The business of building systems has changed. A time once existed when computer literacy, technical know-how, and programming skills were all it took to become a successful information systems professional. In many companies, this is still the case. But slowly, yet steadily, a new breed of systems professional is beginning to emerge.
Technical skills are no longer enough.
Business knowledge, communication ability, and a client centered perspective are becoming more and more important. Systems professionals must increasingly view themselves as business problem solvers and business enablers , not just technicians. Z p H First, today's system builder must adopt a more business centered philosophy, and second, he or she must exercise discipline and flexibility as the company moves through the system building lifecycle. Traditional System Building Approaches, Information Engineering, Object Oriented Design, Rapid Application Development, and a host of others all possess inherent strengths and weaknesses. H Unfortunately, no easy answers exist to these questions.