Database develop. life cycle - Identifying Project Goals in Database Development

Identifying Project Goals in Database Development

1. Purpose of Project Goals

  • Project goals define why the database is being built.

  • They set the direction and scope of the project.

  • Without clear goals, the database risks becoming misaligned with organizational needs.

2. Types of Goals

  • Business Goals:

    • Improve efficiency of operations (e.g., automate order processing).

    • Support better decision-making (e.g., provide real-time sales reports).

    • Reduce costs (e.g., eliminate duplicate data entry).

  • Technical Goals:

    • Ensure high performance (fast queries, minimal downtime).

    • Provide security (data confidentiality, integrity, and availability).

    • Support scalability (handle future growth in data or users).

  • User-Centered Goals:

    • Provide intuitive access to data (easy-to-use reports, dashboards).

    • Allow self-service querying for non-technical staff.

    • Improve collaboration across departments.

3. Steps in Identifying Goals

  1. Engage Stakeholders:

    • Meet with managers, employees, IT staff, and end-users.

    • Collect insights into problems they face and what outcomes they expect.

  2. Define Core Problems:

    • Identify inefficiencies in the current system (manual, outdated, fragmented).

    • Understand pain points (slow reporting, poor accuracy, limited access).

  3. Set SMART Goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound):

    • Example: “Reduce report generation time from 2 hours to under 5 minutes within 6 months.”

  4. Prioritize Goals:

    • Rank goals by impact and feasibility.

    • Some goals may be “must-have” (e.g., compliance reporting), others “nice-to-have.”

  5. Document and Validate Goals:

    • Write a Project Goals Document.

    • Review it with stakeholders to ensure alignment.

4. Example

Imagine a retail company wants a new database. Their project goals might be:

  • Centralize customer information across all branches.

  • Generate daily sales reports automatically.

  • Enable customers to track online orders in real time.

  • Protect sensitive customer data with role-based access.

5. Why It Matters

  • Clear project goals act as a foundation for requirements analysis, design, and implementation.

  • They ensure the database supports actual business needs instead of just being a technical exercise.

  • They help prevent scope creep (adding unnecessary features) by providing a reference point for decision-making.