MIS 2 - Assignment #2

Assignment #2 (November 28, 2009)

What should be the nature of the relationship between the business plan and the IS plan?

Planning is one thing that is very essential in a person or an organization. It puts essential things, things that need to be done or accomplished, in perfect order so as to be achieved with repose. Encarta defines plan or planning as a system for achieving an objective. Planning is a method of doing something or lay-outing as in making a blueprint of what is needed to be done in order to achieve something. The topic that is being discussed in this post is to what should be the nature of the relationship between the BP or the business plan and the ISP or the information systems plan. The topic is discussed in the following paragraphs.

What is a business? A business, also called a company, enterprise or firm, is a legally recognized organization designed to provide goods and/or services to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, most beingprivately owned and formed to earn profit that will increase the wealth of its owners and grow the business itself. The owners and operators of a business have as one of their main objectives the receipt or generation of financial returns in exchange for work and acceptance of risk. Notable exceptions include cooperative enterprises and state-owned enterprises. Businesses can also be formed not-for-profit or be state-owned.

The etymology of "business" relates to the state of being busy either as an individual or society as a whole, doing commercially viable and profitable work. The term "business" has at least three usages, depending on the scope, the singular usage (stated earlier) to mean a particular company or corporation, the generalized usage to refer to a particular market sector, such as "the music business" and compound forms such as agribusiness, or the broadest meaning to include all activity by the community of suppliers of goods and services. However, the exact definition of business, like much else in the philosophy of business, is a matter of debate and complexity of meanings. There other forms of business ownership. Sole proprietorship is one of the most basic forms of business ownership. Sole proprietorship means or is a business owned by one person. The owner may operate on his or her own or may employ others. The owner of the business has personal liability of the debts incurred by the business. One other form of ownership is partnership. Partnership is a form of business in which two or more people operate for the common goal which is often making profit. In most forms of partnerships, each partner has personal liability of the debts incurred by the business. There are three typical classifications of partnerships: general partnerships, limited partnerships, and limited liability partnerships. Next form is called Corporation. A corporation is either a limited or unlimited liability entity that has a separate personality from its members. A corporation can be organized for-profit or not-for-profit. A corporation is owned by multiple shareholders and is overseen by a board of directors, which hires the business's managerial staff. In addition to privately-owned corporate models, there are state-owned corporate models. And the last basic form of business ownership is Cooperative. Cooperative is often referred to as a "co-op", a cooperative is a limited liability entity that can organize for-profit or not-for-profit. A cooperative differs from a corporation in that it has members, as opposed to shareholders, who share decision-making authority. Cooperatives are typically classified as either consumer cooperatives or worker cooperatives. Cooperatives are fundamental to the ideology of economic democracy.

Before pointing out the nature of the relationship between the business plan and the information system plan I’ll lay down or rather site the definitions of the terms included in the question. What is a business plan? A business plan is a formal statement where the business goals of a certain company or organization are set, the reason why they are said to be reachable and the plan for reaching these goals. In any organization planning is a basic tool for achieving its objectives and purposes and to be able to achieve this and to be able to achieve an organization’s objectives an organization must have an effective business plan to be carried out.

A business plan is essential to a company or an organization based on the following reasons: first to test the feasibility of the business. Writing a business plan is the best way to test whether or not an idea for starting a business is feasible, other than going out and doing it. The business plan is a business safety net. Writing a business plan can save a great deal of time and money, if working through the business plan reveals that your business idea is unsustainable. With this you can test if having your idea business is feasible, and if not this help freeing you to move on to a new and better idea.

To give your new business the best possible chance of success, it is vital to the success of the business. Writing a business plan will ensure that you pay attention to both the broad operational and financial objectives of your new business and the details, such as budgeting and market planning. Taking the time to work through the process of writing a business plan will make for a smoother startup period and fewer unforeseen problems as your business becomes established. The next reason is to secure funding. Why? To start a business, it needs to have both operating and startup capital. Some business has their capital from financial institutions such as banks in which they expect that business has a developed business plan. And established businesses usually need money for their business operations. With this, the role of having a business plan will at least gives you an assurance and chance to keep the business operating or maybe an expansion.

To make business planning manageable and effective. A business plan is essential if you're thinking of starting a business, but it's also an important tool for established businesses. The company's original business plan needs to be revised as new goals are set, to adopt the changes in business industry. Reviewing the business plan can also help a company or corporation see what goals have been accomplished, what changes need to be made, or what new directions to a company's growth should take. And the other reason is to attract investors. Having a solid business plan, this is a plus factor to the company in which investors pull towards the company to invest. A company business plan will be the basis of the investor to do some background checks to the company.

The nature of the business plan is to look ahead, allocate resources, focus on key points, and prepare for certain risks, problems and opportunities. I reckon almost all business establishments have their own business plan. Business plans are determined or as I might say it is categorized for a profit or non-profit organization or company. A profit organization or company’s business plan focuses typically on financial goals such as profit creation while a non-profit organization or company’s business plan tend to focus on the mission of the organization which is the main reason for their status which is non-profit. A business plan is essential to an organization whether profit driven or not because it gives them a backbone or a guide. It makes an organization move into a systemic and orderly way. No business will be able to have a clear perspective of what is needed to be done if there is no plan or else they would be lingering towards nowhere and would unlikely achieve their goals.

