Business (systems) analysts study the overall business and information needs of an organisation, in order to develop solutions to business and related technology problems.

A business (systems) analyst's role is usually undertaken prior to the system design, building and programming stages of the systems development process.

Business (systems) analysts may perform the following tasks:

• work closely with clients to identify business needs and the costs and benefits of implementing a computing solution
• construct information technology (IT) definitions based on identified needs of the organisation
• work with other IT experts to address networking and hardware needs
• look at finance and budgetary matters
• devise and document a general system design based on the client's anticipated requirements
• negotiate options with the client.

A business (systems) analyst's role will vary with the size and complexity of the organisation. Some smaller organisations may roll various types of analyst, designer and programmer roles into one, while larger organisations may employ teams of specialists.

Personal Requirements:

• able to conceptualise and think creatively
• good interpersonal and communication skills
• persuasive, patient manner
• team leadership capabilities.