Systems analyst: Career development

As an analyst, your immediate prospects depend on the size and type of the organisation for which you work and, consequently, movement between employers is common. Analysts often develop expertise in a particular business sector and may find it difficult to move unless they have cultivated and maintained other skills.

Career advancement opportunities include:

• progression to consultant or senior consultant, liaising with top-level management in client organisations;
• indirect moves within the organisation, for example, developing specific technical expertise (in a systems/technical architect role);
• project management, or sales and account management roles;
• moving in a more strategic business direction, either within the company or with a consultancy firm

Typical work activities

Most systems analysts work with a specific type of IT system, which varies with the type of organisation. Work activities also depend on the size and nature of the organisation, but typically involve:

• liaising extensively with external or internal clients;
• analysing clients' existing systems;
• translating client requirements into highly specified project briefs;
• identifying options for potential solutions and assessing them for both technical and business suitability;
• drawing up specific proposals for modified or replacement systems;
• producing project feasibility reports;
• presenting proposals to clients;
• working closely with developers and a variety of end users to ensure technical compatibility and user satisfaction;
• ensuring that budgets are adhered to and deadlines met;
• drawing up a testing schedule for the complete system;
• overseeing the implementation of a new system;
• planning and working flexibly to a deadline;
• writing user manuals;
• providing training to users of a new system;
• keeping up to date with technical and industry developments.