There are ways of plotting or preparing a business plan for a company. This I know I found in the web and I honestly forgot who the author was. I just happened to save the web page. Steps in preparing the Business Plan. The process of preparing and developing a business plan is an interactive one that involves every functional area of a company. Successful business plans are usually the result of team effort, in which all employees provide input based on their special areas of expertise and technical skill. Business owners and managers provide overall support for the planning process as well as general guidelines and feedback on the plan as it is being developed. Once the planning process has been fully organized, participants can begin the process of assessment. Internal evaluations include identification of strengths and weaknesses of all areas of the business. In addition, it is generally useful to assess and evaluate such external factors as the general economy, competition, relevant technologies, trends, and other circumstances outside the control of the company that can affect its performance or fundamental health. Setting goals and defining strategies are the next key steps in the planning process. Using the assessment and evaluation of internal and external factors, fundamental goals for the business are developed. Pertinent areas to be studied include the company's competitive philosophy, its market focus, and its customer service philosophy. Specific performance and operational strategies are then established, based on these goals. After strategies and goals have been defined, they are translated into specific plans and programs. These plans and programs determine how a company's resources will be managed in order to implement its strategies and achieve its goals. Specific areas that require their own plans and programs include the overall organization of the company, sales and marketing, products and production, and finance. Finally, these specific plans are assembled into the completed business plan.

Also related in this account are the factors or the elements that can be found in a business plan of company or an organization. This I also found in the web. Business plans must include authoritative, factual data, usually obtained from a wide range of sources. The plans must be written in a consistent and realistic manner. Contradictions or inconsistencies within a business plan create doubts in the minds of its readers. Problems and risks associated with the business should be described rather than avoided, then used as the basis for presenting thoughtful solutions and contingency plans. Business plans can be tailored to the needs and interests of specific audiences by emphasizing or presenting differently certain categories of information in different versions of the plan. Business plans contain a number of specific elements as well as certain general characteristics. These include a general description of the company and its products or services, an executive summary, management and organizational charts, sales and marketing plans, financial plans, and production plans. They describe the general direction of a company in terms of its underlying philosophy, goals, and objectives. Business plans explain specific steps and actions that will be taken as well as their rationale. That is, they not only tell how a company will achieve its strategic objectives, they also tell why specific decisions have been made. Anticipated problems and the company's response to them are usually included. In effect, business plans are a set of management decisions about how the company will proceed along a specified course of action, with justifications for those decisions. Listed below are brief descriptions of the major elements found in business plans.

Include the same information on the title page. If you have a logo, you can use it, too. A table of contents follows the executive summary or statement of purpose, so that readers can quickly find the information or financial data they need.

The first is the EXECUTIVE SUMMARY. This is usually a two-to five-page summary of the entire business plan. It is an important part of the plan, in that it is designed to capture the reader's attention and create an interest in the company. It usually includes the company's mission statement and summarizes its competitive advantages, sales and profit projections, financial requirements, plans to repay lenders or investors, and the amount of financing requested. Next is the DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS. The business description includes not only a profile of the company, but also a picture of the industry in which the company operates. Every business operates within a specific context that affects its growth potential. The description of a company's operating environment may cover new products and developments in the industry, trends and outlook for the industry, and overall economic trends. The intent of the company profile, meanwhile, is to provide readers with a description of unique features that give the company an edge in the environment in which it competes. A brief company history reveals how specific products and services were developed, while descriptions of pertinent contracts and agreements should also be mentioned (information on contracts and legal agreements may also be included in an appendix to the business plan). Other topics covered include operational procedures and research and development.

Third element of the business plan is the DESCRIPTION OF PRODUCTS AND/OR SERVICES. The goal of this section is to differentiate a company's products or services from those of the competition. It describes specific customer needs that are uniquely met by the firm's products or services. Product features are translated into customer benefits. Product life cycles and their effects on sales and marketing can be described. The company's plans for a new generation of products or services may also be included in this section. Next is the DESCRIPTION OF MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE. The quality of a company's management team can be the most important aspect of a business plan. This section presents the strengths of the company's management team by highlighting relevant experience, achievements, and past performance. Key areas include management's ability to provide planning, organizational skills, and leadership. This section also contains information about the company's ownership and work force. It may present an existing or planned organizational structure that will accomplish the goals set forth in the business plan. Specific management and control systems are often described as well.

The fifth element is the MARKET ANALYSIS. A thorough market analysis serves as the basis for a company's sales and marketing plans. The analysis generally covers the company's competition, customers, products, and market acceptance. The competitive analysis details the competition's strengths and weaknesses, providing a basis for discovering market opportunities. A customer analysis provides a picture of who buys and uses the company's products or services. This section of the business plan highlights how the company's products or services satisfy previously unfulfilled market needs. It also includes evidence of market acceptance of the company's unique products or services. Next is SALES AND MARKETING PLAN. The marketing plan delineates the methods and activities that will be employed to reach the company's revenue goals. This section describes the company's customer base, products or services, and marketing and sales programs. The latter is supported by conclusions drawn from the market analysis. Different revenue outcomes may be presented to allow for contingency planning in the areas of finance and production.

The seventh element is the PRODUCTION PLAN. A production plan is usually included if the business is involved in manufacturing a product. Based on the sales and marketing plan, the production plan covers production options that are available to produce a desired mix of products. The production plan contains information that allows for budgeting for such costs as labor and materials. In non-manufacturing companies, this section would cover new service development. Next is the FINANCIAL PLAN. This section covers the financing and cash flow requirements implicit in other areas of the business plan. It contains projections of income, expenses, and cash flow, as well as descriptions of budgeting and financial controls. Financial projections must be supported by verifiable facts, such as sales figures or market research. Monthly figures are generally given for the first two years, followed by annual figures for the next three to eight years. If the business plan is written for investors or lenders, the amount of financing required may be included here or in a separate section.

the ninth element of the business plan is the IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE. This section provides key dates pertaining to finance, marketing, and production. It indicates when specific financing is needed, when specific aspects of a particular marketing campaign will take place, and delivery dates based on production schedules. And the last element is the CONTINGENCYPLANS. This section defines problems and challenges that the company may face and outlines contingency plans for overcoming obstacles that might arise. Specific topics that may be explored are competitive responses, areas of weakness or vulnerability, legal constraints, staffing, and continuity of leadership. Most business plans include a table of contents and a cover sheet containing basic information about the company. An appendix may include a variety of documentation that supports different sections of the business plan. Among the items that may be found in an appendix are footnotes from the main plan, biographies, graphs and charts, copies of contracts and agreements, and references.

