The project management model is a six-step model used to guide project managers through the often-complicated process of project conceptualization, implementation, and completion. Projects have a lot of moving parts and breaking them up into more manageable and coherent steps can help ensure that things function smoothly, and miscommunication is minimized. The project management model recommends six steps: Initiation, Definition, Design, Development, Implementation, and Follow-Up. For this essay, I will explore each of these six stages in the context of a software tracking database project and outline how each step of this model should be used to guide a project manager’s actions and decisions.

Step 1: Initiation

The first stage in the project management model is the initiation phase, where the foundation of the project is laid out. In this stage, the feasibility of the project is determined, resource estimations are made, and a team is assembled to complete this project. This phase is critical in ensuring that we have a clear direction and sufficient support before proceeding further. As the project manager for the project, my priority in this phase would be to write the project proposal and budget/grant requests needed for this project to move forward.

However, building the right team would be just as essential as securing funding. Moving forward with the assumption that this project is taking place within a university, it would be necessary to assemble a team from existing staff members. This team could include faculty specializing in database design, implementation, and security; student employees and volunteers who are interested in obtaining valuable hands on experience; and IT department representatives to ensure the database aligns with institutional needs.

To assess feasibility, it would be necessary to collect data and do research on budget estimates, server space requirements, general software inventory size, and platform selection. It is important to do this now, as people often underestimate the costs associated with technology, such as the difference between hosting a database on a local terminal versus a cloud server. Determining the best option from a cost perspective while balancing the IT department’s needs would be essential in making an informed decision regarding the project’s financial viability before we even started. 

Step 2: Definition

The second stage of the project management model is the definition phase, where the specifics of the project are determined. Assuming grants have been approved, feasibility has been confirmed, and the project has been given a budget, it would then be necessary to determine the best approach for implementation and begin defining the expectations for the project. For this project, we will assume it has been determined that the database will be built as a Microsoft Azure SQL database hosted on the university’s cloud network, ensuring accessibility for all IT staff. To ensure the team is all on the same page, the following preconditional, functional, operational and design limitation requirements would need to be defined:

Preconditional Requirements: Since this database will track what software is used within the university, data privacy laws such as GDPR and CCPA/CPRA would generally not be a concern unless employee data is included. However, assuming the university also wants to track which employees have specific software installed on their computers, it would be necessary to ensure compliance with GDPR and CCPA/CPRA. It is important that these preconditional requirements are fully defined, as these are nonnegotiable in the project and cannot be changed later on.

Functional Requirements: The database should include fields for the type of software, its developer, version numbers, licensing agreements, departments using the software, computers where it is installed, and installation dates. If the IT department would like to add any other information, they should be consulted in this phase, and those fields should be added to the functional requirements definition.

Operational Requirements: The primary goal of this project is to reduce redundancies in university software usage. By tracking software across departments, it would be possible to identify unused software and detect redundant purchases to cut unnecessary costs.

Design Limitations: Because we have determined the project will be hosted on Microsoft Azure SQL, it must follow Azure’s platform standards rather than other DBMS standards.

Before moving on, it would be important to have a discussion with IT personnel end-users to define IT department preferences. These conversations would help determine the most effective format for the database, including the preferred structure for storing and retrieving information and whether to implement a relational or non-relational database model. These conversations will help ensure that not only is the team on the same page, but the intended recipients of the project, the IT department, understand what we intend to deliver to them.

Step 3: Design

The third stage of the project management model is the design phase, where the project team would begin visualizing the project. Here, our project team would begin sketching Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERD) to visualize the structure of the database. These diagrams are used by database designers to show how different tables interact, identify primary keys, foreign keys, and what specific information belongs in each table. It would be beneficial for the team if multiple versions of the ERD were created to explore different structuring possibilities. Once our team developed several ERDs we are happy with, it would be beneficial if we had another meeting with the IT department end-users, like the ones we had in the definitions phase, to determine their preferred structure and to ensure no critical information has been overlooked.

Step 4: Development

Once the design has been finalized, we would move into the fourth stage of the project management model, the development phase, where everything needed to accomplish the project is gathered. For our database project, the development phase would involve gathering all necessary data, specifically compiling a comprehensive list of all software used within the university. Tasks would be clearly outlined and delegated to project partners to ensure everyone knows what they are doing and when they are doing it.

Step 5: Implementation

The fifth stage of the project management plan is the implementation phase, where the project really begins to take shape. Assuming that we have decided that a relational database would be the best format for the IT department, the next step would be to build it according to the final ERD design. This phase would involve developing the database schema, setting up tables, and ensuring the necessary relationships between data points are properly structured. Once the database has been built, it would need to be populated with the collected software data, ensuring all relevant information is accurately recorded. After data entry is completed, the database would be evaluated to verify compliance with any applicable data privacy laws, such as GDPR and CCPA/CPRA, ensuring that sensitive employee data is handled appropriately.

Step 6: Follow up

The final stage of the project management model, while often overlooked, is the follow-up phase, where everything is arranged to bring the project to successful completion. With the database fully operational, the final phase for this project would involve its official launch. The IT department and designated staff would be given access, and their ability to edit and view the database would be confirmed. A final review would be conducted to ensure all required information has been properly captured, and any potential gaps or issues would be addressed. Once this is completed and the database is functioning as intended, the project would be considered successfully completed.

By following the project management model, my hope as a project manager is that any miscommunication between my team and the IT department would be minimized and this database would be relatively easily implemented within the financial and operational constraints given. I also hope that my team would feel confident in their understanding of their roles and how this project would eventually be evaluated, so they could develop their sections according to those metrics. This roadmap helps highlight how even vague and open-ended projects can be easily conceptualized using this model and breaking steps into clearer, manageable phases.

Works Cited

Baars, W. (2006, July). Project Management Handbook (v1.1). The Hague Data Archiving and Networked Services. https://textbookequity.org/Textbooks/Baars_book_project_management.pdf