|
|
This is only a preview of the paper
Click here to register and get the full text.
Existing members click here to login
|
|
|
Defining a Mission Statement and Mission Objectives
The first phase in the database design process is to define a mission statement and mission objectives for the database. The mission statement establishes the purpose of the database and provides a focus for the database developer. ... By identifying the purpose of the database and defining it in a mission statement, you will ensure that the appropriate design is created and the appropriate data is collected to support the intended purpose of the database.
Along with the mission statement, mission objectives are defined in this phase. Mission objectives are statements representing the general tasks to be performed against the data collected in the database. These objectives are used to support the defined mission statement and aid in determining various aspects of the structure of the database.
There are two separate groups of people who will be involved in defining the mission statement and the mission objectives. The first group, which includes the database developer, the owner or head of the organization, and management personnel, is responsible for defining the mission statement. The second group which includes the database developer, management personnel, and end users, will be responsible for the definition of the mission objectives.
Defining the Mission Statement
In the previous chapter, we noted that the mission statement declares the specific purpose of the database in general terms and that it is defined at the beginning of the database design process. ...
The Well-Written Mission Statement
A good mission statement is succinct and to the point. ... The following sentence is an example of a typical mission statement:
"The purpose of the New Starz Talent Agency database is to maintain the data we use and provide the information we need to run the day -to-day affairs of our business."
This mission statement is well defined and uncluttered by any unnecessary statements or details. It is a very general statement, just as it should be. Think of a mission statement as the flame of a candle located at the end of a dark tunnel. ... In the same manner, the mission statement guides you to the end of the "tunnel," that is, the database design process. Guided by your mission statement, you can focus on designing a database structure that will support the declared purpose of the database.
A well-written mission statement is free of any phrases or sentences that explicitly describe specific tasks. If your mission statement contains any such phrases or sentences, remove them and rewrite the statement. Be sure to keep the discarded phrases handy, though, because you may be able to use them to formulate mission objectives. (Mission objectives are discussed in the next section.) The following sentence is an example of a poorly worded mission statement:
"The purpose of the Whatcom County Hearing Examiners database is to keep track of applications for land use, maintain data on applicants, keep a record of all hearings, and maintain data for office use."
It should be immediately apparent that there are a few things wrong with this mission statement. ... Remember that the ideal mission statement should be succinct and to the point. ... The manner in which this mission statement is written makes it difficult to ascertain the specific purpose of the database. ... Two issues arise when a mission statement is written in this manner. ... Second, the statement somehow appears to be incomplete. It seems to beg the question: "Are there any tasks weve forgotten to include in the mission statement?"
You can fix this mission statement by removing the references to specific tasks (be sure to save them for the next step), and rewriting the statement. Here is an example of one of the possible ways you could rewrite this mission statement. ... Also note that the statement is more succinct and doesnt give the impression of being incomplete.
Approximate Word count = 3163
Approximate Pages = 12.7
(250 words per page double spaced)
|
|
|
|
|
|