In addition to publishing submitted articles, the Editors-in-Chief will invite retrospective articles that describe significant projects by the principal architects of those projects. Authors of such articles should write in the first person, tracing the social as well as technical history of their projects, describing the evolution of ideas, mistakes made, and reality tests. Technical results should be explained in a uniform notation with the emphasis on clarity and on ideas that may have applications outside of the environment of that research. Particularly complex details may be summarized with references to previously published papers. We will make every effort to allow authors the right to republish papers appearing in Information Systems in their own books and monographs.

We have already portrayed what a business plan is. Information Systems plan on the other hand is the searching of strategies for information systems in order for the company to gain competitive advantages. What really are Information systems? Information systems are the software and hardware systems that support data-intensive applications. The journal Information Systems publishes articles concerning the design and implementation of languages, data models, process models, algorithms, software and hardware for information systems. Subject areas include data management issues as presented in the principal international database conferences (e.g. ACM SIGMOD, ACM PODS, VLDB, ICDE and ICDT/EDBT) as well as data-related issues from the fields of data mining, information retrieval, internet and cloud data management, web semantics, visual and audio information systems, scientific computing, and organizational behavior. Implementation papers having to do with massively parallel data management, fault tolerance in practice, and special purpose hardware for data-intensive systems are also welcome. All papers should motivate the problems they address with compelling examples from real or potential applications. Systems papers must be serious about experimentation either on real systems or simulations based on traces from real systems. Papers from industrial organizations are welcome. Theoretical papers should have a clear motivation from applications. They should either break significant new ground or unify and extend existing algorithms. Such papers should clearly state which ideas have potentially wide applicability.

Most likely companies do this by assessing the current environment and the organization’s objectives and strategies. Improving the processes, performance and operations has been the top priorities of companies or organizations and also, improving the planning process of information systems has long been one of the top concerns of information systems department management. To achieve this, the information system plan must be aligned with the business plan or the business strategy of an organization or a company. We, together with my group mates happen to have interviewed one the system analyst in the Davao Light and Power Company. I remember him saying that the IT department serves as the support group or should I say the prop that supports the organization in attaining organizational goals. He also said that their department supports the company by enhancing organizational processes and by making them easier and more accurate. That is why information systems plan must be aligned with the business plan of an organization so that the IT (information technology) unit and other organizational personnel are working on the same goals, using their respective competencies. Thus, the relationship of the business plan and the information systems plan should be parallel or analogous to each other.

I have also seen in the web some qualities of a good information systems plan. Characteristics of a good information systems plan include being timely. Timely as such that the information systems plan must be created when it is needed. An information system plan created long after it is needed is considered to be useless. In almost all cases, it makes no sense to take longer to plan work than to perform the work planned. Next would be useable. An information systems plan should be useable for all projects. Meaning it can be utilized anywhere it is needed. Maintainable, new business opportunities, new computers, new business mergers, and etc. all affect the information systems plan so it must be able to adopt and change quickly to the estimates technology employed and possibly to the fundamental project sequences. Quality and reproducible, the information systems plan should be as is and should not vary to staff that is using the system.

Integration of the business plan and the information systems plan is undoubtedly very essential because of the reason that one benefits the other. An information system helps an organization with its processes and optimization of work flows and also eases their work and at the same time a business plan helps an organization manage their tasks in order to achieve their goals. The two should be well made and integrated to the point of having harmonious relations with each other in order for a company or an organization to grow and prosper. Unwell made business plan affects the information systems plan and the same goes to the business plan is the information systems plan is not well plotted.

There is however other kinds of planning that used in some companies and I just want to put it here in my post. Tactical Planning is the process of taking the strategic plan and breaking it down into specific, short term actions and plans. The relative length of the planning horizon will vary from one market to another but typically the strategic plan will cover a period greater than three years while the tactical plan covers the period from today through to the end of year three. The content of any business plan will depend on why the plan is being produced. Some plans are for internal use only and act as a common reference during the preparation of budgets and appraisals. Some plans are basically sales documents aimed at persuading banks to provide loans and investors to provide equity. The process of producing a useable tactical plan is not easy as some flexibility is required to allow response to unplanned events. There are a large variety of strategic planning models and organizations that provide strategic planning consulting. Some of these are useful and can be used a check lists to ensure completeness and as facilitators to ask the awkward questions that people would prefer to leave unanswered. It is important that the tactical plan should be checked to ensure it is aligned with the strategic plan and that all activities are aimed at moving closer to the goals defined in the strategic plan. It is very easy for the tactical plan to diverge at a tangent because of someone's interests or disagreement with the strategic plan.

In all the things we do, planning is a part of activities for it guides every step that can give satisfaction to our work. And we can't deny the fact that planning is so difficult. Here comes now the relationship between business plans and IS plan. It's because business goals and systems plans need to align. Strategic systems plans need to align with business goals and support those objectives. It will be difficult if CIO is not part of senior management. Technologies are rapidly changing. And continuous planning based on monitoring and experimenting new technologies. Certain companies need portfolios rather than projects. It is for the evaluation on more than their individual merit. On how they fit into other projects and how they balance the portfolio of projects. In planning, infrastructure is included in which the infrastructure development is difficult to fund. It is often done under the auspices of a large application project. One of the challenges for this is to develop improved applications and improve infrastructure over time. Systems planning has become business planning, not just a technology issue. Responsibility needs to be joint. It is better done by a full partnership of C-level officers. Other planning issue is planning culture in which the systems planning must fit.

