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Computer Systems Analysts

Analyze science, engineering, business, and other data processing problems to develop and implement solutions to complex applications problems, system administration issues, or network concerns. Perform systems management and integration functions, improve existing computer systems, and review computer system capabilities, workflow, and schedule limitations. May analyze or recommend commercially available software.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Develop, document, and revise system design procedures, test procedures, and quality standards.
    • Assess the usefulness of pre-developed application packages and adapt them to a user environment.
    • Develop, document, and revise system design procedures, test procedures, and quality standards.
    • Coordinate and link the computer systems within an organization to increase compatibility so that information can be shared.
    • Troubleshoot program and system malfunctions to restore normal functioning.
    • Specify inputs accessed by the system and plan the distribution and use of the results.
    • Specify inputs accessed by the system and plan the distribution and use of the results.
    • Test, maintain, and monitor computer programs and systems, including coordinating the installation of computer programs and systems.
    • Recommend new equipment or software packages.
    • Confer with clients regarding the nature of the information processing or computation needs a computer program is to address.
    • Prepare cost-benefit and return-on-investment analyses to aid in decisions on system implementation.
    • Determine computer software or hardware needed to set up or alter systems.
    • Analyze information processing or computation needs and plan and design computer systems, using techniques such as structured analysis, data modeling, and information engineering.
    • Analyze information processing or computation needs and plan and design computer systems, using techniques such as structured analysis, data modeling, and information engineering.
    • Assess the usefulness of pre-developed application packages and adapt them to a user environment.
    • Use the computer in the analysis and solution of business problems, such as development of integrated production and inventory control and cost analysis systems.
    • Train staff and users to work with computer systems and programs.
    • Provide staff and users with assistance solving computer-related problems, such as malfunctions and program problems.
    • Supervise computer programmers or other systems analysts or serve as project leaders for particular systems projects.
    • Supervise computer programmers or other systems analysts or serve as project leaders for particular systems projects.
    • Test, maintain, and monitor computer programs and systems, including coordinating the installation of computer programs and systems.
    • Define the goals of the system and devise flow charts and diagrams describing logical operational steps of programs.
    • Use object-oriented programming languages, as well as client and server applications development processes and multimedia and Internet technology.
    • Test, maintain, and monitor computer programs and systems, including coordinating the installation of computer programs and systems.
    • Interview or survey workers, observe job performance, or perform the job to determine what information is processed and how it is processed.
    • Expand or modify system to serve new purposes or improve work flow.
    • Read manuals, periodicals, and technical reports to learn how to develop programs that meet staff and user requirements.
    • Review and analyze computer printouts and performance indicators to locate code problems, and correct errors by correcting codes.
    • Consult with management to ensure agreement on system principles.

    Skills

    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.

    Abilities

    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.

    Knowledge

    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • Sales and Marketing
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
    • Education and Training
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • Customer and Personal Service
      • Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
    • Administration and Management
      • Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Psychology
      • Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

    Education

    Education
    Bachelor's degree
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    No on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    127420/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    61.26/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    23,540
    Yearly Projected Openings
    1920

    Personality

    Investigative: People interested in this work like activities that include ideas, thinking, and figuring things out. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Analytical Thinking
    • Attention to Detail
    • Dependability
    • Cooperation
    • Integrity
    • Initiative

    Tools

    • Desktop computers
    • Mainframe computers
    • Notebook computers
    • Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers

    Technology

    • Access software
    • Accounting software
    • Administration software
    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Application server software
    • Backup or archival software
    • Business intelligence and data analysis software
    • Cloud-based data access and sharing software
    • Cloud-based management software
    • Clustering software
    • Communications server software
    • Compiler and decompiler software
    • Computer aided design CAD software
    • Configuration management software
    • Content workflow software
    • Customer relationship management CRM software
    • Data base management system software
    • Data base reporting software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Data conversion software
    • Data mining software
    • Desktop communications software
    • Desktop publishing software
    • Development environment software
    • Document management software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Enterprise application integration software
    • Enterprise resource planning ERP software
    • Enterprise system management software
    • Expert system software
    • File versioning software
    • Financial analysis software
    • Geographic information system
    • Graphical user interface development software
    • Graphics or photo imaging software
    • Helpdesk or call center software
    • Human resources software
    • Industrial control software
    • Information retrieval or search software
    • Instant messaging software
    • Internet directory services software
    • Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software
    • Medical software
    • Metadata management software
    • Network conferencing software
    • Network monitoring software
    • Network security or virtual private network VPN management software
    • Object or component oriented development software
    • Object oriented data base management software
    • Office suite software
    • Operating system software
    • Pattern design software
    • Portal server software
    • Presentation software
    • Process mapping and design software
    • Program testing software
    • Project management software
    • Requirements analysis and system architecture software
    • Sales and marketing software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Storage networking software
    • Transaction security and virus protection software
    • Transaction server software
    • Video conferencing software
    • Video creation and editing software
    • Web page creation and editing software
    • Web platform development software
    • Word processing software