Requisite Skills for ISRequisite Skills for IS

Management and Management and Interpersonal Interpersonal

SkillsSkills

Contemplative QuestionsContemplative Questions

What skills are important for work What skills are important for work in IS?in IS?

Do I have these skills now? Or, do Do I have these skills now? Or, do I need to acquire them?I need to acquire them?

Why do I need them?Why do I need them?

2.22.2

List of SkillsList of Skills Analytical skills (see separate slides)Analytical skills (see separate slides) Technical skills (see separate slides)Technical skills (see separate slides) Management skillsManagement skills

Resource ManagementResource Management Project ManagementProject Management Risk ManagementRisk Management Change ManagementChange Management

Interpersonal skillsInterpersonal skills Communication skillsCommunication skills Working alone and with a teamWorking alone and with a team Facilitating groupsFacilitating groups Managing expectationsManaging expectations

Management Skills for Management Skills for Systems AnalysisSystems Analysis

Four categoriesFour categories Resource ManagementResource Management Project ManagementProject Management Risk ManagementRisk Management Change ManagementChange Management

Resource ManagementResource Management Systems analyst needs to know how to get Systems analyst needs to know how to get

the most out of the resources of an the most out of the resources of an organization, including team membersorganization, including team members

Includes the following capabilitiesIncludes the following capabilities Predicting resource usagePredicting resource usage Tracking resource consumptionTracking resource consumption Effective use of resourcesEffective use of resources Evaluation of resource qualityEvaluation of resource quality Securing resources from abusive useSecuring resources from abusive use Relinquishing resources when no longer Relinquishing resources when no longer

neededneeded

Project ManagementProject Management Two GoalsTwo Goals

Prevent projects from coming in latePrevent projects from coming in late Prevent projects from going over budgetPrevent projects from going over budget Actually 4 goals: time, cost, functionality Actually 4 goals: time, cost, functionality

and qualityand quality Assists management in keeping track of Assists management in keeping track of

project’s progressproject’s progress Consists of several stepsConsists of several steps

Decomposing project into independent tasksDecomposing project into independent tasks Determining relationships between tasksDetermining relationships between tasks Assigning resources and personnel to tasksAssigning resources and personnel to tasks

Risk ManagementRisk Management

Ability to anticipate what might go Ability to anticipate what might go wrong in a projectwrong in a project

Minimize risk and/or minimize Minimize risk and/or minimize damage that might resultdamage that might result

Placement of resourcesPlacement of resources Prioritization of activities to achieve Prioritization of activities to achieve

greatest gaingreatest gain

Change ManagementChange Management

Ability to assist people in making Ability to assist people in making transition to new systemtransition to new system

Ability to deal with technical issues Ability to deal with technical issues related to changerelated to change ObsolescenceObsolescence ReusabilityReusability

Interpersonal Skills for Interpersonal Skills for Systems AnalysisSystems Analysis

Mastery of interpersonal skills is Mastery of interpersonal skills is paramount to success as a Systems paramount to success as a Systems AnalystAnalyst

Four types of skills:Four types of skills: Communication skillsCommunication skills Working alone and with a teamWorking alone and with a team Facilitating groupsFacilitating groups Managing expectationsManaging expectations

Communication SkillsCommunication Skills

Effective communication helps to Effective communication helps to establish and maintain good working establish and maintain good working relationships with clients and relationships with clients and colleaguescolleagues

Skills improve with experienceSkills improve with experience Three types used by Systems AnalystThree types used by Systems Analyst

Interviewing and ListeningInterviewing and Listening QuestionnairesQuestionnaires Written and Oral PresentationsWritten and Oral Presentations

Interviewing and Interviewing and ListeningListening

Means to gather information about a projectMeans to gather information about a project Listening to answers is just as important as Listening to answers is just as important as

asking questionsasking questions Effective listening leads to understanding of Effective listening leads to understanding of

problem and generates additional questionsproblem and generates additional questions

““You have two ears and one mouth; use them You have two ears and one mouth; use them proportionately.” (ancient proverb)proportionately.” (ancient proverb)

““Seek first to understand, then, to be Seek first to understand, then, to be understood. (Covey)understood. (Covey)

Written and Oral Written and Oral PresentationsPresentations

Used to document progress of project and Used to document progress of project and communicate this to otherscommunicate this to others

