This article was written in response to being asked the question "What is a Systems Analyst?"

Systems Analyst has turned into an outmoded term. It used be implemented to all those analysts that did 'requirements analysis' prior to computerising part of an enterprise.

The Systems Analyst usually worked in the IT Department of big enterprises and saw that the enterprise primarily in terms of its computer systems - a key, but restricted, view of the world.

Their role now is normally taken by the Business Analyst (BA's). As the name would imply, these folks normally work in the business and their opinion of this enterprise is mostly a business view instead of a purely IT or systems view.

Fantastic BA's should Have the Ability to use all of the subsequent modeling techniques:

Function Modeling
Data Modeling
Process Modeling
Information Flow Modeling
Procedure Modeling

In many organisations (far too many) the endeavor of Data Modeling is done by a separate team of Data Analysts (that are usually a part of their IT division) and this causes a disconnect in many jobs. This is principally on account of the Data Analysts not working together with the BA's and utilizing the information gathered by them to determine the essential Data entities of their enterprise. This is why, to be a fantastic BA that you need to have the ability to use ALL of the techniques listed above.

A BA does not have to understand programming languages or layout methods, but understanding of these can provide a much more comprehensive view of the total development cycle.

If you are interested in becoming a BA or if you're already a BA but do not have ALL of the techniques listed above then stop by the Integrated Modeling Method site where you can discover further information and articles on the subject.