Requisite Skills for IS Requisite Skills for IS Management and Management and Interpersonal Interpersonal Skills Skills
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