The case in the section is a common dilemma on which skills are the most important for a systems analyst. I found the assignment challenging since the decision is difficult as all the mentioned skills seem to be very important. After some thought, I identified skills in the following order of importance: personality traits, programming skills, and business knowledge. One crucial lesson that I obtained from this assignment is an insight into the dilemma and decision-making process of the hiring teams.
Firstly, personality traits are the most crucial aspect to consider when hiring an employee, including a systems analyst. Programming abilities and business knowledge can be improved if needed. However, one cannot teach or change personality traits such as talking and working with other team members. A systems analyst’s most important personality traits are communication and problem-solving skills since they often communicate with clients and need to solve problems quickly and under tight pressure (Kendall & Kendall, 2020). Thus, if the person possesses these skills, they can later improve other aspects.
The second priority is programming skills because they are more complicated and take a long time to become proficient. Especially in this changing technology world, programming languages and software packages are being continuously updated. The newly hired individual should be aware of these changes and be able to adapt to them quickly. Thus, since business knowledge is less expertise-demanding, programming skills should be the second most crucial aspect.
Nevertheless, all team members do not need to have identical competencies and skills. Team members should complement the weak areas of their colleagues. For instance, dialogue indicates that the team is diverse in its focus and skills (Kendall & Kendall, 2020). While one person is emphasizing programming skills, the other is stressing business knowledge. Hence, with the confluence of the advanced skills of each individual, the team can derive the best outcome.
To conclude the outcome of the research activity, the hiring team should give the candidate’s personality characteristics the first consideration. Personal character is a prerequisite for the successful functioning of an employee but also an aspect challenging to change or teach. Due to the expertise and difficulty of learning, managers should prioritize programming skills over business knowledge. However, all team members do not need to possess identical competencies since they can complement each other whenever needed.
Reference
Kendall, K. E., & Kendall, J. E. (2020). Systems analysis and design. Pearson.