COMPUTER SYSTEMS ANALYST Job Duties Computer systems analysts

COMPUTER SYSTEMS ANALYST

Job Duties Computer systems analysts typically do the following: • Consult with managers to determine the role of the IT system in an organization • Research emerging technologies to decide if installing them can increase the organization’s efficiency and effectiveness • Prepare an analysis of costs and benefits so that management can decide if computer upgrades are financially worthwhile • Devise ways to make existing computer systems meet new needs • Design and develop new systems by choosing and configuring hardware and software • Oversee installing and configuring the new system to customize it for the organization • Do tests to ensure that the systems work as expected • Train the system’s end users and write instruction manuals, when required

Career Overview • Computer systems analysts study an organization’s current computer systems and procedures and design information systems solutions to help the organization operate more efficiently and effectively. They bring business and information technology (IT) together by understanding the needs and limitations of both.

DUTIES • Computer systems analysts typically do the following: • Consult with managers to determine the role of the IT system in an organization • Research emerging technologies to decide if installing them can increase the organization’s efficiency and effectiveness • Prepare an analysis of costs and benefits so that management can decide if information systems and computing infrastructure upgrades are financially worthwhile • Devise ways to add new functionality to existing computer systems • Design and develop new systems by choosing and configuring hardware and software • Oversee the installation and configuration of new systems to customize them for the organization • Conduct testing to ensure that the systems work as expected • Train the system’s end users and write instruction manuals

Work Environment • • • Computer systems design and related services Finance and insurance Management of companies and enterprises Information State and local government, excluding education and hospitals 27% 14 8 7 7

WORK SCHEDULES • Most systems analysts work full time. About a quarter worked more than 40 hours per week in 2012.

ADVANCEMENT • With experience, systems analysts can advance to project manager and lead a team of analysts. Some can eventually become information technology (IT) directors or chief technology officers. For more information, see the profile on computer and information systems managers.

IMPORTANT QUALITIES • Analytical skills. Analysts must interpret complex information from various sources and be able to decide the best way to move forward on a project. They must also be able to figure out how changes may affect the project. • Communication skills. Analysts work as a go-between with management and the IT department and must be able to explain complex issues in a way that both will understand. • Creativity. Because analysts are tasked with finding innovative solutions to computer problems, an ability to “think outside the box” is important.

Pay • The median annual wage for computer systems analysts was $79, 680 in May 2012. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $49, 950, and the top 10 percent earned more than $122, 090. • Most systems analysts work full time. About a quarter worked more than 40 hours per week in 2012.

Job Outlook • Employment of computer systems analysts is projected to grow 25 percent from 2012 to 2022, much faster than the average for all occupations. • As organizations across the economy increase their reliance on information technology (IT), analysts will be hired to design and install new computer systems. Growth in cloud-computing, wireless, and mobile networks will create a need for new systems that work well with these networks. • Additional job growth is expected in healthcare fields. A large increase is anticipated in electronic medical records, e-prescribing, and other forms of healthcare IT, and analysts will be needed to design computer systems to accommodate the increase. • Employment growth is expected in IT consulting firms, where many systems analysts work. These analysts, who will be hired by organizations to design computer systems in a variety of industries, will move on to another assignment when they are finished. As more small and medium-size firms demand advanced systems, the practice of analysts moving between businesses is expected to increase. Employment of systems analysts is projected to grow 35 percent in the computer systems design and related services industry from 2012 to 2022.

JOB PROSPECTS • Job applicants with a background in business may have better prospects because jobs for computer systems analysts often require knowledge of an organization’s business needs. An understanding of the specific field an analyst is working in is also helpful. For example, a hospital may desire an analyst with a background or coursework in health management.

Reference • http: //www. truity. com/career-profile/computer-systems-analyst