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System Analyst and SDLC
In this blog, we are about to discuss system analysts, the role and responsibilities of the system analyst, characteristics of system analysts, system development life cycle (SDLC), and the Importance and necessity of SDLC. Before continuing to this topic if you don’t know about Information systems or want to increase your knowledge regarding Systems and particularly Information systems and their types, also including system development models then visit the link below.
System Analyst
A system analyst is a person who is responsible for the analysis, design, and implementation of the business to the computer. They solve computer problems and enable computer technology to meet the individual needs of an organization and help an organization realize the maximum benefit from its investment in equipment, personnel, and business processes. This process may include planning and developing new computer systems or devising ways to apply existing system resources to additional operations. Above all, system analysts may design new systems, including both hardware and software.
Thus A system analyst is a person who uses analysis and design techniques to solve business problems using information technology. System analysts may serve as change agents who identify the organizational improvements needed, design systems to implement those changes, and train and motivate others to use the systems.
The Role and Responsibilities of System Analyst
- Plan and develop new computer systems or devise ways to apply existing systems resources to additional operations.
- Keep constant track of the system and constant interaction with management, middle-level manager, and the working level personnel to achieve the logical and accurate perspective of the system.
- Use techniques like structured analysis, data modeling, information engineering, mathematical model building, sampling, and cost accounting to plan the system.
- Specify the inputs to be accessed by the system, design the processing steps, and format the output to meet the user’s need.
- Prepare the cost-benefit and return-on-investment analysis to help the management decide whether implementing the proposed system will be financially feasible.
- Coordinate tests and observe initial use of the system to ensure that it performs as planned.
- Prepare specifications, work diagrams, and structure charts for computer programmers to follow and then work with them to ‘debug’ or remove errors from the system.
- Diagnose problems, recommend solutions and determine if the program requirements have been met.
Characteristics of System Analyst
- Knowledge of organization: System analysts must have a good understanding of the organization structure, management, and administration methods, production, and planning.
- Analytical mind: The system analyst must have a good analytical mind and possess the ability to see the problem in different aspects of opportunity and solution.
- Good Interpersonal relationship: The system analyst spends lots of time talking with the user of the new system to gather the information regarding the system working and procedures thus the analyst must possess qualities such as a good listener, good communication skills, and have patients.
- Must have a good learner: System analysts must be ready to accept the changes because the new system development brought various changes in the existing system at every stage. Thus system analyst is considered an agent of change. He should be a good learner to adopt various technological advancements.
- Must have good knowledge of system development tools: System analysts must have good knowledge of system designing and analyzing tools to develop the new system.
- Knowledge of computer system and software packages: System analysts must have knowledge of computing, data processing, different hardware, software, and operating system. He/ She must ware about market trends and new technologies and their uses.
System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
Computer users use software for different purposes. According to the need of the user; the software will be different in types. Software is not a small program; they are a combination of many programs. One can develop the software by using a sequence of steps. Those steps are collectively called the software development life cycle. Therefore; the System or Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a systematic process of developing any software system. It is a step-by-step process where each stage is a building block of an effective and efficient program. A good design program where each stage is a building block of an effective and efficient program. A good design program helps the programmer in understanding the program logic clearly and facilitates debugging and testing. Therefore SDLC can be divided into several stages. SDLC simply can be wrapped up to the following stages:
- Initiation-Related to the proposal.
- Planning Phase-Related to project plant and process map.
- Analysis-Related to Requirement gathering, Requirement engineering, and requirement analysis.
- Design-Related to the design of the system.
- Development-Related to Coding and Implementation.
- Testing-Related to testing of the project/ software.
- Deployment/ Implementation-Related to implementation of the project.
Importance and Necessity of SDLC
To develop a perfect and accurate system we should follow the system development life cycle. There are various phases of the system development life cycle. The first phase is the system study where we find the actual problem from the existing system or if there is not any existing system we recognize why we are actually going to develop the system. What is the actual problem? If we design the system without system study our system may not work or we will not achieve the goal from the developed system. Therefore system development life cycle is very important.
