Roles of Various Personnel in Computer Related Professions

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Roles of various personnel in computer related professions A computer programmer designs software programs through building logical work flow charts, the functionality of which is translated into one of several languages that computers can understand. In the majority of cases, the computer programmer also designs a graphical user interface (GUI) so that non-technical users can run the software through easy, point-and-click, menu-oriented modules. The GUI acts as a translator between the user and underlying software code, negating the need to know the command line structure of the language.

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Generally, there are five basic stages of development that a computer programmer addresses in designing software. They are defining the need, designing a flowchart, coding the software, debugging and beta testing. The first stage of development necessitates good interpersonal skills on. During the second stage of development the computer programmer uses analytical thinking to logically layout a flow chart. Contingencies must be built into the design so that potentially unforeseen circumstances are accounted for.

This could mean constructing alternate data flows or popup error messages that instruct the user. When the design is complete the computer programmer converts the functionality of the flow chart into computer code. There are hundreds of programming languages, including Perl, Java, Visual Basic, FORTRAN, Apple Script and D, which most programmers specialize in several families. This stage of software development is commonly done solo, though multiple programmers might work on different aspects of large computer programs.

When the initial software is completed it goes through a debugging stage.

Bugs are flaws in the program that cause it to fail, crash, hang, return a false result, or behave in an undesirable fashion. Debugging is a very intense stage of development that can take hundreds of hours. After a stable release has been issued, the attention turns to improvements. Invariably once software is applied refinements can be made to make it more efficient or easier to use. The system analyst is the person (or persons) who guides through the development of an information system.

In performing these tasks the analyst must always match the information system objectives with the goals of the organization. It includes system's study in order to get facts about business activity. It is about getting information and determining requirements. Here the responsibility includes only requirement determination, not the design of the system. Analyst is also responsible for the designing of the new system or application. Here Analyst is also required to perform as a programmer, where he actually writes the code to implement the design of the proposed application.

Due to the various responsibilities that a system analyst requires to handle, he has to be multifaceted person with varied skills required at various stages of the life cycle. They must have Business skills, technical skills and soft skills to be successful. He is the person who is responsible to deal with the customers and gather his requirements. He gathers the information about the key requirements of customer by asking questions, writing down the answers, organizing mock interview with the customers etc.

He prepares the analysis model to achieve three primary objectives. To describe what the customer requires. To establish a basis for creation of software design. To define a set of requirements that can be validated once the software is built. He collaborates a set of requirements that can be established during earlier requirement engineering tasks and build model that depict user scenarios, functional activities, problem classes and their relationships, system and classes’ behavior and flow of data as it transformed.

In early stages he focuses on what and not how. He decides what objects must system manipulate, what function must the system performs, what behavior does the system exhibit, what interfaces are defined and what constraints to apply. If customer is precisely unsure of what he wants then analyzer decides to apply specific approach to accomplish function and performance. This is where the use of computer technology for the process of design and design-documentation.

Computer Aided Drafting describes the process of drafting with a computer. CADD software, or environments, provides the user with input-tools for the purpose of streamlining design processes; drafting, documentation, and manufacturing processes. The designer role is responsible for designing a part of the system, within the constraints of the requirements, architecture, and development process for the project. The designer must have a solid working knowledge of: * system requirements * the architecture of the system software design techniques, including object-oriented analysis and design techniques, and the Unified Modeling Language * technologies with which the system will be implemented * Project guidelines on how the design relates to the implementation, including the level of detail expected in the design before implementation should proceed. A designer may be assigned responsibility for implementing a structural part of the system (such as a class or implementation subsystem), or a functional part of the system, such as a use-case realization or feature that crosses classes/subsystems.

It is common for a person to act as both implementer and designer, taking on the responsibilities of both roles. It is possible for design responsibilities to be divided, such that a high level sketch of the design is the responsibility of one designer, while detailed design (such as details of operation signatures, or the identification and design of helper classes) is deferred to another designer who also acts as an implementer. A computer operator is an individual who works with computers on a daily basis and partakes in a number of activities relative to such operation.

These individuals will have varying duties depending on their specific job title and place of employment. system operators will find themselves holding a number of responsibilities in their job position. Some of these responsibilities include operating various computer systems, fixing problems that may arise, contacting those who can remedy computer problems when unable to do so and tracking computer operations on a daily basis. These responsibilities may vary in nature and some computer operators will have a wide range of responsibilities.

One who is a computer operator will find that their daily duties are wide and varied for the most part. The first duty of a computer operator is to enter data into the computer. The data which is entered may be related to ensuring the proper workings of the computer whereas other data that is entered into the computer by the computer operator may be relative to the job field in which the individual works within. The entering of data is an important part of the computer operator’s daily routine. Computer operators may also have to take calls from customers complaining of computer system issues.

The computer operator will diagnose the problem and then walk the individual through how to fix the situation. There are a few traits which will come in handy in relation to the role of a computer operator. One trait which all computer operators should possess to aid them in their line of work is well-rounded computer knowledge. Computer operators have a wide array of duties which they must take part in on a daily basis. Therefore, a computer operator who only knows how to complete a few computer-related tasks will find themselves floundering as opposed to the computer operator who is a well rounded computer savvy individual.

Computer operators should also be good communicators. This is due to the fact that computer operators will often have to deal with other individuals such as clients, coworkers and supervisory staff members. A computer operator must also be an inventive thinker. The computer operator will have to solve problems every now and again. With that being the case, one who fills this job role must be able to exhibit good problem solving skills in an inventive manner which will resolve any issues that may arise.

A computer operator is an individual who is responsible for using computers, fixing computer problems and monitoring computer usage by others in his/her department. systems managers play a vital role in the implementation and administration of technology within their organizations. They plan, coordinate, and direct research on the computer-related activities of firms. In consultation with other managers, they help determine the goals of an organization and then implement technology to meet those goals. They oversee all technical aspect of an organization, such as software development, network security, and Internet operations.

Computer and information systems managers direct the work of other IT professionals, such as computer software engineers and computer programmers, computer systems analysts, and computer support specialists (information on these occupations can be found elsewhere in the Handbook). They plan and coordinate activities such as installing and upgrading hardware and software, programming and systems design, the implementation of computer networks, and the development of Internet and intranet sites. They are increasingly involved with the upkeep, maintenance, and security of networks.

They analyze the computer and information needs of their organizations from an operational and strategic perspective and determine immediate and long-range personnel and equipment requirements. They assign and review the work of their subordinates and stay abreast of the latest technology to ensure that the organization remains competitive. Computer and information systems managers can have additional duties, depending on their role within an organization. Chief technology officers (CTOs), for example, evaluate the newest and most innovative technologies and determine how these can help their organizations.

They develop technical standards, deploy technology, and supervise workers who deal with the daily information technology issues of the firm. They often work under the chief information officer and plan and direct the work of subordinate information technology employees. These managers ensure the availability, continuity, and security of data and information technology services in their organizations. In this capacity, they oversee a variety of technical departments, develop and monitor performance standards, and implement new projects. In a mainframe IT organization, the system programmer (or systems programmer) plays a central role.

The system programmer installs, customizes, and maintains the operating system, and also installs or upgrades products that run on the system. The system programmer might be presented with the latest version of the operating system to upgrade the existing systems. Or, the installation might be as simple as upgrading a single program, such as a sort application. The system programmer performs such tasks as the following: * Planning hardware and software system upgrades and changes in configuration * Training system operators and application programmers * Automating operations * Capacity planning Running installation jobs and scripts * Performing installation-specific customization tasks * Integration-testing the new products with existing applications and user procedures * System-wide performance tuning to meet required levels of service The system programmer must be skilled at debugging problems with system software. These problems are often captured in a copy of the computer's memory contents called a dump, which the system produces in response to a failing software product, user job, or transaction. Armed with a dump and specialized debugging tools, the system programmer can determine where the components have failed.

When the error has occurred in a software product, the system programmer works directly with the software vendor's support representatives to discover whether the problem's cause is known and whether a patch is available. System programmers are needed to install and maintain the middleware on the mainframe, such as database management systems, online transaction processing systems and Web servers. Middleware is a software "layer" between the operating system and the end user or end user application. It supplies major functions that are not provided by the operating system.

