Within an IT organization, who is primarily responsible for the analysis and design of application systems that satisfy business requirements?

Introduction / Context:
Defining clear roles avoids confusion during system development. The analysis and design phases demand a role focused on requirements, modeling, and solution design rather than code implementation alone.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• We distinguish between analysts (what to build) and programmers (how to code it).
• Operational roles (operators, data entry) are not design-centric.
• The target is application systems (business information systems).

Concept / Approach:
System analysts lead requirements elicitation, business process modeling, data modeling, and logical solution design. They validate feasibility and ensure that specifications align with stakeholder needs before development proceeds.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Standard SDLC and BABOK-aligned practices assign business/system analysis and design to analysts; programmers implement and unit test the design.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Programmers primarily code; operators maintain runtime; data entry clerks input data.

Common Pitfalls:
Assuming programmers should always gather requirements; this blurs separation of concerns and risks misalignment.

Final Answer:
System Analyst