Systems Analyst

The role of the systems analyst has a high level of responsibility, one of the most diverse, and one of the more stressful positions in the Information Technology (IT) industry.

Overview

Ideally, the good systems analyst (SA) knows about many, or all of, the various IT systems, how they work, and how they interact. The SA also knows the teams responsible for designing, building, and testing those systems. It is in that breadth of knowledge that both the power and the stress lies.

Knowing how proposed changes will affect all of the systems, both positively and negatively, is an increased responsibility from other IT positions, and that that can be accompanied by the same increase in stress.

Breadth of Knowledge

Being effective in the role of SA means knowing a substantial amount about many different IT disciplines. These include, but are not limited to:

• Systems flow diagramming techniques and best practices
• Testing types and techniques
• A variety of programming languages, their strengths, and their limitations
• Effective documentation

Human interaction happens more frequently for systems analysts than in many other IT disciplines, and so communication skills and strengths are needed there, as well, in areas such as:

• Training techniques
• Effective meeting techniques
• Influencing both teams and individuals
• Planning and running a wide variety of types of meetings for requirements gathering, testing reviews, presentations, and training.