Questions to Ask When Designing a Database
The following are some questions to consider when designing a Notes database. These questions are intended to be a starting point to help facilitate communication and ultimately start the design process. After the project has been initiated, you'll want to have a meeting to discuss or review the project requirements.
Project Questions
| 1. |
What's the purpose of the application? |
| 2. |
Who are the stakeholders, or users, of the application? |
| 3. |
How much will the application cost to develop? |
| 4. |
How much funding is available? |
| 5. |
What are the project requirements? |
| 6. |
What is the timeline for implementation? |
| 7. |
How will project success be defined? |
| 8. |
Where will the application reside (e.g., on which server)? |
| 9. |
How will the application be implemented (phased approach or straight cutover)? |
| 10. |
What tools will be used to manage the project? |
| 11. |
What is the backup and restore procedure? |
| 12. |
What is the backup frequency? |
| 13. |
Are there any country- (or culture-) specific requirements (such as date, phone, and postal code format)? |
| 14. |
Who will support the application after it is deployed? |
| 15. |
What are the application support hours? |
General Application Questions
| 1. |
How many forms will be created? |
| 2. |
Are there sample forms? |
| 3. |
What information needs to be captured and stored? |
| 4. |
Who will use the forms? |
| 5. |
Will some users have more authority than other users? |
| 6. |
Will some information be visible to some users and not to others? |
| 7. |
Will the document need approvals? If so, what's the approval process? |
| 8. |
Will the application be accessed from Lotus Notes, a Web browser, or both? |
| 9. |
Who will have access to the database application? |
| 10. |
What type of reports can be generated? |
| 11. |
Is there a feedback or problem-reporting mechanism for the tool? |
| 12. |
Who will have "Admin" authority? |
| 13. |
Is this an internal or external customer application? |
| 14. |
Are there additional implications if this is an external application? |
| 15. |
Are there confidential fields that are visible internally but hidden to external customers? |
| 16. |
Are there corporate business or security guidelines that must be met? |
Workflow Application Questions
| 1. |
Are there fields that need to be locked based on the status of the document? |
| 2. |
What is the workflow process? |
| 3. |
Who can create documents? |
| 4. |
Who can approve documents? |
| 5. |
Is there a process to "reset" the status of a document? |
| 6. |
If workflow includes a "cancel" status, can the document be reopened? |
| 7. |
Does the application require a history or log file to track status changes and approvals? |
| 8. |
Are there multiple levels of approvals? |
| 9. |
What are the roles, or levels of authority, for the tool? |
| 10. |
Does the administrator have the authority to override changes? |
| 11. |
What happens if an approver is out of towncan you specify a backup approver? Can the administrator approve? |
Web Application Questions
| 1. |
How will users log in to the application (Windows Active Directory or Domino login)? |
| 2. |
Is there a default browser for the company? |
| 3. |
Will this be purely a Web-based application, or will the application be accessed from both Web browsers and Lotus Notes clients? |
| 4. |
Can the customer attach documents via a Web browser? |
| 5. |
Who will manage the creation of user IDs and passwords? |