There's no such thing as a systems analyst

TLDR: The title of this conference, “The Systems Analyst in Perspective,” implies that something more is needed now, but the main characteristic of a good analyst of any kind is that he looks at what he is doing in the framework of the entire organization.

Abstract: Prior SIGPR conferences have focused on training, the characteristics of workers in the field, and the social impact of computers and computer people. These issues are important, of course. But the very title of this conference, “The Systems Analyst in Perspective,” implies that something more is needed now.I suggest to you that there is no such thing as a systems analyst. Systems analysts do not exist. It is impossible.When I recently tried to explain to a vice president what a programmer/analyst does, he was particularly interested in the “analyst” part. After my feeble explanation, he said, “Oh, well, then, I could call myself a vice-president/analyst.” And of course he is right. Anyone who does a good job could be called an analyst, because the main characteristic of a good analyst of any kind is that he looks at what he is doing in the framework of the entire organization. (Isn't it?)I decided to begin with some definitions, so I looked up the two words “system” and “analyst” in my unabridged dictionary to give me a starting point.