Xref: utzoo misc.misc:11876 misc.education:1607 misc.jobs.misc:11141 comp.misc:12167
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!apple!amdcad!dgcad!dg-rtp!farmhand!cole
From: cole@farmhand.rtp.dg.com (Bill Cole)
Newsgroups: misc.misc,misc.education,ba.general,misc.jobs.misc,comp.misc
Subject: Re: Systems Analysis - need advice
Message-ID: <1991Apr18.145022.5484@dg-rtp.dg.com>
Date: 18 Apr 91 14:50:22 GMT
References: <24289@well.sf.ca.us>
Sender: cole@farmhand (Bill Cole)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Data General Corporation, Research Triangle Park, NC
Lines: 19

A Systems Analyst's duties vary wildly from place to place.  In general,
an SA should be able to identify how a particular task is done currently,
what impact that task has on the company/department, where the information
comes from and where it's going, who uses the information and why.  The
SA will then formulate a plan to re-implement the task as directed -- or
recommend that the task not be changed at all because it makes no economic
sense.  Please note the cost/benefit analysis which should be part of a
thorough research, but usually ends up rather more in the nature of we'll-
do-this-because-the-VP-wants-us-to.

The course should help you in learning to identify systems, what choices
you may have in making recommndations, etc.  If you're not familiar with
'office accounting procedures' the course may be of great value in getting
started.  However, the best SA I ever met was a mediocre technician but
people would talk to him easily and tell him how things really worked.  
Then he left it to me to design the software that mimicked the paper jungle
he'd discovered.  It was a real education for me.

/Bill