Communication takes several forms:Communication takes several forms: Meeting agendaMeeting agenda Meeting minutesMeeting minutes Interview summariesInterview summaries Project schedules and descriptionsProject schedules and descriptions Memoranda requesting informationMemoranda requesting information Requests for proposals from vendors and Requests for proposals from vendors and

contractorscontractors Oral presentationsOral presentations

Steps to Improving Steps to Improving Communication SkillsCommunication Skills

PracticePractice Conduct a training classConduct a training class Volunteer to speakVolunteer to speak

Videotape presentation and do a Videotape presentation and do a self-appraisal of your skillsself-appraisal of your skills

Make use of college writing centersMake use of college writing centers Take classes on business and Take classes on business and

technical writingtechnical writing

Working Alone and with Working Alone and with a Teama Team

Working alone on aspects of project Working alone on aspects of project involves managing:involves managing: TimeTime CommitmentsCommitments DeadlinesDeadlines

Team work involves establishing Team work involves establishing standards of cooperation and coordinationstandards of cooperation and coordination

Table 2-2 presents characteristics of a Table 2-2 presents characteristics of a high-performance teamhigh-performance team

Facilitating GroupsFacilitating Groups

Involves guiding a group without Involves guiding a group without being a part of the groupbeing a part of the group

Useful skill for sessions such as Joint Useful skill for sessions such as Joint Application Development (JAD)Application Development (JAD)

Figure 2-9 lists guidelines for Figure 2-9 lists guidelines for running a successful meetingrunning a successful meeting

Managing ExpectationsManaging Expectations

Managing expectations is directly related Managing expectations is directly related to successful system implementationto successful system implementation

Skills for successful expectation Skills for successful expectation managementmanagement Understanding of technology and workflowsUnderstanding of technology and workflows Ability to communicate a realistic picture of Ability to communicate a realistic picture of

new system to usersnew system to users Effective education of management and users Effective education of management and users

throughout systems development life cyclethroughout systems development life cycle

Systems Analysis as a Systems Analysis as a ProfessionProfession

Standards have been established for Standards have been established for education, training, certification and education, training, certification and practicepractice

Several aspects:Several aspects: Standards of PracticeStandards of Practice EthicsEthics Career PathsCareer Paths

Standards of PracticeStandards of Practice

Endorsed Development MethodologyEndorsed Development Methodology Specific procedures and techniques to be used Specific procedures and techniques to be used

during development processduring development process Promote consistency and reliability across all Promote consistency and reliability across all

of an organization’s development projectsof an organization’s development projects Approved Development PlatformsApproved Development Platforms

Organizations standardize around a specific Organizations standardize around a specific platform, sometimes tied to development platform, sometimes tied to development methodologymethodology

Standards of PracticeStandards of Practice

Standardization of RolesStandardization of Roles Roles are becoming better defined Roles are becoming better defined

across organizationsacross organizations Development of a Common Development of a Common

LanguageLanguage Common programming languagesCommon programming languages Common modeling languages, such as Common modeling languages, such as

Unified Modeling Language (UML)Unified Modeling Language (UML)

EthicsEthics Professional EthicsProfessional Ethics

ACM Code of Ethics – See Figure 2-10ACM Code of Ethics – See Figure 2-10 Business EthicsBusiness Ethics

Stockholder approachStockholder approach Any action taken by a business is acceptable as long Any action taken by a business is acceptable as long

as it is legal and maximizes stockholder profitas it is legal and maximizes stockholder profit Stakeholder approachStakeholder approach

Any action that violates rights of stakeholder must Any action that violates rights of stakeholder must be rejectedbe rejected

Social Contract approachSocial Contract approach Any action that is deceptive, can dehumanize Any action that is deceptive, can dehumanize

employees or that could discriminate is rejectedemployees or that could discriminate is rejected

Career PathsCareer Paths

ConsultingConsulting Information Systems within a large Information Systems within a large

corporationcorporation Software vendorsSoftware vendors Other opportunities outside of Other opportunities outside of

systems analysissystems analysis

SummarySummary Skills: Management skillsSkills: Management skills

Resource ManagementResource Management Project ManagementProject Management Risk ManagementRisk Management Change ManagementChange Management

Skills: Interpersonal skillsSkills: Interpersonal skills Communication skillsCommunication skills Working alone and with a teamWorking alone and with a team Facilitating groupsFacilitating groups Managing expectationsManaging expectations

Systems Analysis as a CareerSystems Analysis as a Career Standards of PracticeStandards of Practice EthicsEthics Career PathsCareer Paths