1 Lecture 6 The Systems Analyst (Role and activities) Systems Analysis & Design Academic Year 2008/9

2 Objectives of this Lecture This lecture will examine the position of the System Analyst It will explore the analyst’s responsibilities, required skills and background It will outline the specialist skills and techniques required.

3 Systems Analyst Position A systems analyst: Investigates Analyses Designs Develops Installs and.. Evaluates …..a company’s information systems.

4 User Involvement/Team work It is necessary for an analyst to constantly interact with users and managers It is necessary to be able to work as a member of a project team Good communication skills and interpersonal skills are essential.

5 Responsibilities “ The System analyst’s job overlaps business and technical issues. Analysts help to translate business requirements into IT projects” (p26 Shelley et al) Activities include planning projects development of schedules estimating costs.

6 Working with people The Analyst needs to keep managers and users informed by Conducting meetings Delivering Presentations Writing memos, reports and documentation

7 Required skills Solid technical knowledge Strong oral and written communication skills Good analytical ability An understanding of business operations and processes Ability to interact with people at all levels

8 Tools and techniques The Analyst needs to use a range of tools and techniques at each stage of the SDLC The first step is to understand the problem or opportunity. Often the systems request does not reveal the underlying problem, just the symptom.

9 Activity Time Understanding the problem Working in 2’s consider the following problem: “You have a very important interview for a job, but its at the other end of town. You got ready in good time, but your car won’t start..what do you do?”

10 Activity Time First decide upon the real problem. Is the problem: 1. You do not know what is wrong with the car? 2. You will lose the job opportunity unless you do something? 3. You cannot decide what to do next? 4. All of the above?

11 Adopting a problem solving approach 1. You may need to define the problem by thinking about your priorities. 2. What is the first and most important need? 3. Discuss with your nearest neighbour what the best sequence of activities might be to resolve the situation to the best of your abilities. 4. It may be necessary to change and revue your decisions at each stage if they do not go well.

12 Well done!! If you completed the previous exercise you have used the following skills: Analysis Problem solving Project management Team work

13 Activities Step 2 : Define the Project Scope and Constraints Determining the project scope means defining the specific boundaries or extent of the project Some analysts find it helpful to determine the scope by creating a list for example: MUST DO SHOULD DO COULD DO WON’T DO

14 Step 3 -Perform Fact finding Fact finding involves various techniques and may consume several hours, days or weeks Fact finding involves the following: examining organisational charts, conducting interviews, reviewing documentation, observing operations, and conduct a user survey.

15 SQIRO One way to remember fact finding methods is the pneumonic ‘SQIRO’ Sampling – (examination of results) Questionnaires (conduct a survey) Interviews (with key personnel) Research (Reading) Observation –(of operations performed)

16 Organisational Charts An analyst will study an organisational chart in order to understand how the department(s) function This means that you can identify those people you wish to interview Organisational charts show formal reporting relationships between staff members.

17 Organisational Chart example

18 Conduct Interviews The interview process involves the following steps: Determine the people to interview Establish objectives for the Interview Develop interview questions Prepare for the interview Conduct and then document the interview Evaluate the interview

19 An interview is the primary method of obtaining information (shelley et al p69)

20 Review Documentation The analyst will also want to revue the current documentation The documentation describes the processes and situation with the present system

21 Observe Operation Another fact finding method is to observe the current system in operation. This will show how workers carry out a particular task It could include Sampling the inputs or outputs of the system

22 Conduct a user survey Less time consuming than interviews Information can be obtained from a larger group of users Surveys involve a questionnaire (form that users complete) Less expensive and can include a cross section of people

23 Step 4 – Evaluate Feasibility The analyst must now evaluate the project’s: Technical Operational Economic Schedule Feasibilities

24 Step 5- Estimate Project Dev. Time and cost Questions: What information must be obtained? How will you gather and analyse the information? How many people will you interview? How much time will you need to summarise their responses? Will you conduct a survey? How many people will be involved?

25 Step 5- Estimate Project Dev. Time and cost Questions (continued) How much will it cost to analyse the information gathered and prepare a report with findings and recommendations? What difficulties might you encounter?

26 Step 6 – Present results and recommendations The final task in the Preliminary investigation is to prepare a report for management and possibly deliver a presentation. This feedback includes an estimate of the costs and benefits of the proposals and recommendations. Good oral and written communications are essential at this stage..

27 Oral presentations are often required allowing for questions and answers.

28 In conclusion You have now had the opportunity to: Examine the position of the System Analyst Learn about the analyst’s responsibilities, required skills and background Be introduced to the need for specialist skills and techniques required in systems analysis.

29 Supplementary reading To understand the concepts in this lecture more thoroughly you should read: Chapter 1 – page Chapter 2 – Page 63 onwards Systems Analysis & Design, Shelley, Cashman & Rosenblat 6 th Edition. Thomson Course Technology 2006.