This relationship, I think, is observed by companies and organizations. However, despite the importance of the alignment of the business plan and the information systems plan, some companies still come up or demonstrate limited or awry on the alignment of the plans. This happens because of some factors, factors like resistance, lack of knowledge, negative or neutral view of the ability of IT. However there are many companies especially the IT companies who are knowledgeable of the current trends and are currently employing information systems plan into their systems. These companies have properly integrated their business plan with their information systems plan and these companies have achieved their goals so far (at least that is what I think)

SAD1 Assignment 2

Last December 11, 2009 we had our interview with the head system analyst working in the Davao Light and Power Company Bajada branch. When we got there we were welcomed warm fully. They accommodated us and gave very comfortable seats. Our interviewee was very kind enough to answer all of our questions because we did not ask him only for a certain topics but various topics according to the other assignments in this subject. We gave him a questionnaire to serve as a basis for the question. Well actually my group mates made the questionnaire and we were assigned to take notes. However, just recently my cell phone got lost and sad to say that all of my jotted down notes were stored or saved in my cell phone. Now the last option for me is to base my answers on my memory and on the notes of my group mates who also took notes from the interview. As what I have remembered our head system analyst interviewee said that a system analyst, based on his experience, must have good communication skills, must have good technical skills, must know how to model process and must know the process within the company or the organization. He/she must also know the business flows and every operation of the company or the organization. Their team is actually composed of system analyst, not to mention that one of his subordinate or assistant analyst is a student from the University of Southeastern Philippines and their counterpart or should I say their partner is the development team or the team that are composed of the programmers that develop a certain system for the organization.

As what is defined in the previous assignment in System Analysis and Design 1 a definition from Wikipedia states that a systems analyst is responsible for researching, planning, coordinating and recommending software and system choices to meet an organization's business requirements. The systems analyst plays a vital role in the systems development process. A successful systems analyst must acquire four skills: analytical, technical, managerial, and interpersonal. Skills enable systems analysts to understand the organization and its functions, which helps him/her to identify opportunities and to analyze and solve problems. Technical skills help systems analysts understand the potential and the limitations of information technology. The systems analyst must be able to work with various programming languages, operating systems, and computer hardware platforms. Management skills help systems analysts manage projects, resources, risk, and change. Interpersonal skills help systems analysts work with end users as well as with analysts, programmers, and other systems professionals. Because they must write user requests into technical specifications, the systems analysts are the liaisons between vendors and the IT professionals of the organization they represent. They may be responsible for developing cost analysis, design considerations, and implementation time-lines. They may also be responsible for feasibility studies of a system before making recommendations to senior management. A system analyst interacts with the customers to their requirements, interact with designers to convey the possible interface of the software, interact or guide the coders or developers to keep track of the system development, perform system testing with sample/live data with the help of testers, implement the new system and prepare high quality documentation. However, the skill and characteristics I will be stating are those characteristics and skills that our interviewee answered us.

Good communication skills. Why does a system analyst need this? A system analyst must know how to deal with people, his co-workers, and people with high positions in the organization, the clients, and the user. It is important for a system analyst to have good communication skill to better deal with the people around him to because he acts as a bridge between the coders or the developers and the clients. Good communication skills make it better for the both sides to understand each other thus providing a harmonious environment between the two sides. By saying that a system analyst acts as a bridge between the coders and the clients it means that the system analyst servers as a liaison or much better identified as an interpreter between the coder side and the client side. Why is this so? Because the system analyst is responsible for gathering the necessary data that the client needs or want in the system and then he/she relays it to the coders but this time he relays it on the technical side. Understandably, the clients are not aware or do not have any knowledge about the technical side so it is the system analyst’s job or responsibility to make the technical side understandable by the clients. Knowing the requirements and the needs of the clients makes the planning and the modeling of the system better and more effective. Thus, it eliminates the possibility of doing the planning and modeling all over again if they encounter mismatching or laps in the requirements. It also eliminates the possibility of over pricing or exceeding the allotted amount of budget for the development.

Good technical skills. Technical skills are knowledge and proficiencies required in the accomplishment of engineering, scientific, or any specific task. A system analyst must know all about the system of the company. It includes system application, administrative work, business functions, and lastly technical functions. Most importantly a system analyst must know everything about the company or the organization. Its operations and business flows. As what our interviewee said, their department acts as a support group of the company. By saying this, it means that they do everything to make the processes of the company or organization even better and easier for the user to use. In the modeling process it is highly important, as I might say that a system analyst is knowledgeable or has good technical skills. I may not have experienced modeling, well I mean real modeling, but I know that it sure takes a lot of knowledge on the technical side to come up with an effective system model. Our interviewee also happens to say that it is not necessary that the system analyst is really good at programming or coding. What is important is that he/she knows how to model or come up with an effective model for the system. System analysts, back in the day, were not graduates of any computer related courses. Most of them are from business related courses, some were accountancy students. It means that a system analyst must really know how to model. Knowledge on programming is just an edge that you can have against other system analyst. Why is this? Because there is already a programming department or development team thus a system analyst can leave the coding or programming job to the developers.

