Systems Analyst/Business Systems Analyst

[XDA]

Are there any Systems Analyst/Business Systems Analyst here?

Reason I ask, is that Im thinking of a career as a Systems Analyst.

I know that the role involves advising customers on the best IT system for their business, managing the set-up, carrying out testing of the new system etc etc.

I came from an IT background - spent the last 5 years in various support roles so Im aware of the various software and hardware thats out there.

Whats the best way into such a role? From my research, it appears a degree is required? Now Im 22 so I am young enough to change my career path and I have the money to do so. How should I go about it?

Also, any upsides and/or downsides to the role would be great and any other info you may have.

Cheers.

[becker-on-ph]

XDA said:

Are there any Systems Analyst/Business Systems Analyst here?

Reason I ask, is that Im thinking of a career as a Systems Analyst.

I know that the role involves advising customers on the best IT system for their business, managing the set-up, carrying out testing of the new system etc etc.

I came from an IT background - spent the last 5 years in various support roles so Im aware of the various software and hardware thats out there.

Whats the best way into such a role? From my research, it appears a degree is required? Now Im 22 so I am young enough to change my career path and I have the money to do so. How should I go about it?

What you describe doesn't sound like my understanding of what a Systems Analyst or Business Systems Analyst does.

My understanding is that these roles are involved in specifying the detailed functionality of a system or application so that someone more technical can build it/configure it. Someone more pre-sales or senior will have advised the customer which IT system (at a highlevel) is best for their business, although you might get involved in the testing of it.

I would think your best route to these roles is to move into a software development environment, plus try to get some formal systems analysis/business analysis methodology training and experience under your belt.

[RizzoTheRat]

As an Operational Analyst I'm seeing loads of jobs around at the moment for Systems Analysts (and bugger all for OA!). Worth taking a look on Jobsite, Totaljobs etc and seeing what requirements people are after. A lot of job advcerts are being pretty specific about qualifications these days, presumably as they're getting a lot of aplicants and it's an easy way for the recruiting agency to weekd a load out.

[XDA]

becker-on-ph said:

What you describe doesn't sound like my understanding of what a Systems Analyst or Business Systems Analyst does.

My understanding is that these roles are involved in specifying the detailed functionality of a system or application so that someone more technical can build it/configure it. Someone more pre-sales or senior will have advised the customer which IT system (at a highlevel) is best for their business, although you might get involved in the testing of it.

I would think your best route to these roles is to move into a software development environment, plus try to get some formal systems analysis/business analysis methodology training and experience under your belt.

I thought it was more of a systems analyst designs new IT solutions to improve business efficiency and productivity. Working closely with the client, analysts examine existing business models and flows of data, discuss their findings with the client, and design an appropriate improved IT solution.

They produce outline designs and costings of new IT systems, specifying the operations the system will perform, and the way data will be viewed by the user, present their design to the client and, once it is approved, work closely with the client team to implement the solution. Also tasks such as translating client requirements into highly specified project briefs, presenting proposals to clients, working closely with developers and a variety of end users to ensure technical compatibility and user satisfaction, ensuring that budgets are adhered to and deadlines met, overseeing the implementation of a new system, writing user manuals and providing training to users of a new system etc etc?

Thats what i believe the role to be like - Thats the sort of role I am looking to work towards? No???

RizzoTheRat said:

As an Operational Analyst I'm seeing loads of jobs around at the moment for Systems Analysts (and bugger all for OA!). Worth taking a look on Jobsite, Totaljobs etc and seeing what requirements people are after. A lot of job advcerts are being pretty specific about qualifications these days, presumably as they're getting a lot of aplicants and it's an easy way for the recruiting agency to weekd a load out.

I did have alook on cwjobs earlier, but it dodnt really mention specific qualifications etc. I will try those other sites, thanks.

[becker-on-ph]

XDA said:

I thought it was more of a systems analyst designs new IT solutions to improve business efficiency and productivity. Working closely with the client, analysts examine existing business models and flows of data, discuss their findings with the client, and design an appropriate improved IT solution.

They produce outline designs and costings of new IT systems, specifying the operations the system will perform, and the way data will be viewed by the user, present their design to the client and, once it is approved, work closely with the client team to implement the solution. Also tasks such as translating client requirements into highly specified project briefs, presenting proposals to clients, working closely with developers and a variety of end users to ensure technical compatibility and user satisfaction, ensuring that budgets are adhered to and deadlines met, overseeing the implementation of a new system, writing user manuals and providing training to users of a new system etc etc?

Thats what i believe the role to be like - Thats the sort of role I am looking to work towards? No???

I think the role you describe, you could work towards, but I doubt it exists as a single systems/business analyst role in any of the major businesses. It might exist as a “jack of all trades” type role in some SME businesses. I think that the role description you have is the sort of thing often quoted by organisations that deal with theory, the reality is often something completely different.

The role you describe sounds to me like a combination of many different roles. I work as a consultant for one of the UKs largest Business and IT outsourcing companies and the role you describe would be filled by a senior team of about a 5 – 15 people – eg: Bid Manager, Programme Manager, Solution Architect, Enterprise Architect, Business Architect, Technical Design Authority, etc. This would be backed-up by a delivery team of a further 10 – 200 people, depending on the size of the programme – and this is where you’d typical find the systems/business analyst working.

For example; on a large programme delivering BPO/ITO business transformation or business process re-engineering, of which an element would involve some IT systems delivery, the systems/business analysts would each be given a part of the overall solution to focus on, for example, if the system needed to process application forms, handle claims, make payments, etc, a separate SA/BA would handle each work stream, fleshing out the high level business requirements/architecture defined by the senior engagement team into more detailed functional/systems requirements for the developers to build the system.

Picking up some of the specific tasks you see as being perform by an SA/BA, I’ve add how I see it working on a daily basis ..............
“produce outline designs and costings of new IT systems” – Bid Team/Project Manager/Architects
“specifying the operations the system will perform” - Architects
“the way data will be viewed by the user” – Date Architect at the high level – SA/BA detailed stuff.
“present their design to the client” – depends on the size and profile of the design – high level, major business re-engineering would be a senior bid team – low level, detailed functional design might be an SA/BA.
“work closely with the client team to implement the solution” – possibly an SA/BA.
“translating client requirements into highly specified project briefs” – translating client requirements in to detail specifications would be an SA/BA – a project brief for a client would be a Project Manager.
“presenting proposals to clients” – depends on the size and profile of proposal
“working closely with developers and a variety of end users to ensure technical compatibility and user satisfaction” – this could be true to some extent.
“ensuring that budgets are adhered to and deadlines met” – Project Manager
“overseeing the implementation of a new system” – Transition/Implementation Manager
“writing user manuals” - Technical Author
“providing training to users of a new system” – Specialist Trainers

Something you haven’t mentioned which is one of the key areas for any programme of change and is often performed by Business Architect/Analyst is Process re-engineering. This can happen at many levels from complete process re-engineering of an entire piece of business operation, through to a piece of specific process change of an IT system.

Its possible you could work towards becoming one of the senior engagement roles, but as a new entrant to the discipline you would be starting in a junior role dealing with specific pieces of granular specification.

If you really want to follow this career path, then I still maintain that you will need some formal SA/BA methodology training and experience before being considered for the senior roles.

Hope this helps? Drop me a PM if you’d like to discuss further off-line.