The department of Mathematical Modeling prepares bachelors and masters on the direction “System Analysis and Management”.

 

Bachelors:

 

Masters:

 

 

 

Recently there is a tendency in big companies to change old principles of organization to new ones. It is connected with optimization and automation of the main business-process, performed by implementation of ERP, MPR and other systems. Business-analyst, named sometimes system analyst, plays one of the first parts in these processes.

 

How does main business-processes management in the company or its department without system analysis or system analyst in a small department look like? Head, as a person to make decisions, takes into consideration strategies of a company, sets the goals for departments and controls achievement of these goals. 

 

At the present time Russian educational institutions still do not graduate “prepared” system analysts. It is quite often, when system analyst of nowadays defends one or several theses and later goes for professional upgrading or takes an extra course. Higher education, received in one of the universities on a speciality of information technologies or economics may be first step to get the profession of system analyst. At the moment, ordinary in this profession there are people with higher mathematical education or with diplomas in the field of their job. Knowledge of business-modeling, necessary for this profession is usually gained during extra education. There are courses on system modeling and software creation methods, and they are organized for system analysts and focus on the learning of program products, which are vital for highly-qualified specialists. It is sensible to mention that in comparison with other places, the job of system analyst demands acquired knowledge of the following software: MS Visio, All Fusion, ARIS, Rational Suite, standards IDEF, DFD, UML, and SQL language.

Almost every speciality can be seen as related, while universities do not prepare system analysts. It is obvious, that modern knowledge in IT field is necessary for participation in the process of automation. Undoubtedly, techies have fewer problems with technical questions; however humanists can easily conduct negotiations with customers for hours. If there is a strong wish to enter this profession, but knowledge of IT-technologies is lacking, than it is reasonable to start career from the place of system analyst assistant or trainee, so one enters this profession step by step.  

 

Position of system analyst includes several tasks:

 

Communication skills deserve particular attention because not less than 35% of business-analyst’s time is devoted to the interaction with colleagues and clients. Information for business-models can be gathered with the following types of communication:

As a rule, it is used at the initial step of the research or for estimation of project results. It demands skills of questionnaire making and working questionnaire: problem statement, question formulation and results interpretation.

It is used quite often, saves time and money when working with remote clients, details discussing and coordination and well formalized tasks. Carefulness, thoroughness, knowledge of language, observance of style and etiquette, ability to discuss one topic with different addressees are necessary.  

Type of communication with client, which allows to get maximum information, especially if previous preparation is careful and beforehand several meetings were organized. Good interviewer can interest a client, help him with preparation to a meeting, using prior questions; he is able to put main questions in limited time and does not lose information between received answers and job reports.

·         Conference and negotiations

They are the events where crucial for the project decisions are made, and qualified business-analyst should help his company to come to necessary decision.

·         Work with initial documents

Obviously, it is not a type of communication; however, business-analyst can not avoid this work. It is important to understand technological process and to reveal conflicting and ambiguous data, which need to be clarified.

 

Knowledge of subject field and proved notations, such as IDEF, UML, DFD and others allows business-analyst to solve the problem of consistency and integrity of the model being made. Skills in working with modern program products - MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, MS Visual Studio, PowerDesigner, Aris, VSS, Project, Case-means, Bug tracking, ARIS, Rational Suite, All Fusion, C++, Java give system-analyst possibility to create uniformity in communicating both with client and with developer. As a rule, there are established standards for business-processes description in any company that is why, it is necessary for business-analyst to learn them. Regarding these instruments, client’s demands can be easily translated to the language, clear to developer.

 

Knowledge of architecture of vendor company standard decision and principles of information systems modern architecture appears to be important for the specialist of this field. Notions “client-server”, “distributed architecture” and “nonsynchronous message exchange” must be clear for him. What is more, business-analyst should be able to explain to non-specialist main features, advantages and drawbacks of different architecture types. And he also has to explain to developers how the model, being made, matches the already existing decision.

 

By receiving information from client and studied processes modeling, system-analyst prepares documents. In case if all documents of the project are full, urgent and actual, extra officer can be involved. Otherwise, if business-analyst is fired, knowledge, gained during the project realization, disappears with him.

 

System analyst plays the main role at the stage of implementation of software in real business-process. Here all the problem places both of the model and of proposed to client architecture are revealed. It is important to detect these complications in time and having flexible model and solution, improve the project in accordance with customer demands.

 

 

The key skills for system analyst are:

·         ability to understand demands quickly and to assign priorities, than present technical decisions and their influence on business in a manner clear to client.

·          ability to follow in different projects chosen methodology, notations and documents. Skills in operation with relevant software also appear to be important.

·         ability to work in command with other analysts in case, if there are several analysts involved.

·         ability, keeping one’s creative style, to preserve discipline in documentations, versions, protocols and readiness to work in command with architects, developers and testers.

·         skill to present with confidence company’s competence in the defined field, and after the short talk results consideration, create a full picture about client and his demands. 

 

Speaking about personal traits, it is necessary to mention that system analyst should be pedantic and industrious, moreover, he should realize his responsibility for the project and do not interfere in financial or political questions.

 

Indisputable advantages of the position of system analyst are:

·         quite high level of salaries.

·         uniqueness of every project supposes individual approach, what gives a great chance to demonstrate creativity.

·         the results are always visible, as well as benefit is evident immediately, while work process in the company raises at new higher level.

·         thanks to the opportunity to interact with people in different companies when making projects, the circle of useful contacts always extends.

Disadvantages of the position of system analyst are:

·         work of system analyst can take place in different cities, that is why representatives of this profession should be ready for business trips.

·         disagreement, controversy with client are consequence of his incomprehension of the differences between systems, and in addition, low efficiency of the stated task.

·         quite often users attitude to implementation of new information system in company is negative, then business analyst has to explain it’s usefulness and advantages, it takes a lot of time and has bad influence on the mood.

 

Nowadays salaries of system analysts vary from 45000 to 150000 rubles per month. In addition, standard compensation is quite high and amounts 60000 ruble per month, it can be considered as evidence of lack of specialists at labor market. Indicated figures are valid for Moscow, in regions salaries of business analysts are lower.

 

At present system analysts are very popular, especially in the fields of banking and investment business. Financial corporations, fuel and energy complexes appear to be perspective for system analysis. What is more, these specialists are in high demand in companies-integrators, dealing with complete cycle of automation and modernization of companies-customers processes. Notion “reengineering” (optimization and automation) of business-processes appeared more than 20 years ago on the West, it came into use in Russia not long ago. However, since that time need for specialists, able to conduct complex reengineering, has been growing. Has it reached the peak of the demand on these specialists? Due to low level of automation both in private and state companies, need for system analysts is likely only to increase with the years.