A database administrator is someone who can think logically and had a lot of experience in the ICT field. They must also be able to pay close attention to detail. They usually have a degree in computer studies or information system. Duties of the Computer Administrator * Interact with managers and users to ensure that the database is accomplishing with what they need. * Meet wit users to make notifications on the database whenever there are changes in the operation. * Co-ordinate the data collection and storage needs of users. * Establish the data dictionary that records data definitions and standards. Establish back-up and recovery procedure in case of failure or loss of data. * Co-ordinate data design. * Select and maintain database management software. * Ensure the database is performing at its best to please its users. * Develop policies to ensure the security and integrity of the system. A network manager oversees the network, monitoring its performance, security, error detection, and so on. Networks are becoming more popular. They can be ring networks, which are several interconnected machines, each of which can be a stand-alone machine. There are also star networks where there is a central computer linked to many terminals.

The terminals often cannot act as stand-alone machines, although there is no reason why a stand-alone machine cannot be plugged into a star network. Network managers are likely to be in some demand for some time to come. Writing job control programs for batch systems . Scheduling tasks to be run on the computer Using utilities to manage disk space, delete, create, rename files, and manage disk and tape storage. Re-running jobs that have been messed up by hardware failure. They must make sure that the job is restarted from the right point, using data that is consistent with what was processed before.

The managers role can be broken down into: * software management * hardware management * other management jobs Given network managers are held to be legally responsible for the content of the network a breach of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 could lead to the network manager being prosecuted. A data entry clerk, sometimes called a typist is a member of staff employed to type data into a database using a keyboard. The keyboards used can often have specialist keys and multiple colours to help them in the task and speed up the work.

For a mailing company, data entry clerks might be required to type in reference numbers for items of mail which had failed to reach their destination, so that the relevant addresses could be deleted from the database used to send the mail out. If the company was compiling a database from addresses handwritten on a questionnaire, the person typing those in would be a data entry clerk. In a cash office, a data entry clerk might be required to type expenses into a database using numerical codes. With advancing technology, many data entry clerks no longer work with hand-written documents.

Instead, the documents are first scanned by a combined OCR/OMR system (optical character recognition and optical mark recognition,) which attempts to read the documents and process the data electronically. The accuracy of OCR, and hence the need for ongoing data entry clerks, varies widely based upon the quality of the original document as well as the scanned image. Although OCR technology is continually being developed, many tasks still require a data entry clerk to review the results after wards to check the accuracy of the data and to manually key in any missed or incorrect information.

The job is usually unskilled so casual staff are often employed on a temporary basis after a large survey or census has been completed. However, most companies handling large amounts of data on a regular basis will spread the contracts and workload across the year and will hire full-time. Data entry clerks working with physical hand-written documents is a declining role in the developed world because employees within a company frequently enter their own data as it is collected now instead of having a different employee do this task.

For example, an operator working in a call centre or a cashier in a shop. Cost is another reason for the decline. Data entry is labor intensive for large batches and therefore expensive so large companies will sometimes outsource the work to third world countries where there is no shortage of cheaper unskilled labor. A person who schedules jobs for the computer and manages the distribution of reports and other output. Data control clerks may be involved in coding activities, calculating and checking batch totals and related clerical tasks.

A computer engineer has an important job in the world of technology. The basic definition of a computer engineer is one who researches, plans and develops computer operating systems. Computer engineers come in a variety of types as one who is a computer engineer can work with general computer use or deal with computer usage which goes along with a specific job position, such as military, industrial or medical, to name just a few. There are a few general responsibilities which a computer engineer must undertake in their job position.

The computer engineer must research information regarding computer operating systems, review current operating systems, make changes to systems and even may develop operating systems of this type. The computer engineer will use his/her knowledge in the fields of computer science, math and engineering to ensure that they carry out their daily job tasks to the best of their ability. Computer engineers have varied duties to fulfill in their job role.

In order to complete the various tasks in the best way possible, there are a few traits which are highly desirable for a computer engineer to possess. The first trait which computer engineers should have is good analytical skills. Thorough analysis is something which a computer engineer must partake in on a frequent basis therefore one who has good skills of this type will benefit in the end. Another trait which computer engineers will most likely want to have is wonderful problem solving skills. he role will include a combination of: Onsite support for clients (PC setup, LAN / ISP connection setup, printer setup etc),Phone help-desk work (as above but over the phone),Advice re purchasing of equipment, Software installs, Arranging hardware and software purchases, Domain name registrations, Web hosting administration, Email administration, Internal support – PC maintenance, Network administration support, Script programming. They assist in the operation of computer hardware systems, and help programmers and system analysts test and debug new programs.

