EDI Analyst
An EDI analyst is a position within an organization that can be critical
to ensuring the success of EDI usage. While it's very common
for larger organizations to have more than one EDI analyst, smaller
businesses often don't even have the position of EDI analyst and feel
that the role of an analyst is not mandatory for them, relegating the
duties of the EDI analyst to another IT employee. While at first
this type of role-sharing may seem to be a good time and money saving
technique, there are many important reasons to have a dedicated EDI
analyst.
What the EDI Analyst does
The duties of an EDI analyst can be as varied as there are EDI users. Generally
speaking however the EDI Analyst is going to be the person that is
most familiar with your organization's use of EDI and with the software
and services you use for EDI. For this reason the EDI analyst
needs to be well versed in your company's business processes as well
as in the features and capabilities of the EDI software you are using. If
you are implementing EDI for the first try to resist the temptation
to make your EDI analyst the IT person with the least workload currently
available. While this may seem like a wise initial strategy,
that person may not have the requisite business knowledge or skill
set to learn your business and the software you will use.
Using your EDI Analyst
Once your system is operational the role of your EDI analyst will
likely change from that of planner and designer to a role as overseer. In
this day to day role the EDI Analyst will need to become familiar with
the reporting and analysis functions of your EDI software to ensure
that your use of EDI is not only satisfying the needs of your trading
partners, but is also maximizing your return on investment in the EDI
software.
Hiring an EDI Analyst
If you have made the decision to hire an EDI analyst
you should make sure that the person who will become your EDI analyst
has expertise in your business. This is far more critical than
is intimate knowledge of the EDI software you use. The reason
is simple, while the EDI analyst can easily learn how to use your software,
learning the intricacies of your business and your industry can take
much longer. Remember that your EDI analyst is there to help
you get the most from EDI -and to do that, the EDI analyst will need
to be intimately familiar with your business.
Sharing the EDI Analyst Role
If you must have one role in your organization where the EDI analyst
function is just one of many functions a person may hold, the best
person for the job may be the EDI administrator. It's very common
in smaller companies for the EDI administrator and the EDI analyst
to be the same person. In this hybrid role the EDI analyst will
become your one and only "EDI expert"; they should be well
versed with the latest EDI information and the EDI analyst should be
familiar with your software and what is needed to maintain compliance
with changing standards and changing trading partner requirements.
hat role should your EDI analyst play in the larger
IT organization? This is a vital question and one with which companies
often struggle. An EDI analyst is a critical role for your organization,
one that is responsible for a system that is vital
to the very survival of your organization. While you may be able
to live without your ERP system for some time, it's doubtful you will
be able to work without access to your EDI data. For this reason
the EDI analyst often has dual reporting requirements - to your IT organization
as well as to your finance department. As you map out your EDI
needs you should take some time to consider what role an EDI analyst
will play and when. Understanding
when to hire a dedicated EDI analyst, when to share
the EDI analyst role with another title and what the
reporting requirements of the EDI analyst will be can be a critical part
to ensuring the best usage of EDI in your organization. |
