In Craft Business Systems Analysis

I recently wrote an article on the general state of craftsmanship which was geared more to the audience rather than to a specific sector. To my way of thinking, the art is a universal concept that affects all sectors, regardless of whether they are product or service related. This has caused a flurry of e-mail me to question how it applies to certain types of work, including Business Systems Analysis (BSA), which, of course, is applicable, but I wonder if we really made artisan in this field.

From the outset, let me say unequivocally that BSA is not a new concept and has been with us for a long time, even anticipating the modern era of computers in the 20 st century. Before that, companies had formal "systems and procedures of departments with analysts focusing on streamlining business processes and especially by using paper-based procedures and manuals. How to register and office equipment was found, were responsible for their integration into business. But, like computers were introduced, a new feature has been designed which greatly influenced the future, namely analysts programmers. Slowly but surely, analysts have been replaced by programmers. By the end of the Structured Programming / CASE mania the years 1980 and '90, BSA was dropped almost to the point of extinction. In other words, companies were more interested in programming as opposed to grips with the enterprise-wide systems. Consequently, the systems have been attacked piecemeal , usually a program at a time, which resulted in fragmented and disjointed systems, erroneous information, and redundancy in terms of data resources and work effort. Slowly, companies began to realize that a person is superior was necessary that they understand the business and could design integrated systems to serve. Thus, the rebirth of the Business Systems Analyst as we understand it today.

Many BSA now has come through the ranks of programming and programmers are actually in sheep's clothing, and tend to see things only from an IT perspective. However, there are many others whose roots can be traced in business schools today. Can I see a real Business Systems Analyst as an intermediary between end users and programming staff. This means that they have the ability to understand both the business and technical concepts and communicate effectively with both end users and programmers. In other words, an analyst plays the main role is that of translator.

THE ROLE OF CRAFTS

In my article, I defined as a craft ...

"The practice and the pursuit of excellence in the construction / realization of products of superior quality of work by workers."

According to this definition, the craftsmanship and quality are not synonymous. Considering that the quality is primarily concerned with zero defects, craftsmanship implies a human trait in "pursuit of excellence." To better describe the concept, I came up with the following formula:

"Craft = (+ + Experience Knowledge Attitude) X Success"

This lists the variables associated with mastery. Before we talk about "knowledge", we consider the other first. "Experience": the worker was able to apply the knowledge he / she has learned, not just once but repeatedly. "Attitude" addresses the person's sense of professionalism and dedication to his / her job, who have an intellectual curiosity and continually strives for improvement. And "success" means a worker who has demonstrated / she can produce products to satisfy both the customer and the company he / she works, not just once but routine. Regardless of individual knowledge, experience and attitude, if the employee is unable to deliver the product work is for naught.

For me, the variable "knowledge" is the Achilles heel of Crafts' in Business Systems Analysis. As mentioned above, BSA is not a new concept, but was rendered almost extinct. Fortunately, it is beginning to rebound and, as part of his resurrection, the industry is reinventing the theory of systems with the programming muddy the waters. For example, as BSA is taught in university level is not uniform. Sometimes it is taught in business schools and other schools of computer science. Furthermore, as a teacher can not teach is equal to the next. I saw this not only in this country but also overseas. In other words, BSA is not yet a science teachable. To qualify as a science, there must be a governing body composed of the knowledge of proven and accepted concepts and principles. This includes standardization of terms, in order to avoid a "Tower of Babel" effect. Unfortunately, uniform rules are few and far between in BSA. To illustrate, there are many interpretations of what a system is, or what information, and even data.

There are two parts to "knowledge" variable: the initial training / education, and continuous improvement. In terms of initial training / education, you can learn BSA through the "School of Hard Knocks", or from an accredited institution. I will not digress into the specifics of what a curriculum should include BSA other than to highlight the general areas:

* History of BSA.

* The general business courses, including such things as general management, organizational analysis, work simplification, industrial engineering, industrial psychology, company law, statistics, etc.

* Courses of communication: for example, speech, persuasion, negotiation, institutional and technical writing, interviews, etc.

* The basic math to calculate things such as return on investment and cost / benefit analysis.

* Project Management.

* Introduction to computer technology (including operations and networking).

* The principles of software design.

* Principles of database worthy.

In addition to the initial education /, the variable "knowledge" requires a continuous improvement program. This can be done to attend additional training, and research by reading articles and books, and active participation in trade groups, such as the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA).

Incidentally, the precursor of the IIBA was the Association for Systems Management (ASM) that went back in late 1990 (another indicator of how the BSA almost extinct).

Certification in a chosen profession is also useful for continuous improvement, but without a body of accepted industry knowledge is useless. And being certified does not automatically mean being a craftsman, but it is indicative of your desire to seek further knowledge and improve yourself.

IMPLEMENTATION OF CRAFTS BSA

In my previous article handicraft, I described how a company should develop an appropriate corporate culture to embrace crafts, to summarize:

* EMPOWERMENT of the employee to make certain decisions relating to product development work. This involves less micromanagement and more workers to participate in the planning process. In other words, the management of "bottom-up" as opposed to "top-down".

* Creating a more disciplined work environment, promoting a more professional attitude among workers. This includes a business position of zero tolerance defects in workmanship and inferior and the adoption of standard methods in order to establish best practices for building / construction products business.

* Promote a continuous improvement program to hone the skills of workers.

* Definition of three classes of workers to indicate the level of competence, as "apprentices" (novices requiring training), "intermediate" (educated and experienced, but not yet expert), and "Master" (skilled craftsman).

* Establish a link between employees, customers PRODUCTS-to establish a feedback loop to the satisfaction of the court with a specific and precise to the employee (s) that produced it.

This approach to implementation is just as applicable to BSA as it is for any other profession.

CONCLUSION

There are no doubt the craftsmen sector BSA, people whose businesses and customers have the utmost confidence in their ability and confidence to their experience without knowing it. These are people that need to be recognized by the industry to become role models to emulate.

But the biggest problem with expertise in this area is the lack of uniform standards in which we can teach others in a consistent manner. Without such rules, BSA will continue to be viewed more as art than a science, and true craftsmanship in this field will not be realized .......