As a result, technical support personnel typically use tools such as database management system software, database user interface and query applications, network monitoring software and operating system programs. They also do Software Domain name registrations, Web hosting administration, Email administration and internal support PC maintenance. The traditional concept of a library is being redefined from a place to access paper records or books to one that also houses the most advanced electronic resources, including the Internet, digital libraries, and remote access to a wide range of information sources.

Consequently, librarians, often called information professionals, combine traditional duties with tasks involving quickly changing technology. Librarians help people find information and use it effectively for personal and professional purposes. They must have knowledge of a wide variety of scholarly and public information sources and must follow trends related to publishing, computers, and the media to oversee the selection and organization of library materials. Librarians manage staff and develop and direct information programs and systems for the public and ensure that information is organized in a manner that meets users' needs.

Librarian positions focus on one of three aspects of library work: user services, technical services, and administrative services. Librarians in user services, such as reference and children's librarians, work with patrons to help them find the information they need. The job involves analyzing users' needs to determine what information is appropriate and searching for, acquiring, and providing the information. The job also includes an instructional role, such as showing users how to find and evaluate information.

For example, librarians commonly help users navigate the Internet so they can search for and evaluate information efficiently. Librarians in technical services, such as acquisitions and cataloguing, acquire, prepare, and classify materials so patrons can find it easily. Some write abstracts and summaries. Often, these librarians do not deal directly with the public. Librarians in administrative services oversee the management and planning of libraries: they negotiate contracts for services, materials, and equipment; supervise library employees; perform public-relations and fundraising duties; prepare budgets; and direct ctivities to ensure that everything functions properly. Librarians with computer and information systems skills can work as automated-systems librarians, planning and operating computer systems, and as information architects, designing information storage and retrieval systems and developing procedures for collecting, organizing, interpreting, and classifying information. These librarians analyze and plan for future information needs. (See the section on computer scientists elsewhere in the Handbook. Automated information systems enable librarians to focus on administrative and budgeting responsibilities, grant writing, and specialized research requests, while delegating more routine services responsibilities to technicians. These are specialists who design or create software. They may or may not write the actual programming code but they must be competent in programming, they work together with both business functions and the programmers explaining the business functions to the programmers and the non-technological personnel.

They should have knowledge in the related programming languages such as java , c++,c#. net etc. They must have good communication and teamwork skills as well as certification in business functions. Masters and PhD degrees in computer Science and required for promotion on the higher levels in an organization. Duties of a Software writer Develop and implement software services. Evaluate software and software designs. Perform design trade-off depending on budget A computer consultant is required to give an independent and objective opinion on how ICT cam be used to meet the needs of an organization.

He/she is usually contracted for a short period of time to provide technical assistance to an organization in areas such as: * System analysts * design * Programming A consultant is requires to upgrade his/her skills constantly to keep in touch with latest technology in the field. Duties of a Consultant * Hold discussions with users to identify and clarify their information on needs. * Identify and evaluate potential hardware and software. * Assist in the design, development and implementation of a computer system. * Assist in the development of programs, applications and documentation. Develop training programs for users. The task force Communications Specialist is responsible for managing the communications system for the task force during incident operations. The Communications Specialist reports directly to the Technical Team Manager. The Communications Specialist is responsible for: · Participating in the development of the Communications Plan. · Assessing overall needs and developing the Task Force Incident Communications Plan. · Obtaining frequencies, installation, operation, and maintenance of the task force communications system during incident operations. Coordinating communications with other appropriate entities including the IST Communication Unit Leader. · Adhering to all safety procedures. · Accountability, maintenance, and minor repairs for all issued equipment. · Maintaining appropriate records and reports. · Performing additional tasks or duties as assigned during a mission. · Maintaining the communications cache in an operational state at all times. · Monitoring all task force communications. · Developing requests for ordering replacements for consumable items and items lost damaged or destroyed.