Knowing the company and its processes. Our interviewee said that it is most important that a system analyst is aware of all the processes, flows and operations of the company. Thus, this is where a system analyst’s analytical skills come into play. If he/she knows every process and operation of the company then he/she can identify its strengths and weaknesses thus he/she can devise a way of improving its strengths and reinforce their weaknesses by putting up means of helping their processes, a software for example. If he/she knows every flow then he/she can immediately identify problems within the company or the organization and if he/she can identify problems fast then he/she can devise a solution for that problem also as fast. (This post will be updated)

Announcement

There will be a new set of posts that will be posted in this blog for System Analysis and Design 1 subject. In order not to confuse those who might want to view the posts I will set the font color System Analysis and Design 1 posts to pink and the posts of the Management Information System 2 will still be light blue.

SAD1 Assignment 1

Based on my learnings I have realized some characteristics that are very essential and these characteristics are the characteristics that a good system analyst must have. But before that I will site some definitions of a system analyst. In the definition from Wikipedia, a system analyst is responsible for researching, planning, coordinating and recommending software and system choices to meet an organization’s business requirements. The system analyst plays a vital role in the systems development process. A successful systems analyst must acquire four skills: analytical, technical, managerial, and interpersonal. Analytical skills enable systems analysts to understand the organization and its functions, which helps him/her to identify opportunities and to analyze and solve problems. Technical skills help systems analysts understand the potential and the limitations of information technology. The systems analyst must be able to work with various programming languages, operating systems, and computer hardware platforms. Management skills help systems analysts manage projects, resources, risk, and change. Interpersonal skills help systems analysts work with end users as well as with analysts, programmers, and other systems professionals. Systems analysts, as motivated and talented IT professionals, solve computer problems and apply computer technology, to meet the individual needs of an organization, realize the maximum benefit from investment in equipment, personnel, and business processes, plan and develop new computer systems, or devise ways to apply existing systems’ resources to additional operations. However, I have heard from an anonymous person that system analysts need not to be an IT professional nor a software developer, these factors are just added value or what I call an edge to other system analyst, what is important is that a system analyst must know how to manage and analyze business processes to be able to come up with a device that could bring an organization to meet their goals. System analysts on the early years were not information technology professionals because these courses were not yet widely spread or I might say not yet know to everyone. System analysts on the early years were most likely people from business related courses, some of them are accountants like the one that the reporter or the people who shared about chapter one. However, there are essential characteristics or skills to be able to a competent system analyst.

THE SKILLS AND CHARATERISTICS OF A GOOD SYSTEM ANALYST (Some are from the sharing and some are from my insights)

A system analyst must be a problem solver. A system analyst must know and be aware of all the business processes and business flows of the company or organization. This characteristic is particularly essential because a system analyst must know how to solve problems within an organization. He/she must be able to identify problems and must also be able to find and device solutions for these problems. Being able to identify problems whenever a system analyst sees one is important because the sooner he/she sees a problem the sooner he/she can find a solution to that problem. What happens if a system analyst is incapable of identifying a problem? Then the company or the organization that the system analyst is working is at risk. A system analyst must also know how to use logical methods to be able to come up with a solution to a problem. To become a problem solver, a system analyst must have the utmost desire to make things better within a company or an organization. Commitment and passion to perform a system analyst’s duty is one that can help him/her become a good problem solver. A system analyst must be a problem solver especially when he/she is an IT professional because IT professional are solution providers and problem solver (as what is stated in the Philippine Society of Information Technology Students Shirt Design)

Technical skills are also skills that a system analyst must have. He/she must have knowledge on computer and peripheral devices, computer and communication networks, project planning, system analysis and design and the like. Why does a system analyst need to have technical knowledge or skills? Because if a system analyst is the one that analyses business processes and flows, problem solver, and the bridge between the developers and the clients, then he/she must have knowledge that is needed to be able to perform the tasks of a system analyst.

People skills and interpersonal and communication skills these skills are the ones that I think is most important other than having technical skills and being a problem solver. People skills is the characteristic, skill or the ability to deal with people, the ability to deal with people and get along with them, for example, because of being sensitive and diplomatic. Being able to understand the people around you especially the ones that you are working with and successfully communicating with other people are essential and important talents or skills that a system analyst must possess. Developing interpersonal communication skills is vitally important in today’s workplace. Even though you are an individual contributor in the workplace, you still need to communicate effectively with your boss as well as customers. Almost all kinds of work require communicating. Most people have colleagues with whom they need to communicate in order to be successful at their job. Having a good charisma also counts to the advantage. Why are these characteristics and skills important to a system analyst? Because when you are in a business scenario having to work properly and harmoniously with your co workers is really important. For example when a company or organization is in a project development phase, a system analyst must be able to work with his/her colleague harmoniously because having a harmonious environment can bring about the advantage or should I say the device that could help the organization do their task properly and possibly increase performance level. A system analyst must also know how to motivate another person, in a business scenario, his/her co-workers. Harmony within organizations especially to the team that is responsible for the development of the softwares most likely the devices that could solve problems within an organization can speed up the process of the development. It can lessen the possibilities of having a development failure. A system analyst is also the bridge that connects the top ranking persons, Chief Executive Officer, or the manger to the programmers or the software developers. The system analyst carefully acquires the necessary information and analyzes it to come up with a proper and effective design for the software and then passes it on to the programmers and developers so that they will know what to do, the necessary features and the important details.

Part of these skills and characteristics, I think that a system analyst might need to have knowledge like being able to understand and speak other languages. I have read a testimony of a system analyst and his experiences being a system analyst. A system analyst acts as the middle man assessing the needs of the end user and translating them into programming or tuning over the programming responsibility to the development department. The scenario was he is sitting in a meeting, the one on his left speaks French and the one his right speaks English and both individual needs to speak with each other. How are they suppose to interact and understand each other if you don’t even understand what they are saying? I’m saying that being able to understand and speak different languages is an edge in becoming a good system analyst.

