Functional analyst vs implementation analyst

The differences between functional analysts and implementation analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a functional analyst and an implementation analyst. Additionally, a functional analyst has an average salary of $96,841, which is higher than the $82,268 average annual salary of an implementation analyst.

The top three skills for a functional analyst include business process, lifecycle management and HR. The most important skills for an implementation analyst are client facing, data analysis, and shared services.

Functional analyst vs implementation analyst overview

	Functional Analyst	Implementation Analyst
Yearly salary	$96,841	$82,268
Hourly rate	$46.56	$39.55
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	52,085	108,170
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	6	6

What does a functional analyst do?

Functional analysts are professionals specializing in a specific line of business, technology, and industry. They collect information by interviewing managers and employees and studying the company's systems and procedures. They design computer systems that meet business requirements and prepare reports for the managers. Additional duties for this role include installing and configuring new systems, running tests to ensure that specifications are met, and writing user manuals. Functional analysts are also responsible for conducting training on new capabilities to existing end-users.

What does an implementation analyst do?

An implementation analyst is an individual who is responsible for conducting data analysis and software testing when a company is doing a software upgrade. Implementation analysts must ensure that the company has the appropriate equipment to meet its operational needs by determining which hardware and software they should use. They provide workshops and conduct education for trainers on the functionality of the product as well as to conduct tests to ensure the proper functionality of the product. Implementation analysts must also prepare budgets for proposed equipment or tailor their recommendations to fit an established budget.

Functional analyst vs implementation analyst salary

Functional analysts and implementation analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Functional Analyst	Implementation Analyst
Average salary	$96,841	$82,268
Salary range	Between $71,000 And $131,000	Between $60,000 And $111,000
Highest paying City	Mountain View, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New Mexico	New Jersey
Best paying company	Apple	OpenGov
Best paying industry	Retail	Technology

Differences between functional analyst and implementation analyst education

There are a few differences between a functional analyst and an implementation analyst in terms of educational background:

	Functional Analyst	Implementation Analyst
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 66%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Stanford University

Functional analyst vs implementation analyst demographics

Here are the differences between functional analysts' and implementation analysts' demographics:

	Functional Analyst	Implementation Analyst
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 55.9% Female, 44.1%	Male, 49.4% Female, 50.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 19.5% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 14.5% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between functional analyst and implementation analyst duties and responsibilities

Functional analyst example responsibilities.

Manage offshore production support resources while defining SLA's and processes in coordination with contract teams.
Manage a team of 6 technical resources and their tasks, including EDI, interfaces, conversions, and reporting.
Lead functional staff in planning stage of system migration from client-server architecture to web base environment via ResQSoft conversion tool.
Manage customer information and create reports using Microsoft dynamics CRM.
Assist in business process mapping and prototyping, gap analysis, solution design, setup and testing.
Contract as MDM product structure subject matter expert (SME) on an IBM global large-scale ERP initiative.

Implementation analyst example responsibilities.

Modify and create UNIX and TCL scripts to automate processes and to create utilities.
Manage service communication for patches/deployments through SharePoint and weekly emails for products.
Utilize extensive payroll and human resource knowledge to coordinate and manage multiple complex implementation projects simultaneously.
Maintain third-party software by building, testing, and distributing rpm packages to Linux workstations.
Used Microsoft Visio to maintain and update network diagrams, allowing network changes to be quickly document.
Analyze and resolve billing edits on billed/unbil accounts, verifying orders, determining medical necessity per CMS guidelines.

Functional analyst vs implementation analyst skills

Common functional analyst skills

Business Process, 7%
Lifecycle Management, 5%
HR, 4%
ERP, 4%
Technical Support, 4%
Functional Specifications, 3%

Common implementation analyst skills

Client Facing, 19%
Data Analysis, 13%
Shared Services, 9%
Project Management, 8%
Customer Service, 6%
Process Improvement, 6%

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Functional Analyst vs Implementation Analyst

Updated January 8, 2025

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