Chapter 3: The

Role of the
Systems Analyst
Rafi Ibn Sultan
Lecturer
Dept. of CSE
Varendra University
 INTRODUCTION & DEFINITION

• Designing and implementing systems to suit organizational needs are the

functions of the systems analyst.
• The analyst is a person with unique skills. The job is not confined to data
processing as such, because it deals heavily with people, procedures, and
technology.
• The role of the analyst has been emerging with changing technology.
• Definition: a person who conducts a methodical study and evaluation of an
activity such as a business to identify its desired objectives in order to
determine procedures by which these objectives can be gained

Systems Concepts and the Information Systems Environment 2

 WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO DO SYSTEMS
ANALYSIS?

• An analyst must possess various skills to effectively carry out the job.
Specifically, they may be divided into two categories: interpersonal and
technical skills.
• Interpersonal skills deal with relationships and the interface of the analyst
with people in business.
• Technical skills, on the other hand, focus on procedures and techniques for
operations analysis, systems analysis, and computer science.

Systems Concepts and the Information Systems Environment 3

The interpersonal skills relevant to systems work include the
following:
• Communication—having the ability to articulate and speak the language of the user,
a "flare" for mediation, and a knack for working with virtually all managerial levels in
the organization. Communication is not just reports, telephone confiscations, and
interviews. It is people talking, listening, feeling, and reacting to one another, their
experience and reactions. Some indicators of a climate of closed communication are
defensive memos, excessive correspondence, and a failure to speak up for fear of
being identified. Therefore, opening communication channels are a must for system
development.
• Understanding—identifying problems and assessing their ramifications, having a
grasp of company goals and objectives, and showing sensitivity to the impact of the
system on people at work.
• Teaching—educating people in use of computer systems, selling the system to the
user, and giving support when needed.
• Selling —selling ideas and promoting innovations in problem solving using
computers. Systems Concepts and the Information Systems Environment 4
Technical skills include:
1. Creativity—helping user's model ideas into concrete plans and developing
candidate systems to match user requirements.
2. Problem solving —reducing problems to their elemental levels for
analysis, developing alternative solutions to a given problem, and
delineating the pros and cons of candidate systems.
3. Project management —scheduling, performing well under time
constraints, coordinating team efforts, and managing costs arid
expenditures.
4. Dynamic interface—blending technical and nontechnical considerations in
functional specifications and general design
5. Questioning attitude and inquiring mind—knowing the what, when, why,
where, who, and how a system works.
6. Knowledge of the basics of the computer and the business function.
Systems Concepts and the Information Systems Environment 5
Interpersonal and Technical Skills Necessary
in System Development

Systems Concepts and the Information Systems Environment 6

 Academic and Personal Qualifications

The background and experience of analysts include:

1. A background in systems theory and organization behavior.
2. Familiarity with the makeup and inner workings of major application areas such
as financial accounting, personnel administration, marketing and sales,
operations management, model building, and production control.
3. Competence in system tools and methodologies and a practical knowledge of
one or more programming and data base languages.
4. Experience in hardware and software specifications, which is important for
selection.

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Personal attributes of analysts and what attracts them to
systems analysis:
• Authority—the confidence to "tell" people what to do. Much of this
quality shows in project management and team work to meet
deadlines.
• Communication skills—ability to articulate and focus on a problem
area for logical solution.
• Creativity—trying one's own ideas, developing candidate systems using
unique tools or methods.
• Responsibility—making decisions on one's own and accepting the
consequences of these decisions.
• Varied skills —doing different projects and handling change.

Systems Concepts and the Information Systems Environment 8

THE MULTIFACETED ROLE OF THE
ANALYST
• Among the roles an analyst performs are change agent, monitor, architect, psychologist,
salesperson, motivator, and politician.
• Change Agent
• The analyst may be viewed as an agent of change. A candidate system is designed to
introduce change and reorientation in how the user organization handles information or
makes decisions. It is important, then, that change be accepted by the user.
• The way to secure user acceptance is through user participation during design and
implementation.

Systems Concepts and the Information Systems Environment 9

THE MULTIFACETED ROLE OF THE
ANALYST
• Investigator and Monitor
• In one respect, this work is similar to that of an investigator—extracting the real problems from
existing systems and creating information structures that uncover previously unknown trends that
may have a direct impact on the organization.
• To undertake and successfully complete a project, the analyst must monitor programs in relation
to time, cost, and quality.
• Architect
• The architect's primary function as liaison between the client's abstract design requirements and
the contractor's detailed building plan may be compared to the analyst's role as liaison between
the user's logical design requirements and the detailed physical system design.
• As architect, the analyst also creates a detailed physical design of candidate systems.

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THE MULTIFACETED ROLE OF THE
ANALYST
• Psychologist
• The analyst plays the role of a psychologist in the way he/she reaches people, interprets
their thoughts, assesses their behavior, and draws conclusions from these interactions.
• The art of listening is important in evaluating responses and feedback.
• Salesperson
• Selling the system actually takes place at each step in the system life cycle, however. Sales
skills and persuasiveness, then, are clinical to the success of the system.

Systems Concepts and the Information Systems Environment 11

THE MULTIFACETED ROLE OF THE
ANALYST
• Motivator
• A candidate system must be well designed and acceptable to the user. System acceptance
is achieved through user participation in its development, effective user training, and
proper motivation to use the system.
• Politician
• Related to the role of motivator is that of politician. In implementing a candidate system,
the analyst tries to appease all parties involved. Diplomacy and finesse in dealing with
people can improve acceptance of the system. Inasmuch as a politician must have the
support of his/her constituency, so is the analyst's goal to have the support of the users'
staff. He/she represents their thinking and tries to achieve their goals through
computerization.

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THE ANALYST/USER INTERFACE
• User Motivation
• The motivational approach in system development states that the candidate system should satisfy the users' needs
if they are going to use it. Several models of user behavior attempted to look at the motivation behind system
acceptance.
• Analyst/User Differences
• The analyst's impatience with the user's ignorance about terminology like chip and CRT and the user's impatience
with the analyst's limited understanding of the business
• The Political Factor
• The political factor prompts the analyst to honestly assess the motives of all parties involved and attempt to
remove barriers that lead to system failure
• Conflict Resolution
• Analysts are expected to adapt their own personal style to user personality factors to improve communication and
promote system success

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