PP.SP 2.3 Plan Data Management

Data are forms of documentation required to support a project in all of its areas (e.g., administration, engineering, configuration management, finance, logistics, quality, safety, manufacturing, procurement). The data can take any form (e.g., reports, manuals, notebooks, charts, drawings, specifications, files, correspondence). The data can exist in any medium (e.g., printed or drawn on various materials, photographs, electronic, multimedia).

Data can be deliverable (e.g., items identified by a project’s contract data requirements) or data can be nondeliverable (e.g., informal data, trade studies, analyses, internal meeting minutes, internal design review documentation, lessons learned, action items). Distribution can take many forms, including electronic transmission.

Data requirements for the project should be established for both data items to be created and their content and form, based on a common or standard set of data requirements. Uniform content and format requirements for data items facilitate understanding of data content and help with consistent management of data resources.

The reason for collecting each document should be clear. This task includes the analysis and verification of project deliverables and nondeliverables, data requirements, and customer supplied data. Often, data are collected with no clear understanding of how they will be used. Data are costly and should be collected only when needed.

Example Work Products

1. Data management plan
2. Master list of managed data
3. Data content and format description
4. Lists of data requirements for acquirers and suppliers
5. Privacy requirements
6. Security requirements
7. Security procedures
8. Mechanisms for data retrieval, reproduction, and distribution
9. Schedule for the collection of project data
10. Listing of project data to be collected

Subpractices

1. Establish requirements and procedures to ensure privacy and the security of data.

Not everyone will have the need or clearance necessary to access project data. Procedures should be established to identify who has access to which data as well as when they have access to which data.

2. Establish a mechanism to archive data and to access archived data.

Accessed information should be in an understandable form (e.g., electronic or computer output from a database) or represented as originally generated.

3. Determine the project data to be identified, collected, and distributed.

4. Determine the requirements for providing access to and distribution of data to relevant stakeholders.

A review of other elements of the project plan can help to determine who requires access to or receipt of project data as well as which data are involved.

5. Decide which project data and plans require version control or other levels of configuration control and establish mechanisms to ensure project data are controlled.