Determination is also one of the characteristic that a system analyst must possess. Determination is decision on course of action: decision-making on, or the establishment of, a course of action. A good system analyst must have the guts and the determination to achieve a goal. It is the drive that pushes a team or an organization to work hard and finish what they have started.

Another characteristic that a good system analyst must possess is patience. Patience, according to the definition in Wikipedia, is the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset; or exhibiting forbearance when under strain, especially when faced with longer-term difficulties. It is also used to refer to the character trait of being steadfast. Why patience? Because you will be working with people that are different from you, different in working styles, different in perspective and sometimes different in personality. One must possess great patience if one wants the course of the development be continuous. What happens if the system analyst is impatient? Then everything will be in chaos. It would create a troublesome environment which can bring about failure in the development of a certain project. This I think is also one of the characteristics that I must possess even if I am not a system analyst. Patience cannot be only utilized in work but also in different aspects like mingling with other people and in relationships.

There are many more characteristics that a system analyst must possess but I think that the ones that I have stated above are the ones that I possess. It may not be my strong side but the said characteristics are the characteristics that I somehow possess. The first is the problem solver. Typically person who engage in the area of information technology are problem solvers. Basically they are the solution providers to those problems that other people cannot solve. As a student I know that I am a problem solver although the things that I consider problems are not problems but challenges and barriers that block me from achieving my goals as a student. When teachers give us assignments usually students treat this as problems rather than challenges. In a math problem you need to find solutions to be able to come up with the write answer. That is what I think of a student as a problem solver. The next is the problem solver as a person living within a community. We find many problems in our community this may be personal, problems in a relationship, family problems, financial problems, political problems and the like. As a person living in a community I find solutions to the problems that I encounter. The usual problems that I encounter based on my experience are the problems encountered in a relationship and financial problems. In finding solution to these problems I usually analyze the situation and then evaluate. In a relationship I usually make amends to patch up what is wrong in the relationship. It is similar in the working scenario. In finding solutions to my financial problems I usually find means of acquiring money. The usual means that I think is doing services like reformatting, burning data, fixing things that are related to computers and the other means that I usually think about is by playing music in places like bars and restaurants.

The next characteristics that I know that I have are determination and patience. Determination as a student because I know that I am determined to do and finish the things that I have come to start. (Why did I come to this school in the first place?) As a student I am determined to finish my course, Bachelor of Arts in Information Technology. It is the course that I have chosen. I was fortunate that my parents let me choose the course that I want and let me pursue what I really want. I am happy that my parents continually support me even if I am not going to graduate in this course in four years. Determination is the one thing that drives to me push thru and work hard to achieve my goals and never stop no matter what barriers are set in front of me. The next thing is patience. This characteristic is the characteristic that I know I truly possess. I have a long patience especially to those people that are not like me or should I say people who have characteristics different from me. (However, this long patience is always disregarded when I encounter stupid jeep drivers. And I do not know why they bug me all the time.) For me patience is important because in life we will surely encounter unfortunate events (not to mention that I just lost my cell phone this afternoon and it is so frustrating) and annoying people. If you have no patience then I will guarantee that you will have a bad trip all the time and I know that when you are in bad mood your days are always not good. As what my music teacher said “Life is a journey. Don’t get a bad trip.”

As for the people skills and interpersonal and communication skills, I do have these characteristics. After all I am a part of a group, a circle of friends we call alien eye. I am also a member of a band and part member of a dance troupe and all of these peers I have good relationship with. People skills and interpersonal and communication skills are important because we need these to better mingle with other people. These characteristics are also important to a leader. Without these characteristics it is hard to communicate and dwell with other people. It is an advantage to have these traits because you can gain more bearing and often time people who have these characteristics perform well in the jobs because they have no restrictions. I mean they can freely dwell and mingle with the people around them especially those they work with. This is also important because we need to establish good relationship with our co workers and when you are in a team let us say the development team of an organization or a company it is very important to have good people skills and to have good relationship with your co-workers because this can bring about harmony thus making the work continuous and without delay. Talking about the technical skill that I have stated above I believe that I have these skills however it is not yet my strong part. I have still much to learn about the technical field. I mean that I do have knowledge but it is not enough yet. That is why I am continually learning so that it becomes a strong part of me.

There are still many characteristics that a good system developer must have like being time bounded, meticulous and the like which could help him/her become a far better system analyst. I know that I have yet to develop my characteristics and skill to be competent enough. Competent enough to battle it out against those people that will become will competition when I graduate. Finding a job is not an easy task to do and I know that I’ll need all the advantages and the edge that I could possibly conjure to become globally competent.

MIS 2 - Introduction

(Short Personal Introduction) Hello once again, my name is Jan Neil Enanoria Gador a student of the Institute of Computing currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Information Technology course. The subject is Management Information System 2 and I am expecting that I could learn more from this subject and I aslo expect that it would be more challenging than the previous subject. Above all I expect it would be fun and enjoyable (as always). I hope that all will go smoothly and that if there are obstacles regarding this subject I hope that we can conquer it.

MIS 2 - Assignment #1

THE GOAL / DREAM

Before I start telling what I think myself worthy to be called as an IT professional 10 years from, I am going to share my dreams when I was just a kid and how it came that I pursued Information Technology as a career and as a profession. When I was young, well when I was younger, I used to see myself just like my father. My father is a civil engineer and I can honestly tell that I was one of those kids who dreamed about following their father’s footsteps even though I did not know what a civil engineer is. Honestly I did not even know what an engineer was. As a kid I had many dreams in life. I wanted to become anything I want to be, anything that I can come to think of. When I was in primary school my dream of becoming a civil engineer faded. I wanted to become an architect instead of being an engineer. Still I did not fully know what an architect is and what an architect does. I just had a plain perception that an architect draws and designs buildings and during that time I was also hooked into drawing. Anyway during that time I was like an unguided missile, ready to launch but has no definite target.

