Jobs .. Economy and Business .. Systems analyst
Education programmes of job
Quantitative Methods MSc

Nature of work

A systems analyst design new IT solutions to improve business efficiency and productivity. He will be working extensively with external and internal clients (within the same organization). First, a systems analyst analyze clients’ existing systems then translate their requirements into highly specified project briefs. Her next step would be identifying options for potential solutions and assessing them for technical and business suitability. A systems analyst draw up specific proposals for modified systems, present your proposals to clients and oversee the implementation of the new systems. Of course, the new systems should be tested, so a systems analyst have to draw up testing schedules for the systems and produce project feasibility reports. Finally, a systems analyst should provide training to the new system users, so writing user manuals will also be part of her job. A systems analyst is also be responsible for ensuring that budgets are adhered to and deadlines are met. He will not be alone in her job because he will be working closely with developers and a variety of end users to ensure technical compatibility and user satisfaction.

Environment of work

As a systems analyst you will dedicate 40 hours of your week to work. Since you always have deadlines to meet, you should be ready to work overtime, including at the weekend, in order to deal with any technical issue. If you work at the financial sector and consultancy, you will have to work even longer hours. All this can be very stressful, so you must be able to handle work pressure.

Your role is largely office-based, with much communication via phone and email, but some time may be spent outside the department or office, particularly in the early stages of a project, when working in a variety of offices or business areas. Work usually takes place in a project team can be based on clients' premises. Sometimes you might even need to spend nights away from home. However, in some cases you might manage your work from home with some flexible working patterns. When you become a highly experienced analyst, you can choose to set up as independent consultant. In this job you can wear comfortable clothes, but you need to dress formally when visiting clients. In this domain, male analysts outnumber female analysts.

Professional life

The size of the organization you work for plays a big role in your progression as a systems analyst. If you are working for a large organization, you may have more opportunity to specialize in a particular client group and advance through the corporate structure. You may also have more opportunity to work in multidisciplinary teams and even in overseas branches. On the other hand, if you are working for a small organization, you may have more opportunity to gain experience in a variety of associated functions across the business, feel closer to the front line of business activity, and see the direct commercial impact of your contribution.

You can improve yourself and progress to consultant or senior consultant where you will liaise with top-level management in client organizations. You might also have the chance to move indirectly within the organization, for example, you might develop specific technical expertise (in a systems/technical architect role). Project management or sales and account management roles can be other options in your career progression. Finally, you can choose to move in a more strategic business direction, either within the company or with a consultancy firm.

A junior analyst salary will be 30000 SYP.

Getting the job

If you wish to take a straightforward rout into the profession, you should obtain a Business and Technology qualification, or degree in IT related subject, and usually, some industry experience as well. If you are wondering which IT related subjects you should study, here is the answer. It will be very useful in your career advancement to study the following subjects:

  Computer Science/Information Technology;

  Information Management Systems;

  Business Information Systems;

  Business Studies;

  Mathematics;

  Science-based Subjects;

  Electrical/Electronic Engineering.

Skills

Along with the academic qualifications, your job as a systems analyst requires certain skills. In order to progress in your job, you need to have a broad knowledge of hardware, software and programming. You should also be able to learn quickly because the IT domain is constantly developing and changing. You need to show ability to contribute to a team effort, a logical approach to problem solving, good interpersonal and client-handling skills and business awareness. It is essential that you have an investigative and inquisitive mind, presentation skills, excellent oral and written communication skills as well as planning and negotiating skills. Do not forget to show initiative, self-confidence and interest in the way organizational processes work.

You are expected to have a working knowledge of programming as well as analytical skills. The most common programs you need to deal with are:

  SQL;

  Visual Basic, C++ and Java;

  Unified Modeling Language (UML);

  SAP business software applications.

Sources and references

If you need any further information on what is included in this file, you can visit the following websites:

  www.morshed.org, businesses awareness site

  Arab Standard Classification of Occupations, 2008, Ed. Arab Labor Organization.

 

Summary

A systems analyst design new IT solutions to improve business efficiency and productivity. He might be working closely with an external or internal client (within the same organization).

Her responsibility is to examine existing business models, discuss their findings with the client, and design an improved IT solution. He produce outline designs and costings of new systems, specifying the operations the system perform, and the way data be viewed by the end-user.