Who is a systems analyst and what does he do?

In Russia, this specialty appeared not so long ago; its emergence can be associated with the high demand for automation of processes at large enterprises. Specialties of various directions - programmers, consultants, IT architects, system and business analysts - have become of great interest among entrepreneurs and businessmen.

A systems analyst is a person who specializes in the analysis of the subject part and the construction of formulations and requirements that are in the development of information systems and programs designed to perform certain functions. Usually people interested in computer science are associated with this profession. The analyst is engaged in organizing and monitoring both the automation of certain departments and the work of the entire company as a whole. Research, modeling and description of business processes of an IT enterprise (IT - information technology) - a specialist draws conclusions from the information received and creates a plan for solving problems and tasks.

This profession can be given a simpler description: a system analyst in an IT firm (IT - information technology) is a person who translates the customer's language into the language of programming specialists, that is, the analyst constantly communicates with clients, analyzing their requirements... Then he communicates these conditions to the employees of the company. An enterprise analyst not only needs to understand business plans, but also know how to execute them technically.

As with any specialty, it has its pros and cons. The positive aspects include:

• the demand for the profession is very high;
• decent wages;
• the employee himself chooses the time of work convenient for him, and can also do his duties remotely;
• for employees and customers, a business analyst is of great importance;
• business trips, the ability to travel both within the country and abroad;
• as soon as the enterprise reaches a higher level, the results and benefits of the work become undeniable;
• thanks to the sociability of the employee during the work on the project, there are opportunities for acquiring useful and necessary acquaintances for the company.

The disadvantages are:

• the customer's lack of awareness of the differences in systems, as a result - misunderstanding, disputes and incorrect goal setting;
• often clients are suspicious of the innovations of an IT firm, then it can take a long time to explain the benefits;
• specialty business analyst adjacent to other professions, due to which the risk of performing other tasks increases, this does not always correspond to the goals of the specialist;
• irregular schedule and frequent travel (for some, this is a negative point).

The very name of the profession already suggests that a person of this specialization should be engaged in the analysis of something. His knowledge is not limited only to information technology - there should be an understanding of marketing and management, knowledge of economics and the direction of specialization of the employing company. This is a “multifunctional and key” specialist - it can be difficult to define the boundaries of his activities.

Responsibilities of a system analyst:

• training of new users;
• study of various areas in which new developed systems will be introduced in the future;
• conducting surveys among users and experts, the results of which are needed for further analysis and development of business plans;
• preparation of a test plan that identifies deviations from requirements;
• study of documents and organization of the automation system;
• preparation of documents;
• developing a plan and setting technical goals;
• analysis and preparation of documentation for a complex of programs;
• checking the sample of the system being created;
• identification of various shortcomings, as well as miscalculation of risks during the development of the system;
• selection of a future platform for project implementation.

The most essential tools for the job are paper and pen. An excellent specialist will be enough to build a business model or draw up conditions. In practice, various modeling programs are used to reduce the time spent on building models.

Sociability is one of the most important qualities for a person who wants to be a systems analyst... When preparing your resume, pay attention to the fact that the employer must immediately understand that you are the same person. An applicant for this position must be able to develop logical and full-fledged business projects, the content of which is built on the basis of conversations with people. The minimum time spent on communication with customers and employees of an IT firm is 35% of the entire working day. Contacting and collecting requirements can take place in several ways.

• Correspondence. For the company, this method is the most economical, and the analyst also does not waste time in the case of negotiations with remote customers. This type of communication obliges the employee to be accurate and accurate. Proper knowledge of language and etiquette is essential. It should be possible to discuss issues and details with several representatives at the same time.
• Questioning. For the most part, it is used at the initial stages of the study or at the final ones for the final assessment of the result obtained. Here the analyst needs to be able to write questionnaires, that is, set goals, formulate questions and explain the final results.
• Interview. First of all, a good preparation of a specialist for a conversation is needed, then he will be able to get the maximum of the necessary information. Professionalism and training will help to interest the customer. Pre-written questions make it possible to conduct an interview in a precisely allotted time.
• Meetings and negotiations. In such situations, it is the analyst who can help the firm make productive decisions that bring the greatest profit.

Working with documents - this will not fit the criterion of a separate type of communication, but for a person who works in this area, it is important to be able to use various sources of information. It requires an understanding of the technological process and the ability to find inaccuracies and errors in the description.

You need to develop the plans, tasks and requirements for them as accurately as possible. For this, the skill of working with innovative programs is important. It is he who allows you to build a single communication between the specialist who is engaged in the project and the customer who puts forward his wishes. In this case, the employee simply needs knowledge of the architecture of the latest information systems. Features of creating a product, requirements and other characteristics - all this he must be able to present to people who do not understand all the intricacies of this area, so that everyone understands. Conversely, developers are provided with complete information about which business plan the customer is proposing. All these data are entered by the employee in special documents. In the event of an employee's dismissal, all the information received from clients “leaves” the company with him.

Given the scope of the analyst, the main skills include: understanding the requirements and conditions of the client; the ability to apply various methods of researching a subject; teamwork skills. The work can take place in any conditions, but the specialist must demonstrate the competence of his company-employer.

What kind of education does a person need to get to work in this area? At present, there are no educational institutions in Russia that provide training in this specialty. In 2002, the Department of Business Analytics (at the Faculty of the State University Higher School of Economics) was opened in Moscow, which is a subdivision of the School of Business Informatics, but it is not sufficiently developed. To get started, a business analyst needs a higher education or several "towers". And only after that, to undergo additional training. Experts in the field say that the knowledge of economics and information technology obtained in universities is similar to that required by an analyst. Also, higher education in mathematics can often be found among employees of an IT company.

Knowledge of business modeling is obtained in special additional courses... Here is training in the formation of various software systems and programming language. As already mentioned here, there are no universities for training specialists, so any other specialty can be related to the specialty of systems analyst. That is, a person can be both a humanitarian - it is easier for them to negotiate, and a technician - they do not have problems with solving technical issues.

You can work in large banks or firms with many offices. They usually have additional analytical departments. Smaller companies prefer to use agency services. In IT firms, the personnel management structure is clearly divided - the divisional structure.That is, the analytics department has its own leader, but the manager manages the system analyst. You may have to work on several projects at the same time, which means that several managers will have an employee in subordination.

A systems analyst who finds his job in a large firm can be sure that his career has already taken place. Gaining experience, you can move up the career ladder both in a particular department and in the company itself. First, you can become a senior analyst, and then a department head. With a lot of experience, you can try yourself in the field of management.

The size of wages primarily depends on the experience gained, the field of activity and the level of the company. At enterprises engaged in development, funds are credited for the number of projects completed, that is, a salary plus a bonus. For firms-customers, the salary is usually fixed, a bonus is also possible. Bonuses are also awarded according to the work performed. On average in Russia, a systems analyst earns from 30,000 to 195,000 rubles.

Several years ago, the profession of an analyst was not so in demand in Russia, now firms have begun to conduct business more competently. Gradually, an understanding of the specialty came, how important and necessary it is.