When I got to secondary school my dream of becoming an architect remained as it is up until I got to third year high school. During this stage of my high school days I became addicted to music and at the same time an enthusiast of computer games. When I say computer games, I was not only in it for the game but I was in it because I admired the graphics. (The graphics at that time was not yet sophisticated and complex compared to now.) It was at that time when I realized that I wanted to integrate art with technology. I use to watch movies that use animation and frankly I had a green eye to those people who can actually make pictures move like it is real. Now from becoming a civil engineer to architect to becoming an animator or rather a graphic artist. By the time I got to the fourth year of my high school days my father already asked me of what course do I want to pursue when I go to college. I said I wanted to be a graphic artist, and then we started scouting for schools that offer this kind of course but sadly at that time there was none. After a few days of searching my father found a school but it is not located here in Davao City but in Manila. The University of Santo Tomas (UST) offers Fine Arts course major in Graphics. I finally found the school so during the fourth quarter of the school year I went to Manila to take the entrance exam. Fortunately I passed the exam and I was fit to enroll but guess what? My father decided that I needed to have a backup plan so he told me to take the entrance exam in The University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP). So enrolling in The University of Southeastern Philippines was really not my first choice but thanks to that backup plan I gained my bearing. My father withdrew in sending me to The University of Santo Tomas because there was no doubt that we could save a lot of money if I enroll in The University of Southeastern Philippines.

During that time my perception of pursuing Information Technology was not that clear. I was not knowledgeable of the future that I will have if I pursue this kind of career. Although I still did not lose my dream of becoming a graphic artist I learned from the presentation that Sir RSG gave to us during the freshmen orientation that Information Technology encompasses a large field and that the possibilities are endless. I could become many things as long as it is covered by Information Technology and by talking Information Technology it pretty much includes almost everything. I know now that I am not only limited in a single task when I finish this course but I am pretty much capable of many things.

Now getting to the main topic of what do I think of myself worthy to be called as an IT professional 10 years from now. When I was undergoing Human Resource Management I remember that one of the jobs that I wanted to have was to become a Graphic Artist, Web Designer, Database Administrator or a part of the team that leads the MIS of a big company. I have still got my dream in me but this time it has become specific and has a purpose. Ten years from now I would picture myself doing one of these jobs but I honestly cannot say that his goal is final because a lot of things can happen in a span of 10 years. Maybe 4 to 6 years from now Information Technology will have new possibilities to come up. I mean, technology is evolving faster than we can imagine. Who knows what could happen in a span of 4 to 6 years or maybe 10 years from now. However I do know that a part of me says that I want to become like Mr. RSG. I am saying that Mr. RSG is one IT professional that an Information Technology student can look up to. I mean I could not become what Mr. RSG exactly is but I do hope that I could follow some of his ways.

REALIZATION

During our second meeting on Management Information System 2 last November 16, 2009 our facilitator, Mr. RSG, asked us (well not all of us) about our dreams or rather what we answered in this assignment. Many of my classmates answered what jobs they wanted to have when they graduate and some answered that they wanted to graduate. Then our facilitator told us that we don't need an IT education to be able to land those jobs that we want and he told us we have to dream and set higher goals, one that is useful, life altering and one that could benefit a lot of people. Then I realized that I was not aiming that high or setting goals that could benefit a lot of people. I also realized that dreams are in fact "Free" and "Unlimited" but I know that a man does not have many dreams. If a man has a dream every other week then he or she does not know what a dream is. I heard this line from one of the Diamonds in Amway. A dream is a thing that you hold on to. You feel the urge to achieve that goal and you feel like doing every possible thing to get it. So now I came to visualize my self as an owner of a company somewhat like those companies who make technologies that could better the lives of people. A company that promotes green computing to better the lives of people but not at the expense of nature itself. As IT professionals we should be solution providers. Green Computing according to Wikipedia refers to the environmentally sustainable computing or IT. It is "the study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of computers, servers, and associated subsystems—such as monitors, printers, storage devices, and networking and communications systems—efficiently and effectively with minimal or no impact on the environment. Green IT also strives to achieve economic viability and improved system performance and use, while abiding by our social and ethical responsibilities. Thus, green IT includes the dimensions of environmental sustainability, the economics of energy efficiency, and the total cost of ownership, which includes the cost of disposal and recycling. It is the study and practice of using computing resources efficiently." Our school promotes Green Campus Computing and as a student from this school I have to follow the things that my school has started. This is what I have visualized my self worthy to be called an IT professional ten years from now. This goal serves as my target and I hope that in the future I could reach it, besides dreams are free.

Moving away from discussion (I just want to share it), I also want to become a music teacher. I want to teach music to students who want to increase their knowledge in music. Of course I still need to study more about music so that I would be worthy to teach and someday when I actually become a music teacher focusing on bass guitar I could apply my IT profession so that teaching would be made easy. The reason why I want to teach music to other people because I learned from some show that I watched in the television (I cannot even remember) that music could stimulate the brain and there were also studies that found that students who are in to music are those who perform well and excel in class compared to those who have not. I am not saying that only those who are into music are the only ones who excel in class, it’s just that it helps.

