Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc Reviews

Current Employee – been working at Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – Competitive Salaries
Great benefits
Intelligent Co-workers
Doing interesting important work
Ethical Leadership
Great Customer Relationship

Cons – Promotion challenging because of practice of hiring senior military to leadership positions
Dependent on Federal Government for contracts
Quickly go part time if Federal Contracts go away

Advice to Senior Management – Phil is a great leader, who really does his best to do right by his employees. How many companies still put on an annual Holiday party and company picnic in this environment. I agree with others when they say he just really needs to keep doing what he's been doing for the past 35 years.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc as an intern for less than a year

Pros – Excellent company, especially the corporate ethos. Everyone was willing to help guide me through my tasks. Proactive and supportive people, truly a pleasure to work with. Worked on engaging projects which always felt meaningful.

Cons – Full formal business attire even in stifling DC heat, major tech hurdles at times.

Advice to Senior Management – Keep it up!

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc

Pros – This company is an outstanding place to start a career in Defense. The benefits are excellent. In fact, few companies compare. Fresh out of college, it makes good sense for a young engineer, IT professional, analyst, etc. to cut their teeth. It's not even a bad place for a mid-level professional. But be prepared for antiquated ways of thinking where management philosophies and overall leadership is concerned. There are really two employment rankings there; the average paid (and not by Industry standards, either), and the very handsomely paid vice presidents, or division leads. There really is not much "in-between." The highly paid have either been there for a ga-zillion years demonstrating their undying loyalty to the CEO, Phil Lantz, thereby earning those big bucks, or are well-respected former military retirees (double-dippers). More times than not, these are individuals who are not progressive thinkers where modern management/leadership concepts are concerned and who know how to communicate effectively and get the most from their employees. That said, career advancement takes a back seat. So, do a couple or even three years and enjoy those perks and good benefits. Just don't get too used to it, as you won't find many places with your own office space outside SPA. But you will find other places that will land you better salaries, give you more experience, and help you grow professionally.

Cons – No career advancement. Not a clear "way forward" for the organization in terms of its future goals and aspirations.

Advice to Senior Management – If the CEO, Mr. Lantz engages himself more, he may find through communicating more with his staff where his rock stars really are. May need some good strategic planners onboard as well.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc

Pros – Benefits are second to none, salary meets or exceeds similar employers in DC area. Company is not too large (500 employees), which means you'll get to know everyone from the President to the janitor.

Cons – SPA has many of the same downsides that come with working for any government contractor, but these are mostly out of the company's control. Off-site work environment, government shutdowns and the like cannot be controlled by the company.

Advice to Senior Management – Phil is probably the only person that I've worked for since I left the military that I would trust my life with. SPA is a successful company for a reason, and Phil's management style and ability to hire the right people accounts for almost all of that success.
Not all management is in line with this. Some do not fully support his employees right to succeed in the company, but this is a small minority. There also seems to be a disconnect in how prior-service military members treat non-priors. Many of these people bring a lot to the table, and it should be a point of the company to foster this respect in the company culture (spoken from a prior-service myself).

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc

Pros – Company treats its employees very well
The benefits package is outstanding
Collegial Atmosphere
Hard work and ability will get you recognized

Cons – Standard business dress
Few opportunities for advancement due to the relatively small size of the company (~500)
Over 40 hours per week

Advice to Senior Management – In some instances, I think that company personnel could be utilized in a more effective way. Many project teams are put together in a somewhat ad-hoc manner due solely to the availability of particular employees

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc

Pros – Excellent work environment - almost everyone has their own offices
Strong corporate culture
Benefits are very good - 10% of salary to 401K, no cost medical insurance

Cons – 42.5hr workweek
Organized by customer so there many similar silos that don't speak to each other
Hire retired military/feds for management positions - little opportunity to be promoted

Advice to Senior Management – Grow management organically rather than import retirees.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc

Pros – Significant opportunities to take on responsibility.
Every analyst has an office...no cubes or bullpens.
Opportunity to work with a wide variety of other employees...analysts work with multiple small teams at any given time on a variety of projects.
Owner/founder of the company still comes to work everyday after 35 years
Recent growth has increased the career enhancement opportunities for young employees
Benefits are fantastic...FREE medical/dental/vision benefits.
Very generous contribution to 401k - Not matching...CONTRIBUTION!!

Cons – Personnel are not always utilized in the most efficient manner.
Lack of professional development program.
Lack of structured career development paths.
Lack of opportunity at the top of the corporation.

Won't ever fire anyone.

Advice to Senior Management – Revamp or expand the recruiting section of HR

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc

Pros – Systems Planning and Analysis (SPA) is a small company that really cares about its employees. The small size of the company allows for better networking across the company and the ability to understand what other divisions are working on. Additionally, the benefits package offered (automatic 401K contribution, health care, annual bonuses, and flexible work schedule) demonstrates the respect that Systems Planning and Analysis has for its employees. Additionally, analysts are given the opportunity to work on interesting tasks and given opportunities to lead others. SPA employees care about the work that they do and put great effort into their work, while taking time to enjoy working with one another. My biggest advice would be to get to know others from yours and other divisions, outside of work, to grow your social network.

Cons – SPA has a large number of employees who are either retired or former military. For those employees, the career progression is more rapid and clear. For junior employees who do not have a military background, it is more difficult to understand how to progress in the company other than to wait patiently to have served enough time to be promoted. SPA is aware of this issue and actively working with junior employees to establish a framework, however I cannot speak to this, because it was implemented after I left the company. I wish I had worked at SPA later in my career (who knows - I could go back later!) because overall, it's a great company with great people.

Advice to Senior Management – Younger employees would benefit from a clearer understanding of the career track from junior analyst to senior analyst/management. Providing junior employees an understanding of how they will professionally and personally benefit as SPA employees will result in longer term retention.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc

Pros – - Great Benefits: Paid parking or generous subsidy for public transportation, excellent 401K matching program, decent amount of PTO, one of the best health care plans I have had with an employer, flex friday schedule option, and usually have your own office just to name a few
- Very generous annual bonus
- Company rewards loyalty and longevity very generously by way of upward mobility, recognition, and flexibility to relocate individuals to other tasks once work is done rather than lay off

Cons – - Salary not comparable to industry with less than desireable annual increases
- Limited potential for upward mobility; very political and upper management favors well connected individuals and/or those that possess military background
- company as a whole fosters a very conservative environment; translates to higher turnover for younger employees
- Potential career paths within the company not clearly defined

Advice to Senior Management – - Company should continue to adapt its business practices to changing times and be more open to positive change
- Increase communication between management and subordinates
- Establish more clearly defined career paths for all employees and not just management
- Should compensate employees (monetarily) more fairly based on work load and experience/credentials rather trying to take advantage by demanding higher output without proper reward
- Foster a greater desire for employees to growth professionally by offering more incentives; should translate to improved employee performance and job satisfaction

Current Employee – been working at Systems Planning and Analysis, Inc

Pros – Top notch coworkers
Top management that certainly cares about its people
Interesting work that has an impact
Excellent benefits package
Promotion opportunities are available, but it is a relatively small company

Cons – Standard 42.5 hour work week can make things difficult

While it has a family atmosphere, they are very reluctant to purge non-productive employees

Advice to Senior Management – The president is a great leader, but there are some of the directors that do not follow his example when dealing with employees.

Would also like to see the company consider returning to a 40 hour work week as well as exploring the possibility of 9/80 work schedule to ease some of the commuting issues.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend