effective for developing a process model the skills defined above are important.

GH Office Depot interview




EMCOR interview