STRATEGIES TO REACH THE GOAL / DREAM

I would not be enumerating the strategies but rather I will just write it as it pops out of mind. Well the first step of getting to that goal is to graduate. The first strategy would be to identify my priorities. Well if I am going to graduate from this course and university I will surely need to identify my priorities. There are many things that I could do while studying and it also means that there are many factors that could possibly retract me from my focus and distract me and if I lose my focus I would lose my bearing and delay me from reaching my goals. Enter only those opportunities that are essential and related to your chosen career and enter only those that can help you build your career. Discard unimportant matters because as what my parents use to say “Study now, play later”. It means that you could do everything you want after you graduate.

Study and be updated. That’s another strategy that I have in mind. This type of profession or career is not static. It could change anytime (that is why we need to have a strategy or a plan) just like what organizations or companies do at the end of a year. Organizations or companies have a strategic planning at the end of each year, it is where they evaluate their performance, identify strengths and weaknesses, and identify solutions to their problem(s). Be updated of the current trend or latest technology so as to be aware of the changes in the industry. In this career or profession being not updated is just like being uncompetitive. Right now I am doing my best to be more aware and be updated as to the latest trend being used in the Information Technology industry. I lack the funds to buy or purchase the latest equipments and gadgets but that does not stop me from learning about these new things and how to use them. Internet can also be a source of knowledge. The internet can be a powerful source of information if you know how to us it. Other than that, seminars and forums could also keep you updated with the latest trends and it costs less than paying someone who will teach. There are other ways of learning aside from paying or purchasing we just need to more resourceful.

Identifying strengths and weaknesses, by identifying my strengths and weaknesses I will have a better lookout on where I should give more focus to compensate my weaknesses and to even strengthen my strong points. I still need to learn a lot considering that right now there are many sophisticated and complex technologies in the market and considering that technology constantly changes and upgrades. Right now I starting to learn more about using other ways to make web based programs aside from using PHP. I got my fascination in PHP and CSS when I enrolled or rather took a crash course in PHP and CSS during the summer of 2008 to 2009 together with John David de Peralta, Roy Laurentino Cuevas, Jalil Paniambaan and Jan Ray Suriba at Amigoas (Come to think of it, our certificates are still in Joda’s hands). Taking that crash course gave me an advantage on our previous subject, Database Analysis and Design 3, which focused on PHP and MySql. I noticed that I lack the knowledge to make this kind of programs so I decided to join the group.

Gaining proper and sufficient experience is also part the steps to get me to my goal. As others say, experience is the best teacher. I have heard from numerous persons that what you learn from school is not always the thing that is applied when you land a job. Hearing from them gave me an idea that I should take or experience applying the theories that I have learned from school because when you practice applying what you have learned and you happen to master it, it is just like breathing. Experience is a vital part of gaining bearing, finding a job and becoming a worthy IT professional. By saying “gaining experience” it also means learning the proper and necessary knowledge to become competitive because whether you accept it or not there will be a lot of competition in this trade. It can also be your edge against your competitors in landing a job because employers would rather choose or prefer employing those people with experience rather than those who still have not.

Start building connections and building people skills. When I say building connections I am pertaining to building good relationships with people are “In” to Information Technology particularly IT professionals. Why do we need to build these connections? In time you will find that the people that you have known over the years have knowledge that you or I do not possess and connections that you or I have not established. These people can bridge us to other people not necessarily IT professionals, it can be businessmen, managers, CEO’s and the like who are pretty much in need of people who are knowledgeable in IT. In time that I graduate at least I already have some options. Anyway you will not lose anything. Its either you learn from them or work for them it is pretty much up to you and either of the two you have already gained a friend. It is giving without losing. Building people skills is very important in this field of work because there are jobs that you will not be working alone by yourself. There are jobs that you do as a team. For example, in a company that manufactures or makes programs, generic or customized, to their clients, making or developing the program cannot be accomplished singlehandedly. Maybe it can be accomplished but not in time. In developing programs or systems there is always a time frame. It can never be without a time frame otherwise it would be like a farmer waiting for rain, you do not know the exact time and date. Similarly, in the school scenario just like in the Institute of Computing, the teachers give projects and they give deadlines for the projects to be submitted. Of course the students should follow that deadline because otherwise their project would be rejected and they end up getting a failing grade. My point is that as early as now we need to build our people skills so that we could work harmoniously with the team. Just like Ms. Enriquez said about “Swapang Na Programmer” they never get the job done in time, then it is a software failure.

Control and Save. In time when you do actually get a job and you earn money from it, the next difficult part other than earning for a living is actually to maintain and control that money and keep it for the dry seasons or the rainy days or emergencies perhaps. I have seen people not in the IT profession who have acquired good jobs and a reasonable salary spend their money like there is no tomorrow because they have a big salary. You will never know if the job you have today is the job that you will actually retire in, that is why saving your money for the rainy days is very helpful. Anyway this is my opinion.

Pray for guidance and help. I do not know for the others but I consider praying as a good strategy. It never fails me. I mean if you possess great intellect and you happen to acquire a great job with a great salary but you do not have good relations with your religion that still isn’t enough. I am catholic, I pray to God for guidance and help and I always feel safe whenever I ask for guidance. As other say, money is a universal provider but not happiness. I believe that one our very goal is to become happy in life. You cannot be truly happy unless you put your religion as a part of your life.

(This post has been updated. I will still be updating this post)

Management Information System II

Last November 9, 2009 we had our first meeting in our subject, Management Information System 2, which is facilitated by Mr. Randy S. Gamboa. As expected, we had fun and at the same time we learned things. This semester marks the arrival of new subjects and one of those is MIS 2. I am expecting that this subject will be more challenging than Management Information System 1 (MIS1) yet I also expect that it would be fun. In this subject we will be focusing on our school, University of Southeastern Philippines, which is a macro industry. I hope that we will be in good condition to surpass this subject and I certainly do hope that the personel in the different offices of the university will be